Billy Tom Sargent

Western Kentucky men’s golfer Billy Tom Sargent was selected Wednesday to compete in the NCAA Regionals as an individual, making him the first Hilltopper to participate in the NCAAs in 10 seasons.

Sargent, a redshirt junior from Georgetown, was one of five individuals selected to compete in the Kissimmee (Fla.) Regional, hosted by Central Florida. Play will take place May 14-16 at the Reunion Resort Watson Course.

“I’m really excited to be selected to participate in the NCAA Regionals, and going to Florida will be a lot of fun,” Sargent said in a news release. “I’ve played that course before, so I was hoping that I would be selected to go there. 

“I started to get nervous when I didn’t see my name called after four regions, then finally saw my name. It was a big relief, and I’m really excited to play.”

The last Hilltopper to participate in the NCAA Regionals was Brent Long, who competed as an individual in 2008.

“I am so happy for Billy Tom Sargent to be included in the NCAA Regional field at Reunion Resort in Kissimmee,” WKU coach Phillip Hatchett said. “He has played so solid this whole fall and spring season with three top-five finishes and five top-10 finishes throughout the season. Then he proved himself with a great individual win at the Border Olympics with some highly ranked teams. He is building himself into a world-class player who just gets how to play the game, and I am very happy the NCAA selection committee included such a talented WKU player into the mix.”

Earlier Wednesday, Sargent was named to the All-Conference USA Second Team, making him the first Hilltopper to receive all-league honors since Alex Yost was named to the All-Sun Belt Conference Team in 2010. 

Sargent was the team’s top finisher at seven events in the 2017-18 campaign, recording nine top-20s, five top-10s, three top-fives and one victory at the Border Olympics in March. He finished the season with a team-best stroke average of 72.5.

The individual win at the Border Olympics was the third of Sargent’s career. He shot a career-low, 12-under 204 to claim victory, the lowest 54-hole score by a Hilltopper since 2009. He was named C-USA Golfer of the Week as a result.

Two weeks before that, Sargent shot a 10-under 206 at the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate to place third. It was part of a stretch in which he carded six scores of 69 or lower in nine opportunities.

Despite battling a knee injury over the final three tournaments of the season, Sargent tied for 11th at the 2018 Conference USA Championship, the best conference tournament result by a Hilltopper since 2010. His 219 total was also the program’s best since 2014.