NC State men’s golf redshirt junior Nick Mathews played the best golf of his career at the Chapel Hill NCAA Regional at UNC’s Finley Golf Club to advance to the NCAA Championship. Over 54 holes, Mathews shot a 12-under par to tie for second – the highest score among individuals not on an advancing team.

Mathews’ 12-under par score ties him with Benjamin Shipp for the lowest in NCAA Regional program history and marks the best score of his career. The redshirt junior golfer accomplished this by getting stronger each day, shooting 3-under on day one, 4-under on day two and 5-under on the final day to punch his ticket to the national championship in California.

His impressive last round included just one bogey on the opening hole and six birdies, three on the front nine and three on the back nine. He racked up most of his birdies on Par 4s, shooting 8-under on such holes for the tournament, which tied for the best score among all competitors.

Over three days of competition, Mathews recorded 16 birdies, the second most among the field, and just four bogeys. He also shot 3-under on Par 5s and 1-under on Par 3s as he shot under par on every type of hole for the tournament.

This performance should come as no surprise as Mathews has been one of the Wolfpack’s most consistent players the past few years. Last month, he claimed his first individual title at the Stitch Intercollegiate and has now carried that momentum to a spot in the NCAA Championship.

Mathews’ teammate, graduate Spencer Oxendine, also participated as an individual, placing in a tie for 21st with a score of 2-under par. Oxendine shot even through the first two days but saved his best for last with a 2-under par round on the final 18 holes.

Oxendine played his best golf on Par 5s, shooting 6-under for the tournament. While the graduate excelled on Par 5s, he struggled on Par 3s and 4s, shooting a combined 4-over on them over three days.

The most impressive part of Oxendine’s performance was the two eagles he recorded. His first came on hole three on day one and the other on hole two in his second round.

This marked Oxendine’s last collegiate tournament, and he went out with his best season. He led the Pack with a 72.31 stroke average and racked up three top-10 performances and a top-5.

With a historic performance under his belt, Mathews will head to Carlsbad, California to compete for the individual NCAA championship. The championship is set for May 24-29.