The finalists in the NCAA Championship’s Final Match at the Omni La Costa Spa & Resort in Carlsbad, Calif. last spring, Auburn and Florida State, seemed likely to be among the final eight teams still standing for match play when the dust clears at La Costa this spring as the wraparound 2024-2025 season has played out.
The results of this week’s regionals did nothing to change that outlook as both Auburn, No. 1 in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings, and Florida State, No. 4 in the Scoreboard rankings, were impressive team champions on their home courses.
Both lost in the match-play semifinals of their respective conference championships, Auburn falling to Florida, another regional team champion, in the Southeastern Conference semis, and Florida State being edged by North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference semis.
They were led by the two most recognizable names in college golf, the Seminoles’ Luke Clanton, No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), and the Tigers’ Jackson Koivun, No. 2 in the WAGR, both rolling to individual crowns, again on their home courses.
Clanton and Koivun have already proved they can compete on the PGA Tour and that alone will make the NCAA Championship must-see TV when The Golf Channel joins the fray for the Memorial Day windup of stroke play and sets the stage for match play.
But first things first with a look back at the wild week that was at six NCAA regionals.
In the Auburn Regional, Koivun, a sophomore from Chapel Hill, N.C., cruised to a four-shot victory at the Auburn University Club to lead the Tigers to the team crown by a whopping 27 shots over second-seeded Texas A&M, which lost to Florida in the SEC final.
Koivun opened with a 5-under 67 over the 7,607-yard, par-72 Auburn University Club layout and added a 2-under 70 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 5-under 67 for a 12-under 204 total.
The top-seeded Tigers went wire to wire in capturing an NCAA regional crown for a third straight spring. They had bookend 13-under 275s in the first and final rounds around a 6-under 282 in Tuesday’s second round for a 32-under 832 total.
Texas A&M, No. 12 in the Scoreboard rankings, matched par in the opening round with a 288 and added a 1-under 287 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 4-under 284 for a 5-under 859 total.
It was another 11 shots back to UCLA, coming off a victory in their debut in the Big Ten Championship at Baltimore Country Club’s Five Farms East Course, as the Bruins, No. 43 in the Scoreboard rankings and the three seed, finished in third place with a 6-over 870 total.
After opening with a solid 5-under 283, UCLA struggled a little in Tuesday’s second round with a 7-over 295 before closing with a 4-over 292.
UCLA was led by Omar Morales, a senior from Mexico and No. 13 in the WAGR who was one of Koivun’s closest pursuers, earning a share of second place in the individual chase with Kennesaw State’s Claes Borregaard, a sophomore from Denmark, at 8-under 208. Morales sandwiched a 2-under 70 in Tuesday’s second round with a pair of 3-under 69s.
Gritty effort by another Big Ten entry, Purdue, No. 37 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded seventh at Auburn, as the Boilermakers earned a trip to the NCAA Championship by finishing three shots behind UCLA in fourth place with a 9-over 873 total.
After matching par in the opening round with a 288, Purdue added a 7-over 295 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 2-over 290 total.
Perennial ACC power Georgia Tech, No. 25 in the Scoreboard rankings and the five seed, grabbed the final berth to nationals out of the Auburn Regional as the Yellow Jackets finished a shot behind Purdue in fifth place with a 10-over 874 total.
Georgia Tech opened with a solid 4-under 284, but struggled a little after that, adding an 8-over 296 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 6-over 294. Got the job done, though.
As impressive as the victory for Koivun was, it was truly a team effort for Auburn.
Redshirt senior Carson Bacha, the 2019 PIAA Class AAA champion as a senior at Central York and No. 26 in the WAGR, backed up Koivun as he finished alone in fourth place in the individual standings with a 7-under 209 total. Bacha sandwiched a 5-under 67 in Tuesday’s second round with a pair of 1-under 71s.
Josiah Gilbert, a sophomore from Millbrook, Ala. and No. 28 in the WAGR, and Brendan Valdes, a senior from Orlando, Fla. and No. 6 in the WAGR, gave Auburn four finishers among the top five as they finished in a tie for fifth place at 5-under 211.
Gilbert had opened with a 1-over 73 and matched par in Tuesday’s second round with a 72, but closed with a sparkling 6-under 66. Valdes had opened the tournament with a bang, firing a sizzling 7-under 65. He added back-to-back 1-over 73s in the final two rounds to join his teammate at 5-under.
Rounding out the Auburn lineup was Cayden Pope, a sophomore from Lexington, Ky. who finished in a tie for 13th place at even-par 216. Pope matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a 1-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a solid 1-under 71.
Borregaard, competing as an individual, grabbed the lone spot up for grabs for an individual from a non-advancing team to get to compete for the individual crown at La Costa. He recorded back-to-back 4-under 68s in the first two rounds before matching par in the final round with a 72 to join Morales at 8-under.
Solid showing for Loyola of Maryland senior Mike Crowley, winner of the BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship two summers ago at Huntingdon Valley Country Club who finished among the group tied for 20th place at 3-over 219.
Crowley of Hunt Valley, Md. matched par in Tuesday’s second round with a 72 after opening with a 1-under 71 before finishing up with a 4-over 76.
The Patriot League champion Greyhounds were seeded 12th at Auburn and finished in 12th place with a 37-over 901 total.
In the Tallahassee Regional, Clanton of Hialeah, Fla. was routinely excellent in capturing the individual title by four shots and leading Florida State to the team crown on its home course, the Seminole Legacy Club.
Clanton ripped off back-to-back 6-under 66s over the 7,520-yard, par-72 Seminole Legacy layout in the first two rounds. He closed with a 3-under 69 for a 15-under 201 total that gave him his fourth victory of the season and the eighth of his brilliant career.
Behind Clanton, Florida State, the two seed in Tallahassee, was never really challenged as the Seminoles opened with a sizzling 14-under 274 and added a 7-under 281 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with an 8-under 280 that gave them a 29-under 835 total that gave them their second NCAA regional title.
SEC power Mississippi, No. 3 in the Scoreboard rankings and the top seed in Tallahassee, gave chase but couldn’t catch Florida State. The Rebels opened with a 6-under 282 and added a 1-under 287 in Tuesday’s second round before finishing strong with a 13-under 275 to end up nine shots behind the Seminoles in second place with a 20-under 844 total.
Ole Miss was led by Michael La Sasso, a junior from Raleigh, N.C. and No. 14 in the WAGR who finished in a tie for second place in the individual standings with Georgia’s Buck Brumlow, a senior from Cartersville, Ga. and No. 47 in the WAGR, each ending up with an 11-under 205 that left them four shots behind Clanton.
La Sasso added a 3-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening-round 70 before closing with a sizzling 6-under 66.
Really strong showing by Mountain West Conference representative New Mexico as the Lobos, No. 46 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded eighth, finished six shots behind Ole Miss in third place with a 14-under 850 total.
New Mexico closed with a sparkling 12-under 276 to nail down a third straight trip to the NCAA Championship. The Lobos had opened with a 3-under 285 before adding a 1-over 289 in Tuesday’s second round.
Georgia, another SEC power, was another seven shots behind New Mexico in fourth place as the Bulldogs, No. 23 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded fourth, finished with a 7-under 857 total.
After opening with a 2-under 286, Georgia added a 4-under 284 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 1-under 287.
Brumlow led the way for the Bulldogs as he opened with a 5-under 67 and matched par in Tuesday’s second round with a 72 before closing with a sparkling 6-under 66 to join Ole Miss’ La Sasso in the tie for second place at 11-under.
The lowest-seeded team to reach the NCAA Championship? That would be three-time reigning Southland Conference champion Augusta as the Eagles, No. 106 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded 12th, snagged the last berth to nationals out of the Tallahassee Regional by finishing in fifth place with a 3-under 861 total.
After matching par with a 288 in the opening round, Augusta added a 2-over 290 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 6-under 282 to end up four shots behind its in-state rival Georgia.
Clanton certainly had backup for Florida State as Gray Albright, a graduate student from Ocala, Fla. and No. 53 in the WAGR, and Tyler Weaver, a sophomore from England and No. 30 in the WAGR, finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in the individual standings.
Albright sandwiched a 3-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round with a pair of 2-under 70s to finish with a 7-under 209 total. Weaver opened with a 4-under 68 and added a 1-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 3-under 69 to finish a shot behind his teammate with a 6-under 210 total.
Jack Bigham, a junior from England and No. 48 in the WAGR, finished among the group tied for 23rd place for the Seminoles with an even-par 216 total. Bigham opened with a 1-under 71 and added a 1-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 72.
Rounding out the Florida State lineup was Carson Brewer, a sophomore from Ponte Vedra, Fla. who finished among the trio tied for 27th place with a 1-over 217 total. After opening with a 2-under 70, Brewer added a 2-over 74 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 1-over 73.
Notre Dame’s Jacob Modleski, a sophomore from Noblesville, Ind. and No. 35 in the WAGR, finished in fourth place in the individual standings with a 9-under 207 total and will represent the Fighting Irish at La Costa as an individual as he was the best finisher from a non-advancing team.
It was a disappointing week for Notre Dame, No. 39 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded seventh, as the ACC representative finished in ninth place with a 7-over 871 total.
Also in the lineup for Notre Dame was sophomore Rocco Salvitti, a four-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Pittsburgh Central Catholic as he finished in the group tied for 39th place with a 5-over 221 total. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Salvitti added a 3-over 75 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 2-over 74.
In the Amherst Regional, Oklahoma, in its first year in the SEC, came on strong in a final round played over two days at a rainy Poplar Grove Golf Club to beat SEC rival Vanderbilt by four shots and claim the team title.
Anticipating wet weather, officials running the Amherst Regional were pro-active, getting the first round in Sunday and the second round Monday. The final round started Tuesday, but conditions deteriorated enough that play was suspended and the tournament was completed Wednesday. There was rain, of varying degrees, throughout.
Oklahoma, No. 7 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded second in Amherst, had opened with a 4-under 276 over the 7,212-yard, par-70 Poplar Grove layout and added a 5-over 285 in Monday’s second round that left the Sooners in third place, trailing Tennessee by five shots and Vanderbilt by three.
Oklahoma was in second place, two shots behind Vanderbilt, when play was called just before the halfway point of the final round.
The Sooners returned to Poplar Grove Wednesday and put the finishing touches on a sparkling 11-under 269 for a 10-under 830 total.
Oklahoma was led by Clark Van Gaalen, a freshman from Turlock, Calif. who finished in a tie for second place with Texas State’s Sakke Siltala, a junior from England, at 5-under 205, three shots behind the regional’s individual champion, Jackson Van Paris, a senior at Vanderbilt from Pinehurst, N.C. and No. 9 in the WAGR.
After opening with a 1-over 71, Van Gaalen added a 2-under 68 in Monday’s second round before contributing a sparkling 4-under 66 to the final-round surge by the Sooners.
Vanderbilt, No. 18 in the Scoreboard rankings and the three seed, was typically solid as the Commodores opened with a 2-under 278 and added a 1-under 279 in Monday’s second round before closing with a 3-under 277 for a 6-under 834 total that left them in second place, four shots behind Oklahoma.
Van Paris was always in control of the individual chase as he registered back-to-back 3-under 67s in the first two rounds before closing a 2-under 68 as he claimed the regional crown with an 8-under 832 total.
Tennessee, No. 30 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded fifth, had taken the lead following the first two rounds as the Volunteers got off to a great start with a 9-under 271 in the opening round before adding a 5-over 285 in Monday’s second round.
Tennessee closed with a 1-under 279 to finish a shot behind SEC and in-state rival Vanderbilt in third place with a 5-under 835 total.
ACC power Wake Forest, No. 43 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded eighth, made a huge move in the final round with a sizzling 15-under 265 that earned the Demon Deacons a trip to the NCAA Championship as they finished in fourth place, four shots behind Tennessee with a 1-under 839 total.
After opening with a 4-over 284, Wake Forest had struggled in Monday’s second round with an 890. The Demon Deacons needed something special in the final round and they got it.
West Coast Conference champion Pepperdine, No. 19 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded fourth, also finished strong with a 3-under 277 that enabled the Wave to grab the final berth to nationals available at Amherst as they finished in fifth place with a 9-over 289 total that left them 10 shots behind Wake Forest.
Pepperdine had matched par in the opening round with a 280 before struggling a little in Monday’s second round with a 292.
Backing up Van Gaalen for Oklahoma were Ryder Cowan, a sophomore from Edmond, Okla. and No. 51 in the WAGR, and Jase Summy, a junior from Keller, Texas and No. 57 in the WAGR, as they finished among the group tied for 10th place at 2-under 208.
After opening with a 3-under 67, Cowan struggled in Monday’s second round with a 3-over 73 before finishing up with a solid 2-under 68. After opening with a 1-under 69, Summy carded a 2-over 72 in Monday’s second round before contributing a 3-under 67 to the Sooners’ final-round surge.
Oklahoma’s veteran senior Drew Goodman, a home boy from Norman, Okla. and No. 31 in the WAGR, finished in the group tied for 20th place with a 1-over 211 total. Goodman added a 2-over 72 in Monday’s second round to his opening-round 71 before closing with a solid 2-under 68.
Rounding out the Oklahoma lineup was P.J. Maybank III, a sophomore from Cheboygan, Mich. who finished among the trio tied for 27th place with a 3-over 213 total. Maybank sandwiched a 5-over 75 in Monday’s second round with a pair of 1-under 69s.
Texas State’s Siltala came on strong with back-to-back 3-under 67s in the final two rounds as he earned the Amherst Regional’s lone individual ticket to nationals for a player on a non-advancing team.
Siltala had opened with a 1-over 71, but his strong play over the final two rounds left him in a tie for second place in the individual standings with Oklahoma’s Van Gaalen at 5-under 205.
In the Reno Regional, there were even more serious weather issues at the Montreux Golf & Country Club than there were in Amherst and it probably led to an early end to the season for Alabama and freshman Nick Gross, the 2021 PIAA Class AAA champion as a sophomore at Downingtown West.
Play was halted in Monday’s opening round when wind gusts up to 50 mph pummeled Reno.
The resumption of play Tuesday morning was delayed by … wait for it … snow as an overnight dusting had to melt away. The first round was completed and they started the second round and played until dark when play was suspended.
They got decent weather – it never looked like it got out of the 50s, though – Wednesday and the second round was completed followed by the final round.
It was the Big 12’s Brigham Young, No. 33 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded sixth, that handled the adverse conditions the best, upending the Reno Regional by taking the team crown by four shots over second-seeded Virginia, the newly minted ACC champion.
The SEC’s Alabama, No. 16 in the Scoreboard rankings, never did recover from an opening round of 16-over 304 over the 7,550-yard, par-72 Montreux layout. The Crimson Tide added an 8-over 296 in the second round before recovering in the final round with a 5-under 283.
It was too little and too late as Alabama finished in eighth place with a 29-over 883 total.
Gross, who captured his second District One Class AAA individual title and led the Whippets to the district team crown in 2022, struggled in the difficult conditions of an opening round played over two days, ending up with a 7-over 79.
Gross added a 1-over 73 in a second round also played over two days before finally righting the ship in the final round with a 3-under 69 that left him in the group tied for 30th place with a 5-over 221.
BYU survived the opening round with a 3-over 291, surged in front with a sizzling 13-under 275 in the second round and closed with a 5-under 283 for a 15-under 845 total.
The Cougars’ all-Utah lineup was led by Cole Panich, a senior from Farmington, Utah who finished in second place in the individual standings with a 7-under 209 that left him three shots behind the regional’s individual champion Paul Chang, a senior at Virginia from China.
Panich pieced together a pair of 1-under 71s in the start-and-stop first two rounds before closing with a sparkling 5-under 67.
Virginia, No. 9 in the Scoreboard rankings, opened with a solid 2-under 286 and matched par in the second round before closing with a 9-under 279 to finish with an 11-under 853 total that left the Cavaliers four shorts behind BYU.
Virginia was led by Chang, who put together a pair of stellar 4-under 68s in the difficult conditions of the first two rounds over three days. Chang closed with a 2-under for a 10-under 206 total that left him three shots clear of Panich.
Top-seeded Texas, which joined the SEC this year, was another three shots behind Virginia in third place with an 8-under 856 total. The Longhorns, No. 4 in the Scoreboard rankings, opened with a 4-over 292, improved with a 4-under 284 in the second round and finished strong with a final round of 8-under 280.
Texas was led by Luke Potter, a junior from Encinitas, Calif. and No. 46 in the WAGR who finished in a tie for third place with Duke’s Bryan Kim, a sophomore from Brookeville, Md., each landing on 6-under 210, a shot behind Panich.
Potter put together back-to-back 1-under 71s in the brutal conditions of the first two rounds before closing with a 4-under 68.
A couple of lower seeds from California, West Coast Conference representative San Diego, No. 40 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded seventh, and new-to-the-ACC California, No. 53 in the Scoreboard rankings and the nine seed, grabbed the final two tickets out of the Reno Regional to La Costa by finishing in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
The Toreroes added a 5-over 293 in the second round to their opening round of 7-over 295 before closing with a solid 4-under 284 that gave them an 8-over 872 total, 16 shots behind Texas.
The Cal Bears struggled in the opening round with a 308, but bounced back with a 7-under 281 in the second round before closing with a 4-under 284 to finish a shot behind San Diego with a 9-over 873 total.
Backing up Panich for BYU was Peter Kim, a sophomore from Salt Lake City, Utah who finished a tie for fifth place with a 5-under 211 total. Kim contributed a 5-under 67 to the second-round surge by the Cougars while matching par in the first and final rounds.
Zac Jones, a senior from Highland, Utah, finished in the group tied for 11th place for BYU with a 1-under 215 total as he matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a 2-under 50 in the second round before closing with a 1-over 73.
Junior Simon Kwon, another Salt Lake City guy, finished in a tie for 25th place at 2-over 219 as he bounced back from an opening round of 5-over 77 with a sparkling 5-under 67 in the second round before closing with a 3-over 75.
A third Salt Lake City guy in the first five, junior Tyson Shelley, rounded out the BYU lineup as he finished among the group tied for 39th place with a 9-over 225 total. Shelley’s opening round of 4-over 76 was a counter and he added a 78 in the second round before closing with a 1-under 71, a crucial coutner for the Cougars.
Duke’s Kim registered a sparkling final round of 5-under 67 to share third place with Texas’ Potter and grab the lone individual berth to nationals out of the Reno Regional to the top finisher from a non-advancing team. Kim opened with a 1-under 71 before matching par in the second round with a 72.
In the Urbana Regional, perennial Big 12 power Oklahoma State came on strong in the final two rounds to catch host Illinois, a perennial Big Ten power, at Atkins Golf Club as they shared the team crown, each landing on 15-under 837.
Illinois, No. 14 in the Scoreboard rankings and the three seed, got the jump on the field with a 7-under 277 over the 7,533-yard, par-71 Atkins Golf Club layout in the opening round. The Fightin’ Illini added a 3-under 281 in Tuesday’s second round to take a three-shot lead over Oklahoma State and UNLV, the Mountain West Conference runnerup, into the final round.
Illinois closed with a solid 5-under 279 to get it to 15-under.
The Illini were led by Ryan Voois, a junior from Ladera Ranch, Calif. and No. 76 in the WAGR as he carded back-to-back 4-under 67s in the final two rounds to share second place with UNLV’s Caden Fioroni, a senior from San Diego, Calif. and No. 58 in the WAGR, and Cincinnati’s Ryan Ford, a junior from Springfield, Ind., as they all landed on 9-under 204, a shot behind the regional champion, Michigan’s Hunter Thomson, a senior from Canada and No. 91 in the WAGR.
Voois had opened with a 1-under 70.
With its traditional rivals Texas and Oklahoma having departed for the SEC, Oklahoma State rolled to the Big 12 title last month.
The Cowboys, No. 2 in the Scoreboard rankings and the top seed in Urbana, struggled a little in the opening round with a 2-over 286, but got it going after that, getting within three of Illinois with a 9-under 275 in the second round and catching the Illini with an 8-under 276 to join them at 15-under.
UNLV, No. 43 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded sixth, opened with a 3-under 281 and added a 4-under 280 in the second round to creep within three shots of Illinois going into the final round. The Rebels closed with a 1-over 285 to finish nine shots behind the co-champions at 6-under 846.
Fioroni had four rounds in the 60s, adding a 4-under 67 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening round of 3-under 68 before closing with a 2-under 69 to get his share of second place in the individual standings.
Gutsy effort by Sun Belt Conference representative Troy to earn the first trip to the NCAA Championship since becoming a Division I program by finishing in fourth place with a 2-under 850 total, two shots behind UNLV.
The Trojans, No. 53 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded ninth in Urbana, sandwiched an even-par 284 in Tuesday’s second round with a pair of 1-under 283s.
Another Big 12 entry, Texas Tech, grabbed the final berth out of the Urbana Regional to nationals as the Red Raiders finished a shot behind Troy in fifth place with a 1-under 851 total.
Texas Tech, No. 33 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded fourth, only trailed Illinois by two shots after opening with a 5-under 279. The Red Raiders added a 3-over 287 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 1-over 285.
Backing up Voois for Illinois was Jackson Buchanan, a senior from Dacula, Ga. and No. 18 in the WAGR who finished in the trio tied for fifth place with a 6-under 207 total.
Buchanan, a semifinalist in last summer’s U.S. Amateur at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn., scorched his home course with an opening round of 8-under 63 before cooling off with a 2-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round and matching par in the final round with a 71.
Max Herendeen, a sophomore from Bellevue, Wash. and No. 34 in the WAGR, finished in the group tied for 11th place at 5-under 209. Herendeen matched par in each of the first two rounds with a pair of 71s before closing with a sparkling 4-under 67.
Jake Birdwell, a freshman from Blaine, Minn., finished in a tie for 51st place with an 8-over 221 total. After opening with a 2-over 73, Birdwell posted back-to-back 3-over 74s in the final two rounds.
Illinois coach Mike Small went to Trey Marrion, a freshman from Chesapeake, Va., off the bench and Marrion delivered a counting even-par 71 in Tuesday’s second round before adding a 4-over 75 in the final round.
Leading the way for Oklahoma State was Preston Stout, a sophomore from Richardson, Texas and No. 22 in the WAGR who finished among a trio tied for eighth place at 5-under 208. After opening with a 2-over 73, Stout fueled the Oklahoma State rally in the final two rounds with a 2-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round and a sizzling 5-under 66 in the final round.
Gaven Lane, a sophomore from Argyle, Texas, finished in the group tied for 11th place at 4-under 209 as he opened with a 2-under 69 and added a 2-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a sparkling 4-under 67.
Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson, a freshman from Sweden, finished alone in 16th place with a 2-under 211 total as he matched par in the opening round with a 71 and added a 2-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 1-over 72.
Ethan Fang, a sophomore from Plano, Texas and No. 15 in the WAGR, finished in the group tied for 21st place at 1-over 214 as he added a solid 2-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening round of 2-over 73 before closing with a 1-over 72.
Rounding out the Oklahoma State lineup was Eric Lee, a sophomore from Fullerton, Calif. and No. 49 in the WAGR as he finished in the group tied for 34th place at 3-over 216. Lee bounced back from an opening round of 5-over 76 with a 2-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 2-over 73.
Really nice showing by Michigan’s Thomson to capture the regional crown and grab the lone berth to compete as an individual at nationals as the low finisher from a non-advancing school.
After opening with a 2-under 69, Thomson ripped off back-to-back 4-under 67s to finish with a 10-under 203 total.
Cincinnati’s Ford couldn’t quite overcome Thomson for that individual spot in the field at La Costa. After opening with a 2-under 68, Ford recorded a 3-under 68 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 4-under 67 that earned him a share of second place with Illinois’ Voois and UNLV’s Fioroni at 9-under.
Missed freshman Hunter Stetson, winner of the Bert Linton Invitational for the Inter-Ac’s individual title as a sophomore at Episcopal Academy in 2021, in my post on the opening round of regionals.
Stetson closed out a solid freshman campaign in the lineup for the ACC’s North Carolina State in Urbana. After opening with a 6-over 77, Stetson added a 3-over 74 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 2-over 73 to finish in a tie for 60th place with a 224 total.
The Wolfpack, seeded 11th in Urbana, finished in 13th place with a 37-over 889 total.
In the Bremerton Regional, SEC champion Florida outdueled Arizona State, in its first season in the Big 12, claiming a three-shot victory at the Gold Mountain Golf Club’s Olympic Course.
The Gators, No. 8 in the Scoreboard rankings and the two seed in Bremerton, opened with a 9-under 279 over the 7,167-yard, par-72 Olympic Course layout and added a 16-under 272 in Tuesday’s second round to build a nine-shot lead over the Sun Devils, No. 5 in the Scoreboard rankings and the top seed, going into the final round.
Florida closed with a 3-under 285 for a 28-under 836 total and held off Arizona State.
The Gators were led by Matthew Kress, a junior from Saratoga, Calif. who finished in a tie for second place in the individual standings with South Carolina’s Frankie Harris, a redshirt junior from Boca Raton, Fla., each landing on 11-under 205, a shot behind regional champion Braxton Watts, a senior at Utah from Farmington, Utah.
Kress added a sizzling 7-under 65 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening round of 3-under 69 to take a one-shot lead over teammate Luke Poulter, a sophomore from Orlando, Fla., into the final round.
Kress cooled off in the final round with a 1-under 71 to share runnerup honors with Harris at 11-under.
Arizona State was right on Florida’s heels the whole week as the Sun Devils opened with a 2-under 286 and added a 14-under 274 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 9-under 279 that gave them a 25-under 839 total.
Colorado, another new entry in the Big 12, was 21 shots behind Arizona State in third place with a 4-under 860 total. The Buffalos, No. 32 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded seventh, matched par in Tuesday’s second round with a 288 after opening with a 1-over 289 before closing with a solid 5-under 283.
American Athletic Conference runnerup South Florida had the low round of Wednesday’s final round with a 10-under 278 to advance to the NCAA Championship by finishing in fourth placed with a 2-under 862 that left them two shots behind Colorado.
The Battlin’ Bulls, No. 29 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded fifth, had opened with a 2-over 290 before adding a 6-over 294 in Tuesday’s second round.
Another SEC entry, South Carolina, No. 20 in the Scoreboard rankings and the four seed, grabbed the final ticket out of the Bremerton Regional to nationals by finishing in fifth place with an even-par 864 that left the Gamecocks two shots behind USF.
Harris led the way for South Carolina as he got a share of second place with Florida’s Kress at 11-under. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Harris found his groove, posting a 6-under 66 in Tuesday’s second round and closing with a 5-under 67.
Backing up Kress for Florida was Poulter as he added a sparkling 5-under 67 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening-round 68 and was just a shot behind Kress in the individual standings before closing with a 1-under 71 that left him in fourth place at 10-under 206, a shot behind Kress and Harris.
Jack Turner, a sophomore from Orlando, Fla. and No. 25 in the WAGR, finished in the group tied for 12th place at 2-under 214. Turner added a 2-under 70 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening-round 71 before closing with a 1-over 73.
Zack Swanwick, a freshman from New Zealand, finished in the group tied for 27th place with a 3-over 219 total as he added a 2-under 70 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening round of 2-over 74 before closing with a 3-over 75.
Rounding out the Florida lineup was Ian Gilligan, a senior from Reno, Nev. and No. 5 in the WAGR who finished in the group tied for 37th place with a 5-over 221 total. You don’t get to No. 5 in the world by playing bad golf, but Gilligan struggled in Bremerton.
After opening with a 1-under 71, Gilligan registered an 80 in Tuesday’s second round before righting the ship in the final round with a 2-under 70.
Utah’s Watts claimed the Bremerton Regional’s individual title and earned the lone individual berth to La Costa by ripping off back-to-back 6-under 66s in the final two rounds to finish with a 12-under 204 total. Watts had matched par in the opening round with a 72.
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