Erik Van Rooyen is Set to Represent Minnesota at NCAA Ann Arbor Regional The Junior is Making His Second Consecutive NCAA Appearance
Erik Van Rooyen led the Gophers in stroke average this season.
May 16, 2012
Minnesota junior Erik Van Rooyen will represent the Golden Gophers at this weekend's NCAA Ann Arbor Regional. The South African native is making his second-straight NCAA appearance, having finished in a tie for 51st place at the 2011 NCAA San Diego Regional.
Van Rooyen is coming off of his second consecutive top-10 finish at the Big Ten Championships with a seventh place finish at the Pete Dye Course in French Lick, Ind. Last season he earned All-Big Ten Championship Tournament Team honors following a third place finish.
Van Rooyen was recently named Second Team All-Big Ten, becoming the 30th Gopher player to be named to an All-Big Ten team, a list that has included a Golden Gopher in 11 of the last 12 years. Former All-American Bronson La'Cassie was a four-time member of the All-Big Ten First Team (2004-07) while fellow All-Americans Tom Lehman (1979-81) and Martin LeMesurier (1997-2000) were three-time members of the All-Big Ten First Team.
He led the Gophers in the fall and spring seasons in stroke average at 73.2 and 71.9, respectively. His combined stroke average of 72.6 this season is the 12-lowest in the history of Minnesota golf and is his lowest in the three seasons he has been at the U. Van Rooyen will head to Ann Arbor with a career average of 73.77, currently the ninth-lowest in Gopher Golf history.
The NCAA Regional field will include 13 teams and 10 individuals. The top five teams and one individual not on one of the advancing teams will head to the NCAA Championships at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.
NCAA Ann Arbor Regional Teams (in order of seeding): 1. USC, 2. Oregon, 3. Kent State, 4. Virginia, 5. Baylor, 6. Oklahoma State, 7. Kennesaw State, 8. TCU, 9. Purdue, 10. North Carolina State, 11. Notre Dame, 12. Ohio State, 13. Navy.
NCAA Ann Arbor Regional Individuals (in order of seeding): 1. Peter Williamson, Dartmouth; 2. Matt Thompson, Michigan; 3. Sebastian MacLean, Xavier; 4. Erik Van Rooyen, Minnesota; 5. Dan Ellis, Michigan State; 6. Tyler Merkel, Ball State; 7. Charlie Bull, Akron; 8. Chad Ebert, Green Bay; 9. William Park, Army; 10. Greg Matthias, Delaware.
The NCAA Ann Arbor Regional schedule is as follows: Thursday, May 17: First Round (18). Van Rooyen's scheduled tee time is 8:50 a.m. Friday, May 18: Second Round (18). Tee times will be based upon first round score. Saturday, May 19: Final Round (18) Tee times will be based upon second round score.
About the course: The Ann Arbor Regional will take place at the University of Michigan Golf Course. The course was designed in the late 1920's by Alister MacKenzie and renovated in 1994. The par 71 layout will play at 6,723 yards.
