SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Stanford men's golf saw its season come to a conclusion with an 18th-place finish at NCAA Championships on Sunday, but sophomore Michael Thorbjornsen will play in Monday's final round at Grayhawk Golf Club as an advancing individual.
"Michael has had a solid week and tomorrow is the reward for his play over the last three rounds," Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf Conrad Ray said. "We are looking forward to him capping off his strong sophomore season on a high note during Monday's final round."
The Cardinal entered Sunday's third round in a three-way tie for 14th and found themselves on the outside looking in by five strokes to end the day. The Top 15 teams will play on Monday for one of eight spots in match play, while the top nine individuals not on advancing teams will also play a fourth round.
"I think the story of our day was too many 'others'," Ray said. "We've done a good job up to this point of not making doubles and triples, but we just had too many on front nine, and from some pretty reasonable spots too. That's the frustrating part. I think the guys will look back on this round when the dust settles and wish they had a few of those shots back.
"We all felt pretty good going into the round today. Sometimes you get worried about the hard shots when in reality it boils down to the easy shots and every shot matters the same."
Stanford's best individual round on Sunday came from Henry Shimp, who was playing in his 120th and final round in the Cardinal and White. He fired a 2-over 72 with 16 pars to cap his career.
"We just have to use this as motivation to keep working hard. We played with a really talented Texas Tech team, the wind was up, and you watch them play the golf course compared to us — we need to get better. Flighting the ball into the wind and controlling where we leave it is such a key thing when it's tough. Disappointed that the outcome is the way it is, but there's a lot to be happy about too.
"You come here wanting to win, but if you take a step back, to be in the top 30 teams in the country it's a positive. I'm happy for our guys, they balance both worlds in school and golf and represent Stanford really well, so there's a lot to be proud of for sure."
Thorbjornsen will tee off hole No. 10 on Monday at 12:12 p.m. He will play with North Florida's Nick Gabrelcik and Florida State's Daniel Bradbury.
NCAA Championships (Grayhawk Golf Club, par 70)
| Name | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18. Stanford | 295 (+15) | 290 (+10) | 297 (+17) | -- | 882 (+42) |
| T44. Michael Thorbjornsen | 71 (+1) | 72 (+2) | 75 (+5) | -- | 218 (+8) |
| T76. Karl Vilips | 73 (+3) | 72 (+2) | 78 (+8) | -- | 223 (+13) |
| T76. Barclay Brown | 76 (+6) | 72 (+2) | 75 (+5) | -- | 223 (+13) |
| T87. Ethan Ng | 75 (+5) | 74 (+4) | 75 (+5) | -- | 224 (+14) |
| T87. Henry Shimp | 77 (+7) | 75 (+5) | 72 (+2) | -- | 224 (+14) |