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Takudzwa Chitsiga

Sports Reporter

TOP Zimbabwean amateur golfer Kieran Vincent will, for the second time, represent Liberty’s men’s golf team in the national championship in the US after he started in 2019 as a freshman. 

 Vincent individually ranks at number 52 in the country and is the highest ranked for the Flames in the latest Golfstat rankings, followed by Jonathan Yaun at number 127 as Austin Duncan is at number 144. 

The former St George’s College student is hopeful of doing well.

“Six years, a few degrees. A couple accomplishments and a whole lot of memories. Thankful for it all, up next the national championship,” he said recently.

Vincent has posted 25 career top-10 finishes during his career at Liberty, which ranks second to Liberty Athletics Hall of Famer Robert Karlsson 31 – 2009-12.

Liberty, seeded 26th, will look to become the first team in Liberty Athletics history to capture an NCAA Division I national championship when they take to the Grayhawk Golf Club – Raptor Course (par 70, 7,289 yards), which began yesterday.

The Flames booked tickets to Scottsdale, Arizona after a thrilling fifth-place finish at last week’s NCAA Stockton Regional that included three birdies on the 18th hole to secure the return trip to the national championship.

Liberty has appeared in the NCAA Men’s Golf National Championship three times previously in program history (2012 and 2019, 2021).

The Flames’ best finish at the national championship event came in 2012. 

Liberty finished tied for 10th place at the famed Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California finishing one stroke away from advancing to the top-eight match play portion of the                                          championship. First round play got underway late yesterday at the 2022 NCAA Men’s Golf National Championship.

 The Flames were paired with number 25 seed North Florida and number 26 seed BYU.

Liberty’s Starting Five (Season Stroke Average) :

Kieran Vincent (71.18)

Austin Duncan (71.69)

Isaac Simmons (71.87)

Jonathan Yaun (71.88)

Austin Barbin (73.13)

Alternate: Zach Barbin (74.36)