Millard advances to National Championship

RANCHO SANTE FE, Calif. - Middle Tennessee's bid for a National Championship appearance fell short on Saturday but senior Jason Millard advanced as the lone individual from the San Diego Regional after another stellar performance.

"Jason has played great all year and no one deserves this more than he does," said Head Coach Whit Turnbow. "That will be a special week and a great way to close out his brilliant career."

Millard carded a 2-under par 70 to tie for fourth overall with a 54-hole total of 211. It was Millard's best 54-hole score in his four NCAA Regionals.

Millard will head to Stillwater, Oklahoma for the National Championships on May 31 - June 5 at the Karsten Creek Golf Club.

As a team, Middle Tennessee shot a 302 to finish in 10th place with an 887 total. No. 2 ranked UCLA won the regional with an 854 followed by USC with an 857.

"We had a good year and I am proud of the way this group battled through the ups and downs to make it back to the NCAAs," said Turnbow. "Our future is very bright."

Freshman Brett Patterson, who was 2-under par entering the final round, settled for a 76 on Saturday to finish tied for 17th. Patterson had a 218 total for the three rounds.

Junior Hunter Green turned in a 78 in the final round to finish with a 227 score and a tie for 51st.

Freshman Paul Sansom also recorded a 78 to grab 68th. Sansom had a 54-hole score of 237.

Junior Brad Simons had a 238 total to tie for 69th after posting a 78.

TEAM SCORES
1 2 UCLA -10 F -6 287 285 282 854
2 15 Southern California -7 F +1 278 290 289 857
3 23 San Diego E F -8 294 290 280 864
4 26 Ohio State +1 F -2 300 279 286 865
5 11 Texas +9 F +1 287 297 289 873
6 SMU +11 F +4 295 288 292 875
7 Pacific +14 F +3 298 289 291 878
8 San Francisco +19 F +7 298 290 295 883
9 39 North Texas +20 F +9 293 294 297 884
10 47 Middle Tennessee +23 F +14 298 287 302 887
11 50 Tulsa +27 F +17 300 286 305 891
12 36 UNLV +33 F +17 295 297 305 897
13 Cleveland State +45 F +16 303 302 304 909

MT SCORES
T4 Jason Millard (1) 72 69 70 211
T17 Brett Patterson (3) 72 70 76 218
T51 Hunter Green (2) 78 71 78 227
68 Paul Sansom (4) 76 83 78 237
T69 Brad Simons (5) 83 77 78 238

Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter @MTAthletics for continued updates.