MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — WVU senior golfer Mark Goetz spent most of his final round at the NCAA Noblesville Regional in Indiana climbing the leaderboard in pursuit of a spot in the national tournament. His quest came up just short on the 54th and final hole of the event.
Goetz posted a score of 8-under par, finishing as the runner-up in the regional. Only the top individual from a non-qualifying team advances to the national tourney in Arizona. Cole Bradley of Purdue birdied the final hole to finish at 10-under.
After posting an opening-round 74 on Monday, Goetz shot 66 and 68 over his final two rounds to climb into contention. He briefly tied for the lead Wednesday afternoon. The Greensburg, Pa. put six birdies on his card during the final round.
“I’m so proud of Mark,” WVU head coach Sean Covich said. “He played great this week. He’s always been talented, but he has matured these past two seasons and has developed into one of the best players in the country. The reason he has success is because of his preparation and his process.
“I’m so excited about next year’s team with Mark coming back for a fifth season. I know we didn’t have the team here this week, but Mark felt like he was playing for us all, sending a message of what to expect out of the Mountaineers next season.”