Oklahoma, coming off a victory in the Amherst Regional, jumped out to the lead following the opening round of the NCAA Championship Friday as the Sooners carded a solid 8-under 280 at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s North Course.
Oklahoma, in its first year in the Southeastern Conference, is No. 6 in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings.
The Sooners were led by Clark Van Gaalen, a freshman from Turlock, Calif. as he posted a 4-under 68 over the 7,548-yard, par-72 North Course at La Costa layout to join a large group tied for fourth place in the individual standings.
A couple of Oklahoma’s SEC rivals, including its ancient rival Texas, which, like the Sooners, left the Big 12 for the SEC this season, and Florida State out of the Atlantic Coast Conference are in a tie for second place, five shots behind Oklahoma at 3-under 285.
Texas, No. 4 in the Scoreboard rankings, was led by Tommy Morrison, the tall Texan from Dallas and No. 10 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) who opened with a sparkling 5-under 67 that left him in a tie for second place in the individual standings with Georgia’s Carter Loflin, a junior from Duluth, Ga.
The SEC champion, Florida, No. 7 in the WAGR, was also in the group tied for second place at 3-under. The Gators are coming off a runaway victory in the Bremerton Regional.
While they may not be conference rivals, Florida and Florida State are certainly cross-state rivals in the Sunshine State, a certifiable hotbed of golf talent.
The Seminoles, No. 9 in the Scoreboard rankings, are coming off an equally impressive victory as the host in the Tallahassee Regional. Florida State was the runnerup to Auburn in the NCAA Championship a year ago at La Costa.
The field of 30 teams will be cut to 15 following Sunday’s third round. The top eight survivors following 72 holes of stroke play will commence match play Tuesday.
Stroke play will wrap up Memorial Day Monday, when an individual national champ will be crowned. The Golf Channel cameras will begin rolling for the Monday windup of stroke play.
Reigning national champion Auburn, another SEC entry and the top-ranked team in the Scoreboard rankings, joined the Big 12’s Arizona State, No. 8 in the Scoreboard rankings, and Big Ten representative Illinois, No. 12 in the Scoreboard rankings, in a tie for fifth place, each landing on 2-under 286.
Auburn redshirt senior Carson Bacha, the 2019 PIAA Class AAA champion at Central York and No. 20 in the WAGR, opened with a 3-over 75 and was in the group tied for 79th place.
Bacha helped the Tigers roll to the team crown as the host in the Auburn Regional.
Rounding out the top 10 following Friday’s opening round were three teams tied for eighth place at 1-over 289, including surprise Reno Regional winner Brigham Young, a Big 12 representative and No. 19 in the Scoreboard rankings, another Big 12 entry in Colorado, No. 29 in the Scoreboard rankings, and ACC upstart California, No. 49 in the Scoreboard rankings.
Backing up Van Gaalen for Oklahoma was Jase Summy, a junior from Keller, Texas and No. 19 in the WAGR who recorded a 3-under 69 that left him in the group tied for 12th place in the individual standings.
Drew Goodman, the Sooners’ senior home boy from Norman, Okla. and No. 33 in the WAGR, gave Oklahoma a third player in red figures as he signed for a 2-under 70 and was among the group tied for 16th place.
Ryder Cowan, a sophomore from Edmond, Okla. and No. 50 in the WAGR was the final counter for the Sooners as he registered a 1-over 73 that left him in the group tied for 47th place.
Rounding out the Oklahoma lineup was P.J. Maybank III, a sophomore from Cheboygan, Mich. who was among the group tied for 79th place after opening with a 3-over 75.
Texas A&M’s Phichaksn Maichon, a senior from Thailand and No. 15 in the WAGR, grabbed the individual lead with a sizzling six-birdie, no-bogey 6-under 66 that left him a shot ahead of Texas’ Morrison and Georgia’s Loflin.
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