Junior Jake Brown was eliminated from postseason play Wednesday after finishing tied for 14th in the NCAA Regional Tournament in Bryan, Texas.
Brown was playing as one of 10 individuals invited to the tournament and shot a combined score of 215, one under par, over three rounds. He shot rounds of even par, 72, for the first two days and just snuck under par on the last hole of day three, shooting 71 in the final round.
While Brown finished in the top three for individual players not on qualifying teams, only the top individual gets to move on to the National Championship round.
“Obviously, I’m disappointed that I’m not moving on, but it was an awesome experience for me," Brown said. "It was a great experience and great environment to be in and it was really a positive end to the season, I think.”
Brown said he thinks of this year as a stepping stone and is already setting goals for next year.
“After being here one year, I know I want to make it next year to the National Championship,” Brown said. “To make it past this tournament is the next goal. That's what I’m looking forward to trying to achieve next year.”
This is this first postseason appearance for IU since 2013, when the team was eliminated in the regional. Brown is the first individual player to represent the school since 2007.
Even though he competed as an individual, Brown is looking to bring the whole IU team to Nationals next year.
“First of all I want to get my team there, so that's definitely the first step, and then we'll go from there.” Brown said.
But for now, he is focusing on the summer.
“Getting on board with my teammates and having a good summer of golf is my next step,” Brown said.
