UMKC’s Antoine Rozner set to compete in NCAA men’s golf tournament

Antoine Rozner is playing some of the best golf of his career at the right time.

Rozner, a senior from Paris who plays for UMKC, qualified to play in the NCAA men’s championship tournament starting Friday in Eugene, Ore. He advanced by placing second in a regional tournament last week at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla.

“I am very excited,” Rozner said. “I can’t wait to get there. I am sure it will be a lot of fun.

“When I first moved here my freshman year, the NCAA finals was definitely a goal. It is something I have been watching closely the last four years. I am really excited to be in the field this year.”

Rozner took second place in the regional with a score of 1-over-par 217 for 54 holes in Stillwater.

“He certainly is capable,” UMKC coach J.W. VanDenBorn said. “He proved it at the regional. We had a strong field at the regional. He is that caliber of player.

“We will just try to keep him confident and comfortable throughout the tournament. He is capable of winning the whole thing.”

VanDenBorn said it has been fun to watch Rozner develop over his four years at UMKC.

“He has exceptional talent,” VanDenBorn said. “There were things he needed to get better at from the time he was a freshman to his senior year. He has done those things. It is nice to see that development.”

VanDenBorn said it was key for Rozner to develop an overall trust in his game and to understand what he is capable of and when to take chances on the course. But the biggest thing, VanDenBorn said, was to improve his putting stroke.

“As a freshman, he wasn’t a bad putter, but he wasn’t making the number of putts he wanted to,” VanDenBorn said. “We got him some help in that regard. It has paid off for him over the last two seasons. He has made a lot more putts and become a lot more confident in that part of his game.

“That is the difference at this level and levels beyond college golf. Guys that are really successful are guys who can make putts. He has certainly worked hard to do that.”

Rozner had a solid start to the 2015-16 season last fall, but he hit a rough point this spring. VanDenBorn said he walked almost every hole with Rozner at the Hawkeye Invitational in Iowa City in April to help Rozner get comfortable, and he did it again at the Western Athletic Conference championship as Rozner won with a score of 12-under 204.

That led to a successful run last week in the regional.

“At the regional he seemed much more comfortable, as much as you can be comfortable at Karsten Creek,” VanDenBorn said. “That place doesn’t breed a whole lot of confidence because it is so difficult. He played really good golf last week”

Rozner and VanDenBorn spent some time this week watching the NCAA women’s championship on TV. It is played on the same course the men will play, Eugene Country Club.

Rozner said it appears that it will be important to keep the ball on the fairway because of the course’s thick rough, and to hit the right spots on the greens. If he does that, Rozner believes he can be successful and survive a cut made after 54 holes.

“Making the cut would be good,” Rozner said. “It is a very good field. Anything in the top 10 would be a very good tournament.”

VanDenBorn isn’t too worried about Rozner’s game. He ranks 10th in the country with a scoring average of 70.48. VanDenBorn said his main job now is to confirm what Rozner already is thinking and to give him a little bit more confidence in terms of the decisions he is making.

“Now we are bringing the best of the best together,” VanDenBorn said. “But he has played against these guys in some amateur tournaments. He can certainly compete with anybody in the field. If the putts fall, he will be in good position.”

This story was originally published May 25, 2016 at 1:08 PM with the headline "UMKC’s Antoine Rozner set to compete in NCAA men’s golf tournament."