No. 1 Auburn suges to top of the leaderboard following two rounds in the NCAA Championship at La Costa

 

   The road to a national championship in Division I men’s college golf has run through Auburn, a Southeastern Conference power, the last couple of years.

   The Tigers have a 2024 national title and a run to the NCAA semifinals a year ago and they brought the No. 1 ranking in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings to this year’s NCAA Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s North Course in Carlsbad, Calif.

   In Saturday’s second round of qualifying for match, it was, who else, Auburn surging to the top of the leaderboard, the Tigers firing the best team round of the week with a 16-under 272 that gave them a 20-under 556 total and an eight-shot lead over SEC rivals Texas and Vanderbilt. Auburn had opened with a 4-under 284.

   It looks almost certain that Auburn will be among the top eight teams still standing when match play gets under way Tuesday. The team chase will be cut in half to 15 teams following Sunday’s third round.

   Auburn was led by a couple of veterans of that run to the program’s first national championship two springs ago, Josiah Gilbert, a junior from Millbrook, Ala. and No. 12 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), and the best player in college golf, Jackson Koivun, a junior from Chapel Hill, N.C. and No. 1 in the WAGR.

   Gilbert, a native of Australia, added a sparkling 5-under 67 to his opening-round 70 for a 7-under 137 total that left him among a trio tied for fourth place.

   Koivun added a 4-under 68 to his opening-round 70 as he was in a tie for seventh place with a 6-under 138 total.

   Texas, No. 3 in the Scoreboard rankings and coming off a victory in the Bryan Regional, added an 11-under 277 in Saturday’s second round to its opening-round 287 to get its share of second place at 12-under 564.

   Vanderbilt, No. 11 in the Scoreboard rankings and coming off a victory in the Athens Regional, matched the Texas splits as the Commodores added an 11-under 277 in Saturday’s second round to their opening-round 287 to join the Longhorns at 12-under.

   Vanderbilt continues to get strong performances from its freshmen.

   Jon Ed Steed, a rookie from Enterprise, Ala., added a 5-under 67 in Saturday’s second round to his opening-round 70 to join Auburn’s Gilbert in the trio tied for fourth place at 7-under.

   Will Hartman, the phenom from Marvin, N.C. who led Vandy to its team win in Athens by claiming a share of the individual crown, was just a shot behind his fellow frosh in a tie for seventh place with Auburn’s Koivun at 6-under after Hartman added a 4-under 68 to his opening-round 70.

   Defending national champion Oklahoma State, the Big 12 champion and No. 5 in the Scoreboard rankings, made a big move in Saturday’s second round with a 14-under 274 as the Cowboys surged into a tie for fourth place with Big Ten champion UCLA, No. 30 in the Scoreboard rankings, with a 5-under 569 total.

   Oklahoma State had struggled in the opening round with a 7-over 295.

   The Cowboys were led by Eric Lee, a junior from Fullerton, Calif. who earned the clinching point in Oklahoma State’s victory over Virginia in the NCAA Championship’s Final Match a year ago. Lee, who had matched par in the opening round with a 72, added a 5-under 67 in Saturday’s second round and landed among a group of four players tied for ninth place at 5-under 139.

   Lee was one of the four co-medalists in the Marana Regional.

   UCLA had grabbed the lead with an opening round of 8-under 280, but the Bruins backed off a little with a 1-over 289 in Saturday’s second round to join Oklahoma State at 7-under, five shots behind Texas and Vanderbilt.

   UCLA was led by Baylor Larabee, a sophomore from Ferndale, Wash. who was part of the quartet tied for ninth place at 5-under. Larabee was in fourth place in the individual chase, just a shot out of the lead, following an opening round of 5-under 67 before matching par in Saturday’s second round with a 72.

   Oklahoma State’s Big 12 rival, Arizona, No. 12 in the Scoreboard rankings, and Atlantic Coast Conference champion Virginia, No. 4 in the Scoreboard rankings, and its ACC rival Duke, No. 29 in the Scoreboard rankings, landed in a tie for sixth place, each ending up with a 4-under 572 total.

   Arizona, led by individual leader Filip Jakubcik, a senior from the Czech Republic and No. 6 in the WAGR, added a 3-under 285 in Saturday’s second round to its opening-round 287. The Wildcats were coming off an impressive victory in the Marana Regional as the host at the Gallery Golf Club.

   Jakubcik, who joined Oklahoma State’s Lee as one of the co-medalists in the Marana Regional, carded a sizzling 6-under 66 in Saturday’s second round at La Costa after opening with a 68 as he took a two-shot lead in the individual chase with a 10-under 134 total.

   Virginia, which reached the NCAA Championship’s Final Match a year ago before falling to Oklahoma State, recorded a 4-under 284 in Saturday’s second round after matching par in the opening round with a 288.

   Duke registered a second straight 2-under 286 to join Arizona and Virginia in the tie for sixth place at 4-under.

   Another ACC entry, North Carolina, No. 10 in the Scoreboard rankings, and West Coast Conference champion Pepperdine, No. 14 in the Scoreboard rankings, were tied for ninth place, each landing on 1-under 575.

   The Tar Heels matched par with a 288 in Saturday’s second round after opening with a 1-under 287. The Waves, who got a share of the title with Virginia in the Winston-Salem Regional, had opened with a solid 3-under 285 before falling back a little with a 2-over 290 in Saturday’s second round.

   Another SEC power, Oklahoma, No. 16 in the Scoreboard rankings and coming off a victory in the Corvallis Regional, was a shot behind North Carolina and Pepperdine in 11^th place at even-par 576.

   The Sooners bounced back from a 4-over 292 with a solid 4-under 284 in Saturday’s second round.

   Backing up Gilbert and Koivun for Auburn was Logan Reilly, a freshman from Lovettsville, Va. who was among the group tied for 13^th place with a 4-under 140 total as he added a 3-under 69 in Saturday’s second round to his opening-round 71.

   Jake Albert, another talented freshman for the Tigers from Blacksburg, Va., contributed a 4-under 68 to their second-round surge Saturday that left him in the group tied for 21^st place with a 3-under 141 total. Albert had opened with a 1-over 73.

   Rounding out the Auburn lineup was Cayden Pope, a junior from Lexington, Ky. and No. 47 in the WAGR who matched par with a 72 in Saturday’s second round to end up in the group tied for 102^nd place at 5-over 149. Pope had opened with a 5-over 77.

   Alabama’s William Jennings, a sophomore from Greenville, S.C. competing as an individual and No. 26 in the WAGR, and Louisiana’s Malan Potgieter, a senior from South Africa also competing as an individual and No. 65 in the WAGR, are tied for second place in the individual standings, each ending up two shots behind Jakubcik with an 8-under 136 total.

   Jennings, another of the four co-medalists in the Marana Regional, had opened with a 6-under 66 that gave him a share of the lead before adding a 70 in Saturday’s second round.

   Potgieter, who was the co-medalist along with Vanderbilt’s Hartman in the Athens Regional, posted a second straight 4-under 68 to join Jennings at 8-under.

   Arizona State’s Connor Williams, a junior from Escondido, Calif. and No. 32 in the WAGR, joined Auburn’s Gilbert and Vanderbilt’s Steed in the trio tied for fourth place at 7-under 137.

   Williams had a share of the individual lead with his opening round of 6-under 66 before adding a 71 in Saturday’s second round.

   Joining Oklahoma State’s Lee and UCLA’s Larabee in the foursome tied for ninth place at 5-under were Brigham Young’s Kihei Akina, a freshman from Alpine, Utah and No. 22 in the WAGR, and Arkansas State’s Thomas Schmidt, a senior from Germany.

   Akina added a 2-under 70 in Saturday’ second round to his solid opening-round 69. Schmidt moved up the leaderboard with a 5-under 67 in Saturday’s second round after he had matched par in the opening round with a 72.

   Liberty sophomore Michael Lugiano, who capped his scholastic career at Lake Lehman by finishing in a tie for second place in the PIAA Class AA Championship in 2023, continued his impressive postseason run.

   Lugiano, coming off an individual victory in the Corvallis Regional that earned him the right to compete in the NCAA Championship as an individual, had matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a 1-under 71 in Saturday’s second round that left him in the group tied for 33^rd place at 1-under 143.

 

 

 

 

Larrabee leads the way as UCLA is out in front following opening round of NCAA Championship at La Costa

 

   Big Ten champion UCLA, probably a little underrated at No. 30 in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings, got the jump on the field as the NCAA Championship teed off Friday at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s North Course in Carlsbad, Calif.

   Behind Baylor Larrabee, a sophomore from Ferndale, Wash. who was a shot behind a trio of co-leaders in fourth place with a 5-under-par 67 over the 7,548-yard, par-71 North Course layout at La Costa, the Bruins opened with a solid 8-under 280 to take a four-shot lead over Southeastern Conference power Auburn, the No. 1 team in the Scoreboard rankings.

   Auburn opened with a 4-under 284 and was alone in second place.

   West Coast Conference champion Pepperdine, which got a share of the team crown at the Winston-Salem Regional, was another shot behind Auburn in third place with a 3-under 285. The Waves are No. 14 in the Scoreboard rankings.

   Another WCC representative, San Diego, behind one of the individual co-leaders, Ian Maspat, a home boy from San Diego, Calif. and the WCC’s individual champion, shared fourth place with Duke, out of the Atlantic Coast Conference, each ending up a shot behind Pepperdine at 2-under 286.

  The upstart Toreros are No. 42 in the Scoreboard rankings while the Dookies came to Carlsbad at No. 29 in the Scoreboard rankings.

   Maspat posted a sparkling 6-under 66 to share the top spot in the individual standings with Arizona State’s Connor Williams, a junior from Escondido, Calif. and No. 32 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), and Alabama’s William Jennings, a sophomore from Greenville, S.C. competing as an individual and No. 26 in the WAGR.

   Big 12 runnerup Arizona, No. 12 in the Scoreboard rankings and coming off a victory as the host in the Murana Regional, SEC power Texas, No. 3 in the Scoreboard rankings and coming off a victory in the Bryan Regional, another SEC power, Vanderbilt, No. 11 in the Scoreboard rankings and coming off a victory in the Louisville Regional, and the ACC’s North Carolina, No. 10 in the Scoreboard rankings, were part of a logjam tied for sixth place, each recording a 1-under 287.

   Everybody is trying to be among the top eight teams that will advance to match play at the conclusion of 72 holes of stroke play Monday. The Golf Channel cameras will start rolling Monday when an individual champion will also be crowned.

   Arizona was led by Filip Jakubcik, a senior from the Czech Republic and No. 6 in the WAGR who was part of a four-way tie for fifth place in the individual standings with a 4-under 68.

   Jakubcik and Alabama’s Jennings were part of a four-way tie for medalist honors in the Murana Regional at the Gallery Golf Club.

   Texas was led by Luke Potter, a senior from Encinitas, Calif. and No. 20 in the WAGR, as he also landed in the group tied for fifth place at 4-under. Potter was the individual champion in the Bryan Regional.

   Backing up Larrabee for UCLA was Alex Papayoanou, a junior from The Woodlands, Texas who also was among the top 10 in the individual standings in a tie for ninth place with a 3-under 69.

   Josh Kim, a freshman from Danville, Calif. and winner of the Big Ten’s individual crown at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club’s Witch Hollow Course in North Plains, Ore., added a solid 1-under 71 for the Bruins that left him in the group tied for 25^th place.

   Kyle An, a senior from Aliso Viejo, Calif., tallied a 1-over 73 that left him in the group tied for 57^th place for UCLA.

   Rounding out the UCLA lineup was Tyler Loree, a freshman from Kula, Hawaii who was among the group tied for 91^st place with a 3-over 75.

   Lurking in the group tied for fifth place in the individual standings at 4-under was Virginia’s Ben James, a senior from Milford, Conn. and No. 2 in the WAGR who was coming off an impressive individual victory in the Winston-Salem Regional.

   Rounding out the foursome tied for fifth place at 4-under was Louisiana’s Malan Potgieter, a sophomore from South Africa competing as an individual who got a share of medalist honors in the Athens Regional.

   Liberty sophomore Michael Lugiano, who capped an outstanding scholastic career at Lake Lehman by finishing in a tie for second place in the PIAA Class AA Championship in 2023, matched par with a 72 and was among the group tied for 35^th place.

   Lugiano is competing as an individual after capturing the individual title in the Corvallis Regional.

 

 

 

 

 

Stewart grabs the big prize in Haverford Philadelphia PGA Classic to cap a busy spring in the Philadelphia Section

 

   Has it really been 24 years since I interviewed Billy Stewart at Llanerch Country Club following his victory in the BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship at Riverton Country Club a couple of days earlier before the ink was dry on his Malvern Prep diploma?

   Has it really been 13 years since Stewart sweated it out all day before ultimately capturing the title in the Haverford Philadelphia PGA Classic at Sunnybrook Golf Club back when a victory in the event that has the biggest top prize of any PGA Section event in America was worth only $50,000?

   The results from this year’s 28^th annual Haverford Philadelphia PGA Classic say that Stewart is 42-years-old. How is that possible?

   Those same results said that Billy the Kid, maybe not among the very best players in a Philadelphia Section PGA brimming with talent these days, could still rip off a bogey-free 6-under-par 66 at Sunnybrook to once again capture the title in the Haverford Philadelphia PGA Classic and its jackpot that has risen to $100K in the ensuing 13 years since Stewart first won the tournament.

   An instructor at the Union League’s Liberty Hill Course, Stewart was the Philadelphia Section’s Player of the Year in 2018. He has had his share of wins on the Philly Section circuit as well as major local championships like the Philadelphia Open in 2018 at St. Davids Golf Club and the Pennsylvania Open in 2015 at Rolling Green Golf Club.

   But Tuesday at Sunnybrook, the traditional day-after Memorial Day spot on the calendar for one of the most widely-anticipated events on the Philly Section schedule each year, Stewart proved he hasn’t forgotten how to play.

   “I was definitely nervous, but it is the best feeling in golf when you are able to overcome those nerves and pull it off,” Stewart told the Philadelphia Section website. “The key to my round was getting it up and down on the first two holes and then I was able to birdie three and four and regain my rhythm.”

   Stewart followed up those back-to-back birdies at the third and fourth holes with a sudden birdie burst in the middle of his round. Consecutive birdies at the ninth, 10^th and 11^th holes followed by another birdie at 13 got Stewart to 6-under and he was able to grind out pars on the final five holes.

   Stewart’s victory put an exclamation point on a really eventful spring for the Philadelphia Section, highlighted, of course, by the fact that Philadelphia was the host section for a PGA Championship for the first time since 1962.

   It was at Aronimink Golf Club then, when South Africa’s Gary Player won the third of his nine major championships and it was back at the Donald Ross masterpiece in Newtown Square earlier this month when Englishman Aaron Rai claimed his first career major win.

   I was able to sneak in a couple of posts from the PGA Professional Championship and the remarkable final-round rally at the Bandon Dunes Resort on Oregon’s rugged coastline by Braden Shattuck, the head of instruction at Rolling Green Golf Club, that gave the Philly Section one of its own in the field at Aronimink as part of the Corebridge Financial Team.

   At Sunnybrook, the spotlight belonged to Stewart as his sparkling round enabled him to overtake Joanna Coe, the head of instruction at Merion Golf Club, and claim the big jackpot.

   Coe, the reigning four-time Rolex/Haverford Trust Women’s Player of the Year in the Philly Section, put up a 4-under 68 early in the day and it held up for a long time.

   Rob Wolfers, who works out of the pro shop at Manufacturers Golf & Country Club, and Brian Bergstol, the talented instructor at the Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, were another shot behind Coe in a tie for third place, each posting a 3-under 69.

   Heading a group of six players tied for fifth place at 2-under 70 were a couple of the Philly Section’s senior stalwarts, John Pillar, the reigning two-time Robert “Skee” Riegel Senior Player of the Year, and Frank Bensel, one of the top club pros in the country who joined the Philly Section when he accepted a position at Galloway National Golf Club at the Jersey Shore.

   Pillar, the director of golf at the Country Club at Woodloch Springs, had one of the highlights of the spring for the Philly Section when he made the cut and played the weekend in the Senior PGA Championship, a major on the PGA Tour Champions.

   Pillar was a member of the Corebridge Financial Team teeing it up in the Senior PGA Championship, which wrapped up April 19^th at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla. on the strength of his tie for 32^nd-place finish in last fall’s Senior PGA Professional Championship at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

   Frank Bensel also earned a spot on the Corebridge Financial Team at Concession, but was unable to survive the 36-hole cut at Concession.

   Pillar added a 2-over 74 in the second round at Concession after matching par in the opening round with a 72 to make the cut on the number at 2-over 146. He struggled on the weekend with rounds of 77 and 79 that gave him a 14-over 302 total.

   Also in the group at 2-under in the Haverford Philadelphia PGA Classic was defending champion Trevor Bensel, an assistant pro at LuLu Country Club.

   Trevor Bensel very nearly joined Shattuck in the field for the PGA Championship at Aronimink as he finished just outside the top 20 in the PGA Professional Championship at Bandon Dunes.

   Rounding out the gang of six tied for fifth place in the Haverford Philadelphia PGA Classic were Logan Hay of Burlington Country Club, Will Scarborough of The Peninsula Golf & Country Club and Parks Price of Bent Creek Country Club.

   Merion’s Coe and The Peninsula’s Scarborough also represented the Philly Section in the field in the PGA Professional Championship at Bandon Dunes.

   Pillar captured the big prize in the Haverford Philadelphia PGA Classic two years ago and Bent Creek’s Price was the winner in 2021.

   Pillar and Bensel shared the top spot in the Senior division at Sunnybrook with their matching 2-under 70s.

   Hugo Mazzalupi, representing the Radnor Golf Foundation, was alone in third place among the seniors with a 5-over 77.

   Coe’s 4-under 68 gave her the top spot in the Women’s division.

   Coe’s closest pursuer was Megan Leineweber, the hard-working head pro at Stonewall who finished in second place with a 5-over 77.

   Finishing first in the amateur division was Francis Vaughn, the head coach at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy who registered a solid 1-over 73.

   Had a chance to caddy in a group that included Vaughn at Stonewall’s Old Course and the guy has a wealth of knowledge about the golf swing and other aspects of the game. It was a learning experience for me and I wasn’t even the guy he was advising.

   The Haverford Philadelphia PGA Classic is one of the few Philly Section crowns that has eluded Shattuck, the Section’s reigning four-time Rolex/Haverford Trust Player of the Year.

   Shattuck only managed to match par with a 72 at Sunnybrook Tuesday to finish among a large group tied for 16^th place.

   But it’s certainly been a memorable spring for a guy I covered in my days with the Delaware County Daily Times when he was playing high school golf at Sun Valley almost 15 years ago.

   When I posted about Shattuck’s determined bid to qualify for the PGA Championship at Aronimink in the PGA Professional Championship at Bandon Dunes, I mentioned that Shattuck had tuned up for the National Club Pro by capturing the title in the Philly Section’s first Rolex/Haverford Trust Player of the Year points event of the season, the Radnor Golf Foundation Tournament Players Division Championship at Galloway National on a chilly April 20^th.

   Shattuck would be the last person to make excuses for himself, but he was clearly in the spotlight in the days leading up to the PGA Championship. The kid from Aston teeing it up in a major championship at storied Aronimink. Trust me, in the newspaper biz we used to call that a story.

   After hitting the first tee shot of the PGA Championship, Shattuck struggled in an opening-round 81 on a golf course that left many of the best players in the world grumbling about pin placements and wind.

   Shattuck bounced back with a 5-over 75 in the second round and failed to make the cut, but he certainly was a classy representative of the Philadelphia Section at Aronimink.

   The Monday following his appearance in the PGA Championship and unburdened by all the hoopla that surrounded it, Shattuck ripped off a bogey-free 6-under 65 at Scotland Run Golf Club in Williamstown, N.J. to capture the title in the Delaware Valley Open.

   Looks like Shattuck has his sights set on a fifth straight Rolex/Haverford Trust Player of the Year honor.

   Earlier in May, Andrew Cornish, playing out of the pro shop at Llanerch Country Club, recorded a bogey-free 7-under 63 to edge Shattuck by a shot and capture the title in the Conestoga Classic, a Rolex/Haverford Trust Player of the Year points event at Conestoga Country Club in Lancaster County.

   Got a chance to carry Cornish’s bag in Stonewall’s annual Partner-Pro last summer when he was working in the pro shop at Green Valley Country Club.

   The guy who came from California to play college golf at Penn State-Berks and reached the quarterfinals of the BMW Philadelphia Amateur at Stonewall in 2019 seems to have found a home in the Philadelphia Section.