Razorbacks Ready for SEC Championships

FAYETTEVILLE – The #37 Arkansas men’s golf program will be in St. Simons Island, Ga., to compete in the 2019 SEC Championships. This is the 19th consecutive year the Championships have been held at Sea Island Golf Club and it will mark the 17th year at the Seaside Course (par 70, 7,005 yards). The Championships begin Wednesday (Aril 24) and conclude Sunday (April 28).

For the third year, the SEC will incorporate both stroke play and match play to determine the team champion. After three rounds of stroke play (18 holes each day), an individual champion will be crowned, and the top eight teams will advance to match play. The match play quarterfinals Saturday morning (April 27) and semifinals that afternoon will be on SEC Network+ from 3:30-6 pm (CT). The championship match will be Sunday (April 28) and will be televised live on the SEC Network starting at 6:30 am (CT).

Arkansas used a strong finish over its final nine holes last season to vault into a tie for fourth and advance to match play. The Razorbacks lost 3-2-0 to Auburn in the quarterfinals. Overall, Arkansas has finished among the top five on five occasions over the last 10 years, including a runner-up finish in 2009 and a tie for third in 2016.

Arkansas will be sending four of its five players from last year’s championships to this year’s tournament, including juniors Tyson Reeder, Mason Overstreet, William Buhl and Luiz Garza. The only new player will be freshman Julian Perico, who fills the void vacated by 2018 graduate Alvaro Ortiz.

Buhl led the Razorbacks at last year’s SEC Championships, shooting a 3-under-par 207 to tie for third – two shots off the winning score. Overstreet has shot 66’s in each of his final rounds at the previous two SEC Championships, tying for 13th as a freshman and tying for 16th last season. Garza tied for 36th with Ortiz last season and Reeder tied for 59th. Garza owns the low round amongst the current Razorbacks at Sea Island as he carded a 65 in the final round of the 2017 SEC Championships.

All five Razorbacks have won tournaments in their career. Buhl, Perico and Reeder each have won this season while Overstreet and Garza each won events last season. The quintet has combined to shoot rounds of par or better 66 times this season and all have a stroke average below 74: Perico (71.69), Overstreet (71.79), Buhl (72.06), Reeder (72.44) and Garza (73.25).

The SEC Championships will gather 14 of the nation’s best teams as every league member is ranked inside the GolfStat top 65 including #4 Vanderbilt, #11 LSU, #12 Auburn, #13 South Carolina, #16 Georgia, #22 Alabama, #26 Texas A&M, #35 Tennessee, #37 Arkansas, #40 Florida, #52 Kentucky, #54, Ole Miss, #55 Mississippi State and #64 Missouri.

2019 SEC Championships
Sea Island Golf Club – Seaside Course • St. Simons Island, Ga.
Par 70 • 7,005 Yards
April 24 • Round 1 – 18 holes – Stroke Play (6:30 am CT start)
April 25 • Round 2 – 18 holes – Stroke Play (6:30 am CT start)
April 26 • Round 3 – 18 holes – Stroke Play (6:30 am CT start)
NOTE: individual champion crowned after 54 holes of stroke play, top 8 teams advance to match play
April 27 • Quarterfinals – Match Play (6:30 am CT start – Coverage: SEC+)
April 27 • Semifinals – Match Play (11:30 am CT start – Coverage: SEC+)
April 28 • Championship – Match Play (6:30 am CT start – Coverage: SEC Network)

Razorback Lineup
(1) Tyson Reeder (Jr.)
(2) Mason Overstreet (Jr.)
(3) Julian Perico (Fr.)
(4) William Buhl (Jr.)
(5) Luis Garza (Jr.)

The Field
#22 Alabama
#37 Arkansas
#12 Auburn
#40 Florida
#16 Georgia
#52 Kentucky
#11 LSU
#54 Ole Miss
#55 Mississippi State
#64 Missouri
#13 South Carolina
#35 Tennessee
#26 Texas A&M
#4 Vanderbilt

NCAA Championships
The University of Arkansas and Blessings Golf Club are the proud hosts of the 2019 NCAA Women’s and Men’s National Championships. The women’s event begins May 17 and is immediately followed by the men’s championship beginning May 24. For more information or to volunteer for the event, log on to www.NCAAGolf19.com.

For more information on Arkansas Men’s Golf, follow @RazorbackMGolf on Twitter.