The Missouri men's golf team might make it to the 2018 NCAA Tournament Raleigh Regional — if the Tigers make their flight.
Head coach Mark Leroux is notorious for having a loose interpretation of departure times: Even if it's the last flight of the day, it's not the last flight ever.
The team enjoys watching the constant struggle between the nonchalant Leroux and meticulous assistant coach Grant Milner. Perhaps they're the perfect blend of personalities for golf, a sport characterized by a demand for precision and a mind quick to forget.
Regardless, the team has done something right as it is set to make its eighth appearance at the NCAA Regionals under Leroux. Missouri will take to Lonnie Poole Golf Course from Monday through Wednesday in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Despite finishing in last place at April's Southeastern Conference Championship, the Tigers join the other 13 SEC schools in the NCAA field, which is a testament to the strength of the conference.
"Finishing last was just dreadful," Leroux said. "We definitely got a taste of (humility)."
Missouri can take solace in the fact that the SEC boasts six top-10 teams, with Texas A&M the highest at No. 3. But the team's dismal conference tournament finish will need to be shrugged off if it hopes to make the NCAA Finals — from May 25 through 30 in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
The Tigers' roster is headlined by senior Hayden Buckley, who earned All-SEC recognition Thursday for his stellar season, which included four tournament wins while maintaining a stroke average of 69.5.
Buckley has matured since wandering onto campus as mop-haired, lightly recruited golfer eight hours from his hometown of Tupelo, Mississippi, four years ago. He staggered into Columbia starry-eyed amidst the tens of thousands of people who had no idea who he was.
Now, he waves at local store owners who recognize him from the newspaper articles and was honored as Missouri's Male Athlete of the Year at the 10th annual ROARS Awards. He's learned to treasure all the little moments that fill his life: visiting kids in the hospital, talking to random classmates and taking in the beauty of each hallowed golf course.
Although he'll be enrolling in a few online courses this coming fall, he'll be pursuing a professional golf career and won't be around much. So, he's tried to take as much time as possible these last few weeks to soak in his final moments as a Missouri golfer.
Buckley made Kobe Japanese Steakhouse one of his main haunts, eating there with his roommate, Alec Davis, at least once a month and before every tournament. A simple dish of chicken teriyaki with rice prepared by the whirling knives of a chef over lively flames has helped foster one of Buckley's favorite relationships. It'll be bittersweet as the year comes to a close and his path diverges from Davis, whom he's roomed with for three years. But Buckley hopes to see his roommate on the big stage soon as Davis pursues a career in country music.
Buckley's got some musical talent too; he knows all the words to Justin Bieber's "Drummer Boy." While others read books or talk on the long flight to Raleigh, he might listen to the Christmas song again just to make sure.
One moment on a team flight sticks out more than others, though. Buckley remembers sophomore teammate Rory Franssen's reaction to the plane hitting turbulence and still jokes with him about it.
"I've never seen that look of pure terror on his face; it was the first time I've seen him get scared," Buckley said.
Buckley and Franssen are two of the three golfers who solidified their spots on the Tigers' starting roster for the Raleigh Regional. Senior Trevor Ullestad is the third.
Junior Matt Echelmeier, a Rock Bridge graduate, will vie with freshmen Jack Parker, a Tolton graduate, and Jamie Stewart for the fourth and fifth spot in the lineup.
The lineup won't be set in stone, though, as the NCAA has added substitutions between rounds to tournament play. The University of Texas lost the 2016 national championship to the University of Oregon because one of the Longhorns' golfers suffered a shoulder injury and couldn't participate. The new rule helps to prevent that from happening again and enables coaches to make strategic changes.
So, the Tigers will need all their golfers in prime condition for the tournament, assuming Leroux makes the flight, and Franssen can endure it.
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