Aldarondo Concludes Historic Year for Men’s Golf at NCAA II South/Southeast Regional

5/7/2022 7:57:00 PM | By: Kyrin Mayfield | @k_mayfield97

Results
VALDOSTA, Ga. - A historic season for Ian Aldarondo of Embry-Riddle men's golf came to a close after he completed the program's first regional on Saturday, finishing tied for 75th with 226 strokes (71-79-76) in the 108-player field. Aldarondo ends the 2021-22 season as the program's record holder in single-season stroke average (73.0) and recorded the two lowest 54-hole scores (209 and 210) in program history.

What was the end of a postseason regional felt more like the beginning of a regular-season tournament as Aldarondo played 30 holes of the 7,420-yard, par-72 course at the Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in a single day.

Severe weather forced the suspension of the second round on Friday. Aldarondo was on the seventh hole when a horn blared throughout the course. The junior returned prior to sunrise on Saturday morning to warm up before play resumed at 7 a.m.

The early-morning conditions did not favor the Puerto Rico native as he was unable to birdie any of the remaining holes in the round. Later on the 18th, Aldarondo gave a fist pump when he parred the hole on a putt of about 10 to 15 feet.

A two-hour break between rounds allowed Aldarondo to cool down and refocus before starting his third round at 12:50 p.m.

The rest did Aldarondo well as he birdied three of the first four holes. On hole No. 4, Aldarondo chipped out of a bunker on his third shot to within five feet of the hole, setting himself up to capitalize on an easy putt for birdie.

Eleven holes passed before Aldarondo recorded another under-par score on the 16th. On his second shot, he floated the ball onto the green just a few feet away from the hole, allowing him to successfully send a putt in for a birdie. During the walk back to his golf bag, Aldarondo leaped and clicked his heels in celebration.

After sinking his final putt of the tournament on the 18th hole, Aldarondo received an applause from the fans watching nearby and stepped off the green for one final time this year.

Despite a few rough patches, Aldarondo enjoyed his time at the regional and wants to take it a step further next season.

"It wasn't the result we were hoping for, but it definitely was a new experience. It was fun. I still have a lot to learn and practice. I got a lot of positive feedback on my game from Head Coach Ken Staton. I'm just looking forward to next year. We have a great team, and I definitely think we can be here as a team next year."

Limestone won the regional with a 17-under-par 847 (281-281-285). Barry finished 10 strokes back in second (277-282-298=857) while Lee (289-281-290=860) and North Georgia (291-286-283=860) tied for third. All four teams advance to the final site along with Georgia Southwestern State and Florida Southern, who placed fifth and sixth.

Barry's A.J. Ewart (69-68-66=203) finished in first on the individual leaderboard with a sizable seven-stroke victory. The two individuals advancing to the final tournament are Austin Fulton of West Georgia and King's Samuel Trueba, who beat West Florida's Patrick Poate in a playoff hole.

The 2021-22 Embry-Riddle Men's Golf season is presented by Tijuana Flats.

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