30 Apr 2025 Trojan Men’s Golfers set for NCAA Regional Play at Auburn
LITTLE ROCK — The Trojans men’s golf team is back in the NCAA Regionals. For the first time since 2023, the 2025 Ohio Valley Conference Champions will be competing for college golf’s ultimate prize. That quest begins at Auburn, Ala., May 12-14.
The Trojans are the No. 8 seed in the Auburn Region. Defending national champion Auburn is the No. 1 seed. The Tigers are the only team in the field that will play on their home course, the Auburn University Club.
“I think it will be good [playing Auburn],” Little Rock head coach Austin Eoff said. “There’s a lot of teams in the region we have played against, and for me personally, with Purdue, it’s cool because I played there. We will be paired against them in the first round, so that will be cool, too, for me. Any time you get to play the No. 1 team in the country, it’s a good challenge and a good motivator.”
The Trojans learned of their assignment Wednesday as they watched Golf Channel’s coverage of the unveiling of the field with a large group of supporters that gathered at the Jack Stephens Center.
“When I qualified last year, I was on the driving range,” Little Rock senior Archie Smith said. “That was great, but it means so much more to share this with the team and my friends. This was a special moment.”
Thirteen teams and five individuals will battle in the three-day stroke-play format to punch their ticket to compete for a national title. The low five teams and low individual from a non-advancing team will receive bids to the National Championship May 23-28 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
Other teams in the region include: Texas A&M (2), UCLA (3), SMU (4), Georgia Tech (5), Oregon (6), Purdue (7), TCU (9), Charleston (10), New Mexico State (11), Loyola (12) and USC Upstate (13).
“We beat UCLA in the fall – obviously they are playing really good right now,” said Eoff, who was the OVC Coach of the Year. “They just won the Big 10 championship. We beat Oregon in February and almost beat them on their home course in March. We narrowly lost to Purdue at Notre Dame. We have beaten some of those teams are that are ranked ahead of us. I think that is a good motivator knowing we can do it. It’s going to be tough, but we know we can do it.”
Starting members of the squad that clinched the OVC title include: seniors Matteo Cristoni and Smith, redshirt sophomore Rhett South and freshmen Freddie Turnell and Ed Featherstone.
It was Cristoni’s birdie putt that won the OVC Tournament in match play at Cape Girardeau, Mo. The native Italian is ready to play against some of better collegiate golfers in the nation.
“My approach doesn’t change,” he said. “I am just going to play the practice round and go on the range and try to get better. This is a great opportunity for our team.”
Auburn Regional
TEAMS
1. Auburn
2. Texas A&M
3. UCLA [Big Ten Conference]
4. SMU
5. Georgia Tech
6. Oregon
7. Purdue
8. Little Rock [Ohio Valley Conference]
9. TCU
10. Charleston
11. New Mexico State
12. Loyola Maryland [Patriot League]
13. USC Upstate [Big South Conference]
INDIVIDUALS
1. Louis Anceaux, University of Louisiana Monroe
2. Claes Borregaard, Kennesaw State
3. Xing Luo, North Alabama
4. Thomas Schmidt, Arkansas State
5. Parker Claxton, Georgia Southern
6. Camden Braidech, Chattanooga
7. Yixiang Wang, Memphis
8. Jack Maxey, Arkansas State [Sun Belt Conference]
9. Jeep Patrick, Presbyterian [Big South Conference]
10. Jonathan Xoinis, UT Martin [Ohio Valley Conference]
For complete regional pairings go here.
