NOBLESVILLE, Ind. – The McKendree University men's golf team will open play here Thursday morning in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Division II Midwest/Central Regional Tournament held here at Purgatory Golf Club and hosted by the University of Indianapolis.
 
McKendree is one of 20 teams (10 from the Midwest Region and 10 from the Central Region) and eight individuals participating in this year's NCAA Midwest/Central Regional Tournament. The top six teams and the top two individuals not from one of the advancing teams following Saturday's third and final round will advance to the 2022 NCAA Division II National Championship Finals, which is scheduled for May 16-20 at TPC Michigan in Dearborn, Mich.
 
The Bearcats, who are ranked 52nd in the latest Golfstat rankings and earned a vote in the most recent Bushnell/Golfweek Division II Coaches' Poll, will begin play in the regional tournament on Thursday, May 5 at 8:45 a.m. CT with a shotgun start. Due to a forecast that calls for thunderstorms and heavy rain in the area on Friday, tournament officials decided to try and play 36 holes on Thursday. The final round is scheduled for Saturday, May 7.
 
McKendree, who is making just its second-ever NCAA Regional appearance in school history and the first since 2018, will be paired with Northeastern State (Central Region No. 7 seed), Southwestern Oklahoma State (Central Region No. 8 seed) and Tiffin (Midwest Region No. 8 seed) in the Thursday's two rounds of action.
 
The Central/Midwest Regional features four nationally-ranked teams and seven other schools that received votes in the most recent Bushnell/Golfweek Division II Coaches Poll. Among the nationally-ranked teams are No. 2 ranked Arkansas Tech, who are the defending Division II National Champions, No. 12 ranked Rogers State, No. 16 ranked Central Missouri and No. 20 ranked Henderson State. The teams earning votes besides McKendree are Harding, Central Oklahoma, Southern Arkansas, Findlay, who is the top seed in the Midwest Region and Grand Valley State.
 
In Thursday's opening round, the Bearcats, who practiced on the Purgatory Golf Club course on Wednesday, will tee off on holes 11A, 11B, 12, 13 and 14A. The Bearcats who are competing in this year's Midwest/Central Regional are freshman Thomas Tollefsen (Tonsberg, Norway/Wang Toppidrett Tonsberg), freshman Fabian Wennerlof (Onsala, Sweden/Katrinelundgymnasiet), junior Rasmus Nilsson (Stockholm, Sweden/Danderyds Gymnasium), junior Phasin Vichitcharoenpaisarn (Bangkok, Thailand/The American School of Bangkok) and graduate student Will Postlethwaite (Carlisle, United Kingdom/William Howard School).
 
McKendree, who finished fourth in the stroke play portion of the 2022 Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships and fell 3-2 to UMSL in the semifinals of match/medal play at the GLVC Championships, are making its second-ever team appearance in the NCAA Regional Tournament as the 2017-18 Bearcats team earned a spot in the Central/Midwest Regional and finished 18th out of 20 teams. In 2016 and 2021, the Bearcats sent an individual qualifier to regionals as Keenai Sampson finished seventh at the 2016 Central/Midwest Regional held at the Meadows in Allendale, Mich., while in 2021, Vichitcharoenpaisarn finished tied for 23rd at the Central/Midwest Regional held at Shoal Creek Golf Club in Kansas City, Mo.

Here are a list of the participating teams and individuals competing at 2022 NCAA Midwest/Central Regional

MIDWEST REGION
1. Findlay - At-Large
2. Grand Valley State - At-Large
3. UMSL - GLVC Champion
4. Indianapolis - At-Large
5. Southern Indiana - At-Large
6. Wayne State (Mich.) - At-Large
7. McKendree - At-Large
8. Tiffin - GMAC Champion
9. Trevecca Nazarene - At-Large
10. Davenport - GLIAC Champion

INDIVIDUALS
1. Robert Holden, Ohio Dominican
2. Connor Curry, Malone
3. Alex Bishop, Purdue Northwest
4. Oscar Darlington, Hillsdale (Mich.)

CENTRAL REGION
1. Arkansas Tech - At-Large
2. Rogers State - MIAA Champion
3. Central Missouri - At-Large
4. Henderson State - GAC Champion
5. Harding - At-Large
6. Central Oklahoma - At-Large
7. Northeastern State - At-Large
8. Southwestern Oklahoma State - At-Large
9. Southern Arkansas - At-Large
10. Concordia-St. Paul - NSIC Champion

INDIVIDUALS
1. Dawson White, Washburn
2. Brady Holland, Winona State
3. Ben Laffen, Minnesota State-Mankato
4. Cade Uhlenhake, Washburn