Auburn holds onto top spot, three shots ahead of Texas, heading into final round of qualifying for match play in NCAA Championship

 

   Auburn, the No. 1 team in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings, will take a three-shot lead over its Southeastern Conference rival Texas into Monday’s final round of qualifying for match play in the NCAA Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s North Course in Carlsbad, Calif.

   The Tigers backed off a little in Sunday’s third round with a 2-under-par 286 over the 7,458-yard, par-72 North Course layout that gave them a 22-under 842 total. They had surged to the top of the leaderboard on the strength of a 16-under 272 in Saturday’s third round, the best team round of the tournament.

   Auburn still had two players in the top 10 in the individual standings, led by Josiah Gilbert, a junior from Millbrook, Ala. and No. 12 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) who was tied for fifth place with a 9-under 207 total.

   Gilbert, who had opened with a 2-under 70 and added a sparkling 5-under 67 in Saturday’s second round, posted another 70 Sunday to get it to 9-under.

   Jackson Koivun, a junior from Chapel Hill, N.C. and the No. 1 player in the WAGR, matched par with a 72 Sunday and was among a group of four players tied for seventh place at 6-under 210.

   Gilbert and Koivun were in the Auburn lineup when the Tigers defeated Florida State in the Final Match at La Costa two springs ago and notched the first national championship in the history of the program.

   Auburn fell in the quarterfinals to eventual runnerup Virginia in defense of its title a year ago at La Costa.

   Texas, No. 3 in the Scoreboard rankings, recorded a solid 7-under 281 in Sunday’s third round to creep within three shots of Auburn with a 19-under 845 total.

   The Longhorns were led by their tall Texan, Tommy Morrison, a senior from Dallas and No. 18 in the WAGR who tallied a 2-under 70 in Sunday’s third round to join the group tied for seventh place at 6-under.

   Morrison has been steady all weekend at La Costa’s North Course, opening with a 3-under 69 and adding a 1-under 71 in Saturday’s second round.

   Another SEC power, Vanderbilt, No. 11 in the Scoreboard rankings, was another 10 shots behind Texas in third place with a 9-under 855 total after the Commodores carded a 2-over 291.

   Vanderbilt was led by Will Hartman, a freshman from Marvin, N.C. who posted a second straight 4-under 68 and is very much in contention for the NCAA’s individual title, which will be decided Monday, as he was among a trio of players tied for second place, a shot behind the leader, Oklahoma State’s Preston Stout, a junior from Richardson, Texas and No. 3 in the WAGR, with a 10-under 206 total.

   Stout and the defending national champion Cowboys, No. 5 in the Scoreboard rankings, were tied for fourth place in the team standings along with Big 12 rival Arizona, No. 12 in the Scoreboard rankings, and Big Ten champion UCLA, No. 30 in the Scoreboard rankings, each ending up a shot behind Vanderbilt with an 8-under 856 total.

   Oklahoma State, the Big 12 champion, had surged into position to earn one of the spots in the match-play bracket on the strength of a 14-under 274 in Saturday’s second round, recorded a 1-under 287 in Sunday’s third round.

   Stout had started slowly with a 1-over 73, but has been coming on strong as he added a 5-under 67 in Saturday’s second round before surging to the top of the individual standings with a sizzling 7-under 65 Sunday that gave him an 11-under 205 total.

   Arizona stayed in a strong position for a spot in the match-play bracket as the Wildcats signed for a 4-under 284 in Sunday’s third round to get it to 8-under for the tournament.

   Arizona was led by Filip Jakubcik, a senior from the Czech Republic and No. 6 in the WAGR who matched par with a 72 in Sunday’s third round to join Vanderbilt’s Hartman and Alabama’s William Jennings, a sophomore from Greenville, S.C. and No. 26 in the WAGR, in the tie for second place at 10-under.

   Jakubcik had taken a two-shot lead in the individual chase into Sunday’s third round after he had added a sparkling 6-under 66 in Saturday’s second round to his opening-round 68.

   UCLA hung in there in the team chase as the Bruins registered a solid 1-under 287 to join Oklahoma State and Arizona in the tie for fourth place at 8-under.

   UCLA was led by Baylor Larabee, a sophomore from Ferndale, Wash. who tallied a solid 4-under 68 in Sunday’s third round to join Auburn’s Gilbert in the tie for fifth place at 9-under 207.

   North Carolina, an Atlantic Coast Conference power and No. 10 in the Scoreboard rankings, put together a solid 5-under 283 that left the Tar Heels alone in seventh place, two shots behind the trio tied for fourth, with a 6-under 858 total.

   Things start getting real interesting in the battle for the final couple of spots in match play, which gets under way Tuesday.

   Duke was five shots behind its ACC rival North Carolina in the final spot among the top eight, for now. The Blue Devils, No. 29 in the Scoreboard rankings, carded a 3-over 291 in Sunday’s third round that left them with a 1-under 863 total.

   The SEC’s Oklahoma, No. 16 in the Scoreboard rankings, matched par with a 288 and was a shot behind Duke in ninth place with an even-par 864 total.

   Two-time reigning ACC champion Virginia, No. 4 in the Scoreboard rankings, and SEC power Florida, No. 2 in the Scoreboard rankings, were lurking another shot behind Oklahoma in a tie for 10^th place, each ending up with a 1-over 865 total.

   Virginia, which marched to the Final Match a year ago at La Costa, fell back a little with a 5-over 293 in Sunday’s third round.

   Florida, coming off an impressive victory in the Columbus Regional, was slow to get started at La Costa, but moved into the top 10 with a solid 4-under 284 in Sunday’s third round.

   The Golf Channel’s cameras will be rolling Monday for what promises to be a tense battle for those final spots in the match-play bracket as well as the race to crown the NCAA’s individual champion.

   Backing up Gilbert and Koivun for Auburn were its pair of talented freshmen, Jake Albert, from Blacksburg, Va., and Logan Reilly of Lovettsville, Va., as they were both in the group tied for 22^nd place at 2-under 214.

   Albert contributed a counting 1-over 72 to the Tigers’ third-round total while Reilly posred a 2-over 74.

   Rounding out the Auburn lineup was Cayden Pope, a junior from Lexington, Ky. and No. 47 in the WAGR who got it into red figures for the first time for the weekend with a counting 1-under 71 that left him in the group tied for 72^nd place with a 4-over 220 total.

   Alabama’s Jennings, one of the four co-medalists in the Marana Regional at the Gallery Golf Club along with Arizona’s Jakubcik, carded a second straight 2-under 70 to join Jakubcik and Vanderbilt’s Hartman in the tie for second place, a shot behind Oklahoma State’s Stout in the individual standings at 10-under.

   Rounding out the foursome tied for seventh place at 6-under were Brigham Young’s Kihei Akina, a freshman from Alpine, Utah and No. 22 in the WAGR, and San Diego graduate student Ian Maspat, a home boy from San Diego, Calif.

   Akina has been steady all weekend and carded a 1-under 71 in Sunday’s third round.

   Maspat had grabbed a share of the individual lead with an opening round of 6-under 66, but struggled a little with a 2-over 74 in Saturday’s second round before moving back into the top 10 in the individual standings with a solid 2-under 70 in Sunday’s third round.

   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, carded a 1-over 73 and was among the group tied for 47^th place with an even-par 216.

   Coming off his individual victory in the Corvallis Regional that earned him a trip to La Costa to tee it up as an individual at La Costa, Lugiano has been really solid while competing against the best college players in the country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

Larabee 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 Larabee, 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 Larabee 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.