HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. - Green Bay golfer George Kneiser captured the 2019 Horizon League Men's Golf Championship on Tuesday, finishing 1-under par for the tournament and earning the individual victory by three strokes at the Mission Inn Resort & Club in Florida. Kneiser becomes the third golfer in program history to win the HL individual championship, joining Chad Ebert (2012) and Shaun Rezachek (2001 & 1998) as Phoenix players to raise the trophy.
With his individual victory, Kneiser earns an automatic bid into the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships as a single player. His selection will be announced on Wednesday, May 1 at 8 p.m. CT on Golf Channel's Golf Central and streamed live on the Golf Channel website. Six 54-hole NCAA regional tournaments will be conducted May 12-15. Thirteen teams and ten individuals not on those teams will compete at each of the three regionals while the other three regionals will have 14 teams and five individuals not on those teams. The low five teams and the low individual not on those teams from each regional will advance to the finals.
The junior from Oconomowoc, Wis., shot a final round 75 to hold off the field, after entering the final round with six stroke lead thanks to a second round 69. Playing at the El Campeon Golf Course, Kneiser was the only golfer to shoot in the 60s in any of the three rounds of the tournament that began on Sunday. He shot a 1-under 71 in the first round and was tied for the lead after 18 holes.
Kneiser's final score of 215 is the lowest score for any Phoenix golfer to ever win the championship. He's also the first Phoenix golfer to shoot in the 60s at the Horizon League Championship.
Green Bay finished 6th as a team in the championship, with Wright State winning the team championship. GB shot three round scores of 308, 296 and 307.
Bennett Hutson earned a top 20 finish, shooting a pair of 76s in the final two rounds. Brady Sarauer finished 24th, with Ben Gilles finishing 37th and Max Pasher taking 39th.
VIEW FINAL MEN'S RESULTS
6 Green Bay 308 296 307 911
1 George Kneiser (1) 71 69 75; 215
T20 Bennett Hutson (4) 78 76 76; 230
24 Brady Sarauer (5) 76 75 80; 231
37 Ben Gilles (2) 83 76 83; 242
39 Max Pasher (6) 79 76; 155
MORE ABOUT THE NCAA DIVISION I MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships selections announcement will take place on Wednesday, May 1 at 9 p.m. ET, on Golf Channel's Golf Central and streamed live on the Golf Channel website. Eighty-one teams and 45 individuals will be selected to compete at one of six regional championship sites.
Six 54-hole regional tournaments will be conducted May 12-15. Thirteen teams and ten individuals not on those teams will compete at each of three regionals while the other three regionals will have 14 teams and five individuals not on those teams. The low five teams and the low individual not on those teams from each regional will advance to the finals.
The six regional sites include Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Pullman, Washington, hosted by Washington State University; Stanford Golf Course in Stanford, California, hosted by Stanford University; TPC Myrtle Beach in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, hosted by Coastal Carolina University and Myrtle Beach Regional Sports Alliance; University of Louisville Golf Club in Simpsonville, Kentucky, hosted by the University of Louisville; University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens, Georgia, hosted by the University of Georgia; and University of Texas Golf Club in Austin, Texas, hosted by the University of Texas.
NCAA team and individual medalist titles will be decided May 24-29 at Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
This year's men's golf championships will be broadcast for the sixth consecutive year by Golf Channel with more than 100 news and tournament hours planned again for the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Golf Championships.
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