BOISE, Idaho — Last weekend, Boise State men's golfer Cole Rueck walked off the 18th green at the Mountain West Championships with little control over whether or not he could achieve his biggest individual goal of the season.
The sophomore was one shot off the lead, but there were still plenty of other golfers on the course. Rueck and Bronco head coach David Trainor waited out it out at a nearby Subway, "constantly refreshing" their phones while "keeping the mood light" amid anticipation.
"It was something I'd never experienced, getting done that early with still a chance to win the tournament," Rueck said. "Usually you're in one of the final groups and you're playing right alongside the leaders."
Three hours later, Rueck found himself in first place after shooting a 4-under-par 68 in the final round. San Diego State's Shea Lague missed a birdie putt while playing in the final group, securing Rueck's first medalist honor of his collegiate career.
The Corvallis, Oregon, native finished with a 7-under 209 after 27-straight bogey-free holes to end the tournament. Rueck became the fifth conference champion in the history of Boise State men's golf and the first since Brian Humphreys won the Mountain West in 2017.
"Always the goal at the beginning of the year is try to make the postseason," Rueck said. "That's one of the goals I told coach at the beginning – get to regionals. Pretty excited that I got it done, looking forward to it."
Rueck on Wednesday learned he is headed to the Stanford Regional to compete in the 54-hole tournament May 13-15. He is the ninth Bronco to ever reach an NCAA Regional and the first since Humphreys.
His Mountain West individual title puts him alongside fellow Boise State conference champions Danny Moore (1984 - Big Sky), Danny Deiro (1995 - Big Sky), Troy Merritt (2008 - WAC) and Humphreys.
During the NCAA announcements Wednesday, Rueck chatted with KTVB about the accomplishment, with pictures of Merritt and Graham DeLaet in the background of Boise State's Jane E. Van Auker Golf Center.
"I do look at those two names as like inspiration of where I want to get to," Rueck said. "I know that it's possible and it's been done. You can get to the highest level at Boise State."
As a freshman during the 2022-2023 season, Rueck was second on the team with a 73.55 scoring average across 29 rounds. This season, he was No. 1 in Boise State's lineup, won the Genesis Collegiate Showcase to earn an exemption to the 2024 Scottish Open, and finished tied for sixth at the Cleveland Golf Palmetto Intercollegiate.
"All the work I do put in pays off. I wouldn't say I was expecting for all this to happen," Rueck said. I've had lots of experiences in previous tournaments, in big moments that didn't go my way and where I didn't play how I wanted to … I've had enough of those experiences, now it's time to actually play well in them and try to win them."
Rueck now prepares for the Stanford Golf Course, one of six regional sites. The top five teams and low individual not on those qualifying teams will advance to the NCAA Championships, scheduled for May 24-29.
Boise State's head coach told KTVB he would be "over the moon" to see Rueck punch his ticket to the championships at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California.
"He's had a great spring, he's had a great year, and nobody really deserves it more than him," Trainor said. "Pretty awesome."
Rueck's mentality is simple, motivated and hungry – "I don't really have anything to lose, I have to win to keep going."
Click here for more information on regionals and the 2024 NCAA DI men's golf championship.
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