From Vermont to the NCAA Regionals: Freshman Lucas Politano Playing Fearless Golf

Monday, May 18

Rutgers

NCAA Columbus Regional

From Vermont to the NCAA Regionals: Freshman Lucas Politano Playing Fearless Golf

May 14 | Men's Golf

NCAA Regionals Live Results

By: Chris Corso

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - When Lucas Politano arrived at Rutgers in the fall of 2025, the freshman from Brandon, Vermont, wasn’t focused on accolades, rankings, or postseason dreams.

He simply wanted to compete.

Less than a year later, Politano is heading to the NCAA Columbus Regional after authoring one of the best freshman seasons in recent Rutgers men’s golf history.

“It’s super exciting,” Politano said. “Going into this year, I didn’t really have many expectations. I got off to a good start this fall and then kind of realized where this thing could go pretty quickly.”

Politano will compete at the NCAA Columbus Regional, hosted by Ohio State at OSU Golf Club, against one of the strongest fields in the country. The 13-team regional features top national programs, including No. 1 seed Florida, No. 2 Arizona State, No. 3 Stanford, Florida State, South Carolina, and Oregon.

Politano enters the regional as the No. 7 individual seed in a talented individual field that includes Princeton’s Riccardo Fantinelli, Iowa’s Ryan Shellberg, and Iowa State’s Paul Beauvy. He is one of 10 individual golfers selected to compete for a spot in the NCAA Championships.

Politano becomes the first freshman under head coach Rob Shutte — now in his 14th season — to qualify for NCAA Regionals, and the first Scarlet Knight overall to earn an NCAA postseason berth as an individual since Chris Gotterup in 2019-20.

Politano, who joined the program in the fall of 2025, made an immediate impact in the Rutgers lineup and earned Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors following a standout debut season. He posted a 72.25 stroke average while recording seven rounds in the 60s and 11 rounds under par, consistently delivering against elite competition throughout the year. He helped lead Rutgers to their best-ever finish at the Big Ten Championships (fourth) in Oregon last week.

To have a freshman hit the ground running is a rarity. He’s carried that responsibility and embraced the opportunity. The sky is the limit for him. He’s a gamer who loves the bright spotlights, and he’s going to get that at NCAAs.

men's golf head coach Rob Shutte

The realization that he could compete and succeed at the college level came fast.

Politano consistently delivered throughout the season, highlighted by top-15 finishes at the Marquette Intercollegiate, Palmas Del Mar Collegiate, and Hoosier Collegiate before tying for 23rd at the Big Ten Championships.

But it was one tournament in particular that changed everything.

At the Canadian Collegiate Invitational, Politano delivered a historic performance, finishing runner-up while rewriting the Rutgers record book. He set a new program 54-hole scoring record at 18-under-par and carded a 9-under round — the lowest round under par in school history.

“Sometimes you get to a point where you don’t really know how good you are or how good you can be,” Politano said. “At that point, I definitely realized I was doing pretty well.”

Ironically, the confidence began before the tournament ever started. Early qualifying rounds at Rutgers were challenging as he adjusted to college golf, but a strong final qualifying round before the Gopher Invitational changed his momentum.

“I wasn’t playing great at first,” Politano admitted. “Then we played our final round of qualifying before going to the Gopher, and I played really well. That kind of got me settled in.”

From there, everything accelerated.

At the Canadian Collegiate Invitational, Politano entered what he described as a “flow state.”

“I was just playing and adding up the scores, and it ended up being really good rounds,” he said.

“The Canadian Collegiate was definitely a big turning point for me. It was nice so early in my career to get a really good finish, and that gave me a lot of confidence for the rest of the year.”

Lucas Politano

The success shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone familiar with Politano’s junior golf résumé.

Before arriving at Rutgers, he was the No. 1-ranked golfer in Vermont according to Junior Golf Scoreboard and became the second-youngest player ever to win the Vermont Amateur Championship in 2024. He also qualified for both the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Amateur Championships while posting multiple top-five and top-10 finishes on the AJGA circuit.

Still, even with that background, Politano’s freshman breakthrough has been special.

“It means a lot,” Politano said of becoming the first Rutgers freshman under Shutte to reach NCAA Regionals. “Coach Shutte has had a lot of freshmen come through, so to be kind of the only one in that category is a pretty cool feeling. But I’m trying not to think too much about it and just go play golf and have fun.”

That mindset has defined his season.

Rather than getting caught up in rankings or NCAA projections late in the year, Politano focused on staying present.

“Coming down the stretch, it got kind of close with being on the bubble for regionals, and I just tried my best to focus on golf,” he said. “Now I found myself in a good spot where I kind of have nothing to lose.”

His approach has been aided by a close-knit Rutgers locker room that immediately welcomed him when he arrived on campus.

“As a collective group, they’re all super supportive and we’re all really tight,” Politano said. “They made it really easy. Right away, I felt at home.”

That bond was evident during the NCAA Selection Show, when Politano learned he had officially earned a regional berth. Surrounded by teammates, coaches and alumni during Rutgers’ team banquet, the celebration became one of his favorite moments of the year.

“I didn’t even get to see their reactions when it happened because I was pretty pumped up myself,” Politano said with a laugh. “But I looked back on it afterward, and seeing their smiles made me really happy. Them being there for me in that moment meant a lot.”

The journey to Rutgers has also expanded Politano’s perspective beyond golf.

Growing up in a small Vermont town was a far cry from life in New Jersey, but he quickly embraced the culture and personality surrounding Rutgers athletics.

I grew up in a really small town where everybody kind of knows everybody. Then once I got to Jersey, I kind of realized how big the world was.

Lucas Politano

Politano has fully bought into what it means to be a Scarlet Knight.

“I love Jersey. I love Rutgers and everything about it,” he said. “I love the grittiness that we have. Everybody always talks about bringing the Jersey juice, and I kind of feel like that’s become a big part of me now.”

Now, Politano and Shutte head to Columbus together for the NCAA Regional, where the freshman will compete for a spot in the NCAA Championships against many of the top golfers in the country.

Politano plans to treat the week no differently than any other tournament.

“We’re going to prepare like it’s any other week,” he said. “I think the course will set up nicely for me. Obviously, I’d love to make the national championship, but I’ll try to keep expectations out of my mind a little bit.”

The mindset remains simple — trust his game and enjoy the moment.

“I know I’ve got the game to do it,” Politano said. “It’s just a matter of going out and playing. I’ve got nothing to lose and a lot to gain, so I’m just going to go play free and have a good time.”

Scarlet Knights fans can follow along with Politano on Monday, May 18th, as he competes in the Columbus, Ohio NCAA Regionals, at Ohio State Golf Club's Scarlet Course.