Duangmanee brothers have Virginia atop the leaderboard after two rounds of NCAA Championship at La Costa

 

   With three players inside the top seven in the individual standings, Virginia, out of the Atlantic Coast Conference, will take a three-shot lead into Sunday’s third round of the NCAA Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s North Course in Carlsbad, Calif.

   George Duangmanee, a senior from Fairfax, Va., rattled off three straight birdies on the 14^th, 15^th and 16^th holes on his way to a solid 1-under-par 71 over the 7,538-yard, par-72 North Course layout Saturday as he was in a tie for second place in the individual standings with Ohio State’s Adam Wallin, a senior from Sweden, each sitting at 2-under 142.

   Stanford’s Karl Vilips, a senior from Australia and No. 19 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, held a commanding five-shot lead in the individual chase as he added a 4-under 68 Saturday to his opening-round 69 for a 7-under 137 total. Vilips’ 68 matched the low individual round of the day.

   Behind George Duanmanee, Virginia added a 1-under 287 in Saturday’s second round to its opening round of 2-over 290 for a 1-over 577 total. The Cavaliers had shared the top spot on the team leaderboard with Arizona, out of the disintegrating Pac-12, following Friday’s opening round.

   Virginia’s closest pursuer was Illinois, out of the Big Ten, as the Fightin’ Illini matched Virginia’s 1-under 287 in Saturday’s second round after opening with a 5-over 293 for a 4-over 580 total.

   Southeastern Conference power Vanderbilt had the best team round of the day, a 2-under 286 as the Commodores loomed three shots behind Illinois in third place at 7-over 583. Vanderbilt had struggled in the opening round with a 9-over 297.

   SEC champion Auburn was three shots behind its rival Vanderbilt in fourth place at 10-over 586 as the Tigers carded their second straight 5-over 293.

   ACC champion North Carolina was a shot behind Auburn at 11-over 587 as the Tar Heels added an 8-over 296 in Saturday’s second round to their opening round of 3-over 291.

   The field in the team competition will be cut to the top 15 teams following Sunday’s third round. The top eight teams following the Memorial Day windup to qualifying for match play will square off in the quarterfinals Tuesday morning.

   Florida State, the runnerup to North Carolina in the ACC’s match-play final, Ohio State, Illinois’ Big Ten rival, and Arizona were in a three-way tie for sixth place at 12-over 588, a shot behind North Carolina.

   The Seminoles added a solid 1-over 289 to their opening-round 299. The Buckeyes registered their second straight 6-over 294.

   After sharing the lead with Virginia following the opening round with a 2-over 290, the Wildcats fell back with a 10-over 298 in Saturday’s second round.

   Backing up George Duangmanee for Virginia were Ben James, the Cavaliers’ talented sophomore from Milford, Conn. and No. 5 in the WAGR, and the younger of the Duangmanee brothers, Josh Duangmanee, a freshman from Fairfax, Va., as they were both part of the group tied for seventh place at even-par 144.

   James, a member of the United States team that retained the Walker Cup with a victory over Great Britain & Ireland at the Old Course at St. Andrews last summer, added a 1-under 71 in Saturday’s second round to his opening round of 1-over 73.

   Josh Duangmanee matched par for the second straight day with a 72 to join his teammate at even-par through two rounds.

   Rounding out the Virginia lineup were the third member of its Fairfax connection, Bryan Lee, a sophomore and No. 45 in the WAGR, and Deven Patel, a junior from Johns Creek, Ga. and No. 96 in the WAGR, as they both landed among the group tied for 34^th place at 4-over 148.

   Lee posted a 1-over 73 in Saturday’s second round after opening with a 75 while Patel tallied a second straight 2-over 74.

   Ohio State’s Wallin posted a 2-over 74 in Saturday’s second round after he had opened with a 4-under 68 as he joined Virginia’s George Duangmanee in the tie for second place at 2-under.

   Auburn’s Jackson Koivun, the talented freshman from Chapel Hill, N.C. and No. 4 in the WAGR, headed a trio of players tied for fourth place at 1-under 143 as Koivun matched par with a 72 in Saturday’s second round after opening with a 1-under 71.

   Illinois’ Max Herendeen, a freshman from Bellevue, Wash., and Oklahoma’s Jase Summy, a sophomore from Keller, Texas, joined Koivun at 1-under.

   Herendeen, who captured the individual title while leading the Illini to the team crown in the Stanford Regional, added a 2-under 70 in Saturday’s second round to his opening round of 1-over 73. Summy registered a 1-under 71 in Saturday’s second round after matching par in the opening round with a 72.

   Heading a group of eight players tied for seventh place at even-par 144 that included Virginia’s James and Josh Duangmanee, was Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent, a junior from Birmingham, Ala. and No. 2 in the WAGR.

   Sargent, who went 4-0 for the U.S. it its victory over GB&I in last summer’s Walker Cup Match at St. Andrews, bounced back from an opening round of 3-over 75 with one of only three sub-70 scores recorded in Saturday’s second round, a 3-under 69.

   Sargent’s Vanderbilt teammate, Jackson Van Paris, a junior from Pinehurst, N.C. and No. 18 in the WAGR, was also in the large group at even par as he added a 1-under 71 in Saturday’s second round to his opening round of 1-over 73.

   Rounding out the group at even par were East Tennessee State’s Mats Ege, a redshirt senior and No. 25 in the WAGR, Baylor’s Johnny Keefer, a graduate student from San Antonio, Texas and No. 36 in the WAGR, Georgia Tech’s Hiroshi Tai, a sophomore from Singapore and No. 70 in the WAGR, and Minnesota’s Ben Warian, a senior from Stillwater, Minn. who is competing as an individual.

   Ege carded a 1-over 73 in Saturday’s second round after opening with a 1-under 71. Keefer added a 2-over 74 in Saturday’s second round to his opening round of 2-under 70.

   Tai had grabbed the lead in the individual chase with a sparkling opening round of 5-under 67, but struggled a little in Saturday’s second round with a 5-over 77. Warian matched par for the second straight day with a 72 in Saturday’s second round.

   The other sub-70 round in Saturday’s second round belonged to Notre Dame graduate student Palmer Jackson, the 2018 PIAA Class AAA champion as a senior at Franklin Regional, as he matched the low round of the day with a solid 4-under 68.

   Jackson had opened with a 5-over 77 and his second-round 68 left him in the group tied for 15^th place at 1-over 145.

   Notre Dame freshman Rocco Salvitti, a four-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Pittsburgh Central Catholic, added a 4-over 77 to his opening-round 73 and was in the group tied for 54^th place at 6-over 150.

   Notre Dame, another ACC representative, was in 17^th place in the team standings with a 25-over 601 total through two rounds.

   Auburn redshirt junior Carson Bacha, the 2019 PIAA Class AAA champion as a senior at Central York and No. 62 in the WAGR, tallied a 3-over 75 in Saturday’s second round after opening with a 74 and was in the group tied for 40^th place with a 5-over 149 total.

   Ohio State graduate student Neal Shipley, a member of Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s 2018 PIAA Class AAA championship team, bounced back from an opening round of 5-over 77 with a solid 2-under 70 in Saturday’s second round and was among the group tied for 22^nd place at 3-over 147.

   Shipley, the runnerup in last summer’s U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club in suburban Denver, was the low amateur in last month’s Masters Tournament. Shipley’s playing partner in the final round at the Augusta National Golf Club was five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods.