Carson Bacha, the 2019 PIAA Class AAA champion as a senior at Central York, has had quite a run at Southeastern Conference power Auburn.
Bacha, No. 55 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), and the Tigers are heading to the NCAA Championship as a regional team champion for the second straight year after they staged a rally in the third round to capture the team crown in the Baton Rouge Regional, which wrapped up Wednesday at The University Club.
A year ago, Auburn captured a regional team crown on its home course and came up just short of earning a spot among the eight teams in the match-play bracket in the NCAA Championship at the Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
This spring, the Tigers, coming off wins in the always competitive SEC Championship and the Baton Rouge Regional, will take a full head of steam to the NCAA Championship, which tees off May 24 at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s Champions Course in Carlsbad, Calif.
Auburn has received huge contributions from its two freshmen, Jackson Koivun of Chapel Hill, N.C. and No. 4 in the WAGR, and Josiah Gilbert of Australia, but Bacha, a redshirt junior, has been a steady presence ever since he arrived at Auburn.
Bacha struggled in the final round with a 5-over-par 77 over the 7,401-yard, par-72 University Club layout that left him among the group tied for 23rd place in the individual standings with a 6-over 222 total.
But his teammates were ready to pick up Bacha.
Brendan Valdes, a junior from Orlando, Fla. and No. 27 in the WAGR, closed with a sizzling 6-under 66 as he finished among a trio of players tied for second place with a 6-under 210 total.
Gilbert posted a sparkling 5-under 67 in the final round to join the trio tied for fifth place in the individual standings at 5-under 211 that included Koivun, who closed with a 4-under 68.
J.M. Butler, Auburn’s talented senior from Louisville, Ky. and No. 38 in the WAGR, bounced back from a 5-over 77 in Tuesday’s second round with a sparkling 5-under 67 of his own in the final round as he finished in the group tied for 15th place with a 1-over 217 total.
It all added up to a spectacular final round of 20-under 268 for the top-seeded Tigers as they wiped out a five-shot deficit to Atlantic Coast Conference power Virginia, the second seed, and finished with a 21-under 843 total.
Bacha had been solid in the first two rounds, matching par in the opening round with a 72 and adding a 1-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round, both counters for the Tigers. After opening with a 3-under 285, Auburn added a 2-over 290 in Tuesday’s second round.
Virginia had opened with an 8-under 280 and added a 2-over 290 in Tuesday’s second round to build that five-shot advantage over Auburn going into the final round. The Cavaliers closed with a 7-under 281 to earn runnerup honors with a 13-under 851 total that left them eight shots behind Auburn.
It was another five shots back to third-seeded Texas Tech, out of the Big 12, as the Red Raiders, behind individual champion Baard Skogen, a senior from Norway, closed with a sparkling 11-under 277 to finish in third place with an 8-under 856 total.
Skogen had carded back-to-back 1-under 71s in the first two rounds at The University Club before pulling away from the field with a sizzling final round of 6-under 66 to finish two shots clear of the field in the individual chase with an 8-under 208 total.
Sixth-seeded Ohio State, out of the Big Ten, grinded out a final round of 7-under 281 to finish eight shots behind Texas Tech in fourth place with an even-par 864 total.
Seventh-seeded LSU, the host and Auburn’s SEC rival, grabbed the final berth out of the Baton Rouge Regional to the NCAA Championship as the Bayou Tigers closed with a 4-under 284 to finish four shots behind Ohio State in fifth place with a 4-over 868 total.
Valdes had struggled a little in the opening round with a 2-over 74, but bounced back with a 2-under 70 in Tuesday’s second before his closing 66 gave him a share of second place in the individual standings, two shots behind Skogen at 6-under.
Gilbert opened with a 2-under 70 and added a 2-over 74 in Tuesday’s second round before his closing 67 got him to 5-under. Koivun also opened with a 2-under 70 and added a 1-over 73 before his closing 68 enabled him to join Gilbert at 5-under.
Joining Valdes in the trio tied for second place at 6-under 210 were Skogen’s Texas Tech teammate Calum Scott, a junior from Scotland and No. 51 in the WAGR, and Duke’s Ethan Evans, a graduate student from Mercer Island, Wash.
Scott was a member of the Great Britain & Ireland side that gave the United States all it wanted in a Walker Cup match last summer played at the home of golf, the Old Course at St. Andrews. Scott added a 1-over 73 in the second round to his opening round of 2-over 70 before closing with a solid 5-under 67 to get it to 6-under.
Evans went low in Tuesday’s second round with a 5-under 67 after opening with a 1-under 71. He matched par in the final round to nail down the lone individual berth to La Costa to a player from a non-advancing team.
Ohio State was led by graduate student Neal Shipley, a member of Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s PIAA Class AAA championship team in 2018 who finished in a tie for ninth place with a 3-under 213. Shipley opened with a 2-under 70 and added a 71 in Tuesday’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 72.
That was Shipley in Butler Cabin following the final round of the Masters last month after he earned low-amateur honors. Shipley’s final-round playing partner at Augusta National was five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods.
In the Austin Regional, host Texas, the Big 12 champion and the third seed, completed a wire-to-wire run to the team title at The University of Texas Golf Club.
The Longhorns, behind individual champion Christiaan Maas, a sophomore from South Africa and No. 24 in the WAGR, carded their second straight 11-under 273 over their 7,399-yard, par-71 home course in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 9-under 279 for a 27-under 825 total.
After matching par with a 71 in the opening round, Maas heated up with a 4-under 67 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a sizzling 5-under 66 to finish at the top of the leaderboard with an 8-under 204 total.
Maas’ closest pursuer was teammate Nathan Petronzio, a graduate student from Bee Cave, Texas and No. 63 in the WAGR who had three rounds in the 60s to finish a shot behind Maas in second place with an 8-under 205 total. Petronzio opened with a solid 4-under 67 and added a 2-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round before matching Maas in the final round with a sparkling 5-under 66.
Brian Stark, a graduate student from Kingsburg, Calif. and No. 64 in the WAGR, gave Texas another player near the top of the leaderboard as he finished in a tie for third place with North Carolina Greensboro’s Kelvin Hernandez, a freshman from Puerto Rico, at 6-under 207.
Stark signed for back-to-back 3-under 68s in the first two rounds before matching par in the final round with a 71.
Top-seeded Tennessee, out of the SEC, was a distant second to Texas with an 11-under 841 total, 16 shots behind the Longhorns.
The Volunteers added a 4-under 280 in Tuesday’s second round to their opening round of 8-under 276 before closing with a 1-over 285.
It was a history-making week for the Notre Dame program as the sixth-seeded Fighting Irish, out of the ACC, finished five shots behind Tennessee in third place to earn their first trip to the NCAA Championship since 1966.
After opening with a solid 9-under 275, Notre Dame added a 1-under 283 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 4-over 288.
Utah, out of the expiring Pac-12, outperformed its ninth seed as the Utes closed with a 2-under 282 to finish four shots behind Notre Dame in fourth place with a 2-under 850 total to earn a trip to nationals at La Costa.
Utah had opened with a 1-over 285 before adding a 1-under 283 in the second round.
Most of the drama at Austin was reserved for the battle for the fifth and final berth to the NCAA Championship and perennial ACC power Wake Forest, the fifth seed, edged eighth-seeded Brigham Young, playing in the Big 12 for the first time this season, in a playoff by a shot after the teams both landed on 2-over 854.
The unique playoff format featured one-on-one matchups between all five members of each team, each playing on a separate hole.
Wake Forest bounced back from an opening round of 5-over 289 with a 3-under 281 in Tuesday’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 284.
Texas’ Tommy Morrison, a sophomore from Dallas, Texas and No. 67 in the WAGR, gave the Longhorns a fourth finisher inside the top seven in the individual standings as he finished alone in seventh place with a 4-under 209 total. Morrison opened with a solid 4-under 67 and added a 2-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 2-over 73.
Rounding out the Texas lineup was Keaton Vo, a sophomore home boy from Austin, Texas who finished in 30th place with a 3-over 216 total as he sandwiched a 2-under 70 in Tuesday’s second round with a pair of 1-over 73s.
Leading the way for Notre Dame was freshman Rocco Salvitti, a four-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Pittsburgh Central Catholic who finished among a trio of players tied for ninth place at 2-under 211. After opening with a 1-under 70, Salvitti posted a solid 2-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 1-over 72.
Graduate student Palmer Jackson, the PIAA Class AAA champion in 2018 as a senior at Franklin Regional, finished among a group of players tied for 25th place with a 2-over 215 total for the Irish. Jackson had a share of the lead following an opening round of 4-under 67. He added a 2-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round before finishing up with a 4-over 75.
In the Chapel Hill Regional, Clemson, the 10th seed out of the ACC, pulled off the biggest surprise of the week as the Tigers outdueled four-time reigning Southern Conference champion East Tennessee State at the University of North Carolina’s Finley Golf Course to claim a one-shot victory in the team chase.
Clemson was one of only two double-digit seeds to advance to the NCAA Championship, but the Tigers did that one better by capturing the eighth regional team crown in program history with a 25-under-par 815 total over the 7,084-yard, par-70 Finley layout.
There were weather concerns all week in Chapel Hill. The tournament tried to squeeze in a double round Monday, but the second round wasn’t quite complete by the end of the day. The second round was completed and the third round began amid a couple of rain delays Tuesday.
Clemson had opened with a 5-under 275 and ripped off a sizzling 14-under 66 in the second round before closing with a 6-under 274.
East Tennessee State was just as good, the Buccaneers adding a sparkling 15-under 265 in the second round to their opening round of 6-under 274. East Tennessee State closed with a 3-under 277 to finish a shot behind Clemson with a 24-under 816 total.
A couple of ACC heavyweights in tournament host North Carolina, the top seed, and third-seeded Georgia Tech, finished in third and fourth place, respectively, in the team standings at Chapel Hill.
The ACC champion Tar Heels finished four shots behind East Tennessee State in third place with a 20-under 820 total as they opened with a 9-under 271 and added a 4-under 276 in the second round before closing with a 7-under 273 in a disjointed final round.
North Carolina was led by the regional’s individual champion as Austin Greaser, a graduate student from Vandalia, Ohio and No. 12 in the WAGR, sandwiched a 5-under 65 in the second round with a pair of 4-over 66s on his home course to earn a one-shot victory with a 13-under 197 total.
Georgia Tech was another three shots behind North Carolina in fourth place with a 17-under 823 total as the Yellow Jackets sandwiched a 3-under 277 with a pair of 7-under 273s.
Georgia Tech and North Carolina met in the semifinals of the NCAA Championship a year ago at Grayhawk with the Yellow Jackets defeating the Tar Heels before falling to Florida in the Final Match.
Baylor, a six seed out of the Big 12, grabbed the Chapel Hill Regional’s final ticket to the NCAA Championship as the Bears finished two shots behind Georgia Tech in fifth place with a 15-under 825 total. Baylor sandwiched a 7-under 273 in the second round with a pair of 4-under 276s.
Leading the way for Clemson was Calahan Keever, a senior from Greenville, S.C. who finished in a tie for fifth place with a 10-under 200 total. Keever carded back-to-back 5-under 65s in the first two rounds before matching par in the final round with a 70.
Jonathan Nielsen, a senior from Denmark, backed up Keever as he finished alone in seventh place in the individual standings with a 9-under 201 total. Nielsen posted three rounds in the 60s, sandwiching a 1-under 69 in the second round with a pair of 4-under 66s.
Thomas Higgins, a sophomore from Ireland, contributed a sizzling 7-under 63 for Clemson in the second round after opening with a 3-over 73. Higgins closed with a 2-under 68 to finish in a tie for 14th place with a 6-under 204 total.
Andrew Swanson, a junior from Bluffton, S.C., was steady for the Tigers, matching par in the final round with a 70 after signing for back-to-back 1-over 71s in the first two rounds to finish among the group tied for 34th place with a 2-over 212 total.
Rounding out the Clemson lineup was Alberto Dominguez, a senior from Spain who contributed a 1-under 69 to the Tigers’ second-round surge while recording 3-over 73s in the first and final rounds to finish in a tie for 51st place with a 5-over 215 total.
North Carolina State’s Nick Mathews, a redshirt freshman from Mebane, N.C. and 94th in the WAGR, and Baylor’s Johhny Keefer, a graduate student from San Antonio, Texas and No. 40 in the WAGR, shared second place in the individual chase, each ending up a shot behind Greaser with a 12-under 198 total.
Mathews had three rounds in the 60s, adding a 4-under 66 in the second round to his opening-round 67 before closing strong with a 5-under 65 as he snagged the lone individual berth to nationals out of the Chapel Hill Regional as the top finisher from a non-advancing team.
Keefer sandwiched a sizzling 6-under 64 in the second round with a pair of 3-under 67s.
Long Beach State’s Charlie Forster, a junior from England, just missed earning a trip to nationals as an individual as he finished a shot behind Mathews and Keefer with an 11-under 199 total. Forster sandwiched a 1-under 69 in the second round with a pair of sparkling 5-under 65s.
In the Rancho Sante Fe Regional, third-seeded Oklahoma, which will depart the Big 12 for the SEC in a few weeks, captured the team crown in fairly businesslike Sooner style at The Farms Golf Club.
Oklahoma heads to the NCAA Championship at La Costa for the 13th straight year after the Sooners finished with a 3-under 837 total over the 6,917-yard, par-70 Farms layout to win the program’s seventh regional team crown.
Oklahoma was led by individual champion Ben Lorenz, a senior from Peoria, Ariz. and No. 33 in the WAGR who closed with a sizzling 6-under 64 to cruise to a four-shot victory with an 8-under 202 total. Lorenz had registered back-to-back 1-under 69s in the first two rounds.
Oklahoma was in fifth place, but just five shots behind sixth-seeded North Florida, an ASUN power, going into Wednesday’s final round after the Sooners carded 4-over 284s in each of the first two rounds.
But behind Lorenz’s blazing finish, Oklahoma ripped off a final round of 11-under 269 as the Sooners were the only team in the field to finish under par for the tournament.
Fourth-seeded California, out of the expiring Pac-12, closed with a 1-under 279 to finish six shots behind Oklahoma in second place with a 3-over 843 total. The Golden Bears had matched par in the opening round with a 280 before adding a 4-over 284 in Tuesday’s second round.
Not a huge shock to see Oklahoma’s cross-state rival, fifth-seeded Oklahoma State, earn a spot in the NCAA Championship as the Cowboys finished in a tie for third place with surprising West Virginia, a 10 seed out of the SEC, each landing on 5-over 845.
Pretty sure Oklahoma State will stay behind in the Big 12 when Oklahoma and Texas depart for the SEC, but when it comes to golf, the Cowboys are a national power, regardless of conference affiliation.
The Cowboys opened with a 2-under 278, struggled a little in the second round with an 8-over 288 before closing with a solid 1-under 279.
West Virginia, the 10 seed out of the SEC, matched par in the final two rounds with a pair of 280s after opening with a 5-over 285 as the Mountaineers joined Clemson as the only double-digit seeds to advance to the NCAA Championship.
North Florida surrendered its team lead in the final round, but the perennially underrated Ospreys punched their ticket to La Costa after closing with a 7-over 287 to finish five shots behind Oklahoma State and West Virginia in fifth place with a 10-over 850 total.
Backing up Lorenz for Oklahoma was Drew Goodman, a junior from Norman, Ohio and No. 32 in the WAGR who contributed a 2-under 68 to the Sooners’ final-round surge to finish in a tie for ninth place with a 1-over 211 total. Goodman had opened with a 3-over 73 before matching par in Tuesday’s second round with a 70.
Ryder Cowan, a freshman from Norman, Okla., finished with a flourish as he carded a 4-under 66 in the final round and ended up in a tie for 11th place with a 2-over 212 total. Cowan had opened with a 4-over 74 before adding a 72 in Tuesday’s second round.
Rounding out the Oklahoma lineup were Jase Summy, a talented sophomore from Keller, Texas and No. 90 in the WAGR, and Luke Kluver, a redshirt senior from Norfolk, Neb., both of whom finished among the group tied for 31st place at 7-over 217.
Summy opened with a solid 1-under 69, but struggled in Tuesday’s second round with a 6-over 76 before closing with a 73. Kluver finished up with a 1-over 71 after posting back-to-back 73s in the first two rounds.
San Diego’s Andi Xu, a senior who was playing in his native Rancho Santa Fe, and California’s Sampson Zheng, a senior from Japan, finished four shots behind Lorenz in a tie for second place in the individual standings, each landing on 4-under 206.
After opening with a 1-over 71, Xu added a 3-under 67 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 68 that enabled him to grab the Rancho Santa Fe Regional’s lone individual ticket to nationals. Zheng had held the individual lead going into the final round after adding a 1-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round to his sparkling opening-round 66, but he backed off a little in the final round with a 1-over 71.
Oklahoma State’s Jonas Baumgartner, a senior from Germany and No. 34 in the WAGR, and North Florida’s Nick Gabrelcik, a senior from Trinity, Fla., finished in a tie for fourth place, each ending up at 2-under 208.
Baumgartner matched par in the final round with a 70 after recording back-to-back 1-under 69s in the first two rounds. Gabrelcik, a member of the winning U.S. team in the Curtis Cup Match last summer at the Old Course at St. Andrews, added a 1-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening-round 68 before closing with a 1-over 71.
In the Stanford Regional, third-seeded Illinois, a perennial Big Ten power, put it all together with a spectacular 36-under-par 804 performance at the Stanford Golf Course behind individual champion Max Herendeen, a freshman from Bellevue, Wash., to win the sixth regional team crown in program history by eight shots.
After opening with a spectacular 17-under 263 over the 6,727-yard, par-70 Stanford layout, the Fightin’ Illini added a 10-under 270 in Tuesday’s second round before closing a 9-under 271.
Herendeen fueled Illinois’ opening-round explosion with a sizzling 7-under 63 and added a 68 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 66 for a 13-under 197 that gave him a two-shot victory.
ACC power Florida State, the top seed, closed with a 2-under 278 to earn runnerup honors with a 28-under 812 total. The Seminoles trailed Illinois by only a shot going into the final round after they posted back-to-back 13-under 267s in the first two rounds.
It was another nine shots back to Texas A&M, seeded fourth out of the SEC, in third place as the Aggies closed with a 2-over 282 for a 19-under 821 total. Texas A&M had recorded a 12-under 268 in Tuesday’s second round after opening with a 9-under 271.
SMU, the seventh seed, will give the American Athletic Conference a representative in the NCAA Championship after the Mustangs matched par in the final round with a 280 to finish in a tie for fourth place with host Stanford, the fifth seed out of the Pac-12, each landing on 10-under 830, nine shots behind Texas A&M.
SMU had opened with a 5-over 285, but surged into position to earn a trip to nationals with a sizzling 15-under 265 in Tuesday’s second round. Stanford had gotten off to a fast start with an 11-under 269, stumbled a little in Tuesday’s second round with a 4-over 284, but finished up with a 3-under 277 to earn a trip to Carlsbad, Calif. and the NCAA Championship.
Backing up Herendeen for Illinois was Tyler Goecke, a fifth-year player from Xenia, Ohio who finished in the group tied for fifth place at 10-under 200 total. Goecke had three rounds in the 60s at Stanford, opening with a sparkling 5-under 65, adding a 67 in Tuesday’s second round and closing with a 68.
Ryan Voois, a sophomore from Ladera Ranch, Calif., also landed in the top 10 for the Illini as he closed with a sparkling 5-under 65 to end up among the group tied for 10th place with a 5-under 205 total. Voois had matched par in each of the first two rounds with a pair of 70s.
Piercen Hunt, a senior from Hartland, Wis., finished in the group tied for 28th place with an even-par 280 total, contributing a 5-under 65 of his own to the Illinois effort in Tuesday’s second round. Hunt had opened with a 3-over 73 and closed with a 2-over 72.
Rounding out the Illinois lineup was Jackson Buchanan, a junior from Dacula, Ga. and No. 30 in the WAGR, as he finished in a tie for 34th place with a 1-over 211 total. Buchanan had opened with a 5-under 65, but struggled a little after that with a 4-over 74 in Tuesday’s second round and a final-round 72.
Three players shared second place in the individual chase as Minnesota’s Ben Warian, a senior from Stillwater, Minn. who was competing as an individual, Florida State’s Frederik Kjettrup, a senior from Denmark and No. 15 in the WAGR, and Texas A&M’s Phichaksn Maichon, a junior from Thailand, all landed on 11-under 199, two shots behind Illinois’ Herendeen, the individual champion.
Warian sandwiched a 69 in Tuesday’s second round with a pair of 5-under 65s as he earned the lone individual ticket to the NCAA Championship available to the top finisher from a non-advanced school.
Kjetterup sandwiched a 5-under 65 in Tuesday’s second round with a pair of 67s. Maichon also had three rounds in the 60s as he added a 5-under 65 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening-round 66 before closing with a 67.
A couple of recent winners of the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Junior Boys’ Championship playing at Conference USA champion Liberty teed it up in the Stanford Regional.
Austin Barbin, the GAP Junior Boys champion in 2019 from Elkton, Md., finished among the trio tied for 44th place with a 3-over 213 total. Barbin, a senior, was steady, adding a 2-over 72 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening-round 71 before matching par in the final round with a 70.
Ryan, who won the next three GAP Junior Boys crowns in a row in 2020, ’21 and ’22 from Norristown, finished in a tie for 52nd place with a 6-over 216 total. Ryan, a sophomore, was also steady for the Flames, rattling off three straight 2-over 72s.
Liberty finished in 11th place in the team standings with a 13-over 853 total.
In the West Lafayette Regional, SEC power and top-seeded Vanderbilt, behind individual champion William Moll, a graduate student from Houston, Texas and No. 25 in the WAGR, rolled to a dominating 13-shot victory over host Purdue, the five seed out of the Big Ten, at the Brick Boilermaker Golf Complex’s Kampen-Cosler Course.
The Commodores opened with an 11-under 277 over the 7,461-yard, par-72 Kampen-Cosler Course layout and never looked back. Vanderbilt added a 5-under 283 in Tuesday’s second round before finishing up with an 8-under 280 for a 24-under 840 total.
It was Vanderbilt’s third regional team title, all of them coming in the last four years.
Moll became Vanderbilt’s first individual regional champion as he sandwiched a 3-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round with a pair of 2-under 70s for a 7-under 209 total that was one shot better than Moll’s Vanderbilt teammate Gordon Sargent, a junior from Birmingham, Ala. and No. 2 in the WAGR, and New Mexico’s Bastien Amat, a senior from France and No. 56 in the WAGR.
Purdue had opened with a 4-under 284 and crept within a shot of Vanderbilt with a sparkling 11-under 277 in Tuesday’s second round. The Boilermakers closed with a 4-over 292 for an 11-under 853 total that gave them runnerup honors, 13 shots behind Vanderbilt.
Florida, the three seed out of the SEC, will get a chance to defend the national championship it won a year ago at Grayhawk as the Gators advanced to this spring’s NCAA Championship by finishing in third place in West Lafayette with a 4-under 860 total that left them seven shots behind Purdue.
Second-seeded Arizona, a Pac-12 entry, finished a shot behind Florida in fourth place with a 3-under 861 total. The Wildcats had added a 4-under 284 in Tuesday’s second round to their opening-round 283, but struggled a little in the final round with a 6-over 294.
New Mexico, the five seed out of the Mountain West Conference, finished a shot behind Arizona as the Lobos grabbed the final ticket out of the West Lafayette Regional to nationals by finishing in fifth place with a 2-under 862 total.
The Lobos, behind Amat, opened with a 2-over 290 and added a solid 5-under 283 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 1-over 289.
Sargent backed up Moll in the star-studded Vanderbilt lineup as he opened with a solid 5-under 67 and matched par in Tuesday’s second round with a 72 before closing with a 1-under 71 that left him a shot behind his teammate in a tie for second place in the individual standings with a 6-under 210 total.
Sargent, the NCAA individual champion as a freshman two years ago at Grayhawk, went 4-0 to help the U.S. rally for a 14.5-11.5 victory over Great Britain & Ireland in the Walker Cup Match last summer at St. Andrews.
Cole Sherwood, a senior from Austin, Texas and No. 19 in the WAGR, finished in a tie for eighth place with a 4-under 212 total for the Commodores. After opening with a solid 3-under 69, Sherwood added a 1-under 71 in Tuesday’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 72.
Matthew Riedel, a graduate student and, like Moll, a Houstonian, gave Vanderbilt a fourth player inside the top 10 as he finished among the group tied for 10th place with a 3-under 213 total. Riedel, No. 17 in the WAGR, added a 1-under 71 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening round of 1-over 73 before contributing a 3-under 69 to the Commodores’ strong finish.
Rounding out the Vanderbilt lineup was Jackson Van Paris, a junior from Pinehurst, N.C. and No. 13 in the WAGR, as he finished in the group tied for 14th place with a 2-under 214 total. Van Paris added a 1-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round to an opening round of 1-under 71 before closing with a 2-under 70.
New Mexico’s Amat finished up with a sparkling 5-under 67 to get a share of runnerup honors with Sargent at 6-under. Amat had opened with a 1-under 71 before matching par in Tuesday’s second round with a 72.
Four players finished in a tie for fourth place at 5-under 211, three of whom were vying for the lone individual berth to La Costa that went to the top finisher from a non-advancing school.
Wisconsin’s Cameron Huss, a senior from Kenosha, Wis., made a birdie on the fifth hole of a playoff to outlast Mississippi State’s Garrett Endicott, a sophomore from San Antonio, Texas, for that final ticket to the NCAA Championship.
Middle Tennessee State’s Owen Stamper, a senior from Scottsville, Ky., was also involved in the playoff, but fell out after the third hole.
Huss opened with a 4-under 284 and added a 2-over 74 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 71 that gave him a spot in the playoff.
Huss made it two Big Ten individuals advancing to La Costa – Minnesota’s Warian finished in a tie for second place in the Stanford Regional – and Purdue joined Illinois and Ohio State in moving on to the NCAA Championship as teams.
Pretty sure holding the Big Ten Championship at Scioto Country Club, a Donald Ross gem outside of Columbus, Ohio, in difficult conditions was the perfect preparation for regionals for the Big Ten guys.
Endicott put together a sizzling 7-under 65 in Tuesday’s second round after opening with a 2-over 74. He matched par in the final round with a 72. Stamper opened with a 3-over 75 before adding solid back-to-back rounds of 4-under 68 in the final two rounds.
The fourth member of the quartet tied for fourth place at 3-under was Purdue’s Heman Sekne, a senior from Norway and No. 21 in the WAGR. Sekne added back-to-back 2-under 70s in the final two rounds to his opening-round 71.
Time to catch up with the women as their NCAA Championship is under way. But it’s obvious from the regionals that there is a ton of talent headed for the La Costa Resort & Spa’s Champions Course in Carlsbad when the men take the stage May 24th.
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