Auburn will take on UCLA for national crown in NCAA Championship's Final Match at La Costa

 

   There were a lot of surprising results on quarterfinal/semifinal day in the NCAA Championship Tuesday at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s North Course in Carlsbad, Calif.

   But there was nothing surprising about Auburn, No. 1 in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings and the top seed following 72 holes of stroke play, winning two matches and reaching the Final Match for the second time in three years.

   On the other side of the bracket, though, it was an entirely different story as Big Ten champion UCLA, No. 30 in the Scoreboard rankings, stunned Texas, No. 3 in the Scoreboard rankings, 3-2, in the quarterfinals in the morning and then rolled to a 3.5-1.5 decision over Arizona, No. 12 in the Scoreboard rankings, in the semifinals in the afternoon to earn a spot in the Final Match opposite Auburn.

   UCLA is living proof that you just need to find a way, any way, to get into the match-play bracket in the NCAA Championship and then see what happens.

   The Bruins survived a playoff among four teams for the final two spots in the match-play bracket Monday. A day later they were preparing to face Auburn for a national championship.

   It will be a tall task for UCLA, but the Bruins got on a roll when they won the Big Ten crown at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club’s Witch Hollow Course in North Plains, Ore. and just kept it going all the way to the Final Match at La Costa.

   Auburn, a Southeastern Conference power, earned its spot in the Final Match by ending the title defense of Big 12 champion Oklahoma State by a deceiving 5-0 margin.

   After the Tigers rolled to a 3.5-1.5 victory over Stanford, an Atlantic Coast Conference representative and No. 15 in the Scoreboard rankings, in their morning quarterfinal match, they drew the Cowboys, No. 5 in the Scoreboard rankings, in the afternoon semifinals.

   With UCLA taking most of the drama out of its victory over Arizona in the other semifinal, The Golf Channel broadcast spent most of its time with the marquee matchup between Auburn’s Jackson Koivun, a junior from Chapel Hill, N.C. and No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), and Oklahoma State’s Preston Stout, a junior from Richardson, Texas and No. 3 in the WAGR. And rightfully so.

   Earlier in the day it was announced that Koivun was the winner of Fred Haskins Award, presented by Stifel, for the second time in his brilliant three-year run at Auburn.

   A day earlier, Stout nailed down the NCAA individual crown with a 14-under-par 274 total over four rounds over the 7,548-yard, par-72 North Course layout.

   They were teammates when the United States defeated Great Britain & Ireland, 17-9, in the Walker Cup Match last summer the Cypress Point Club on northern California’s Monterey Peninsula.

   If you squinted real hard into the future, it wasn’t difficult to envision Koivun and Stout battling it out down the stretch of some major championship.

   Ultimately, the match didn’t matter as Koivun held a 1-up advantage over Stout on the finishing hole when Koivun’s teammate, Cayden Pope, a junior from Lexington, Ky. and No. 47 in the WAGR, sealed the deal for the Tigers with a 3 and 2 victory over Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson, a sophomore from Sweden.

   The reality is that this Auburn team is deep and battle-tested.

   The Tigers put a point on the board when Logan Reilly, a precocious freshman from Lovettsville, Va., cruised to a 7 and 5 victory over Eric Lee, a junior from Fullerton, Calif. and No. 27 in the WAGR.

   It had been Lee who earned the clinching point for the Cowboys in their victory over Virginia in the Final Match a year ago at La Costa.

   Josiah Gilbert, a junior from Millbrook, Ala. and No. 12 in the WAGR, rolled to a 4 and 3 decision over Ethan Fang, a junior from Plano, Texas and No. 8 in the WAGR.

   Fang, also a member of the winning U.S. Walker Cup team at Cypress Point, became the first American to capture the title in the Royal & Ancient’s Amateur Championship since 2007 last summer at the Royal St. George’s Golf Club.

   Auburn’s other talented freshman, Jake Albert of Blacksburg, Va., was credited with a 1-up victory over Gaven Lane, a senior from Argyle, Texas and No. 71 in the WAGR, for the Tigers’ final point. It had been a close match with Albert holding a 1-up lead through 17 holes when Pope clinched the victory for Auburn.

   In the other semifinal, UCLA got full points from Big Ten champion Josh Kim, a freshman from Danville, Calif., Taylor Loree, a freshman from Kula, Hawaii, and Alex Papayoanou, a junior from The Woodlands, Texas, in its victory over Big 12 runnerup Arizona, which had been on a bit of a heater of its own at La Costa.

   Kim pulled out a 1-up decision over Taishi Moto, a sophomore from Japan, Loree was a 3 and 2 winner over Tianyi Xiong, a junior from China, and Papayoanou closed it out for UCLA with a 2 and 1 victory over William Wistrand, a freshman from Sweden.

   Filip Jakubcik, a senior from the Czech Republic and No. 6 in the WAGR, accounted for Arizona’s lone full point as he earned a 3 and 2 win over Kyle An, a junior from Alisa Viejo, Calif.

   Baylor Larabee, a sophomore from Ferndale, Wash. who has been UCLA’s best player this week at La Costa, was tied with Zach Pollo, a sophomore from Rocklin, Calif. and No. 52 in the WAGR, through 17 holes when the outcome was assured in the Bruins’ favor.

   Auburn’s Reilly had clinched the Tigers’ 3.5-1.5 victory over Stanford in the morning quarterfinals with a 2 and 1 victory over Dean Greyserman, the Cardinal’s senior leader from Boca Raton, Fla. and No. 93 in the WAGR.

   Koivun suffered a 2-up setback at the hands of Nathan Wang, a senior from Fremont, Calif., but his Auburn teammates picked him up.

   Albert, Reilly’s fellow freshman, cruised to a 6 and 5 verdict over Ethan Gao, a junior from Alpharetta, Ga., and Gilbert, a native of Australia who has been really solid for the Tigers at La Costa, claimed a 3 and 2 victory over Jay Leng, a sophomore from San Diego, Calif.

   Pope was deadlocked with Edan Gui, a freshman from Atherton, Calif., through 15 holes when Reilly’s win clinched the overall victory for Auburn.

   The shot of the day for UCLA was Papayoanou’s long eagle putt that rattled into the cup and gave him a stunning victory over Texas’ Daniel Bennett, a sophomore from South Africa and No. 15 in the WAGR, on the 20^th hole of the match.

   Papayoanou’s bomb was the key to the Bruins’ 3-2 upset of the Longhorns, an SEC power. Every player in the Texas lineup was in the WAGR’s top 100, but it didn’t seem to matter to UCLA.

   UCLA got another huge win from Larabee, who edged Christaan Maas, a senior from South Africa and No. 4 in the WAGR, 1-up.

   An got the clinching point for the Bruins with a 1-up victory over Matt Comegys, a graduate student from Van Alstyne, Texas and No. 82 in the WAGR.

   Two of Texas’ big guns delivered full points for the Longhorns as Tommy Morrison, a senior from Dallas, Texas and No. 18 in the WAGR, claimed a 3 and 2 victory over Kim, and Luke Potter, a senior from Encinitas, Calif. and No. 20 in the WAGR, earned a 4 and 3 decision over Loree.

   Oklahoma State had a surprisingly easy time in ousting SEC power Florida, No. 2 in the Scoreboard rankings, 3-2, in the morning quarterfinals.

   Lane clinched the victory for the Cowboys with a 2 and 1 victory over Jack Turner, a junior from Orlando, Fla. and No. 25 in the WAGR.

   Lee fueled a fast start for Oklahoma State as he put an early point on the board with a 6 and 4 victory over Luke Poulter, a junior from Orlando, Fla. and No. 9 in the WAGR.

   Stout delivered the other full point for the Cowboys with a 1-up victory over Matthew Kress, a senior from Saratoga, Calif. and No. 38 in the WAGR. Stout had built a big lead and held on for the win.

   Zack Swanwick, a sophomore from New Zealand and No. 50 in the WAGR, earned a full point for the Gators when he rallied to knock off Fang on the 19^th hole.

   Parker Sands, a senior from Edmond, Okla. and No. 38 in the WAGR, picked up the other full point for Florida with a 3 and 2 decision over Fahlberg-Johnsson.

   Arizona reached the semifinals with a 3-2 victory over Vanderbilt, No. 11 in the Scoreboard and the fourth of the SEC teams that made up half of the match-play bracket.

   Pollo clinched the victory as he went extra holes to defeat Vanderbilt’s veteran senior Wells Williams, a senior from West Point, Miss. and No. 29 in the WAGR, on the 20^th hole.

   Moto delivered a full point for the Wildcats with a 4 and 3 victory over Chase Nevins, a junior from Great Falls, Va.

   Xiong had the other full point for Arizona with his 3 and 2 decision over Jon Ed Steed, a freshman from Enterprise, Ala.

   Vanderbilt’s other freshman standout, Will Hartman of Marvin, N.C., capped a huge week at La Costa by taking down Arizona’s senior leader Jakubic with a decisive 6 and 5 victory.

   Ryan Downes, a sophomore from Longmeadow, Mass., accounted for the Commodores’ other full point with a 4 and 3 victory over Wistrand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Auburn emerges with top seed in match-play bracket; Oklahoma State's Stout claims NCAA's individual crown at La Costa

 

   Southeastern Conference power Auburn, the No. 1 team in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings, completed its march to the top seed in qualifying for match play Monday, holding off SEC rival Texas by three shots after 72 holes of stroke play at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s North Course in Carlsbad, Calif.

   Most of the drama came late in the day as four teams battled it out in a playoff for the right to tee it up against Auburn and Texas when the quarterfinals open Tuesday morning.

   Stanford, out of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten champion UCLA, North Carolina, another ACC entry, and Tennessee, another SEC entry, all landed on 2-under-par 1,150 after four rounds over the 7,548-yard, par-72 North Course layout in a tie for seventh place.

   The Cardinal, No. 15 in the Scoreboard rankings, got the final spot in the match-play bracket when Dean Greyserman, a senior from Boca Raton, Fla. and No. 93 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, made the only birdie of the playoff to send Stanford into match play for the first time since 2019.

   Greyserman lists Boca as his home town, but he’s a New Jersey guy and the reigning Metropolitan Golf Association Amateur champion, having claimed that prestigious title last summer at Old Oaks Country Club in Purchase, N.Y.

   Greyserman’s final round of 4-under 68 led the way for Stanford as it closed with a 4-under 284 to give the Cardinal a chance in the playoff.

   Greyserman’s strong finish also propelled him to a tie for sixth place in the individual standings with a 7-under 279 total.

   UCLA, No. 30 in the Scoreboard rankings, struggled a little in the final round with a 6-over 294, but still earned a spot in the playoff with its 2-under total and survived it.

   It was frustration for North Carolina, No. 14 in the Scoreboard rankings, which closed with a 4-over 292, and Tennessee, No. 18 in the Scoreboard rankings, which came on strong in the final round with a 4-under 284.

   It’s going to be a long offseason for two teams picking through 1,150 team shots over 72 holes and knowing a bad bounce here or a lipout there were all that separated them from a spot among the eight teams surviving the gauntlet to earn a spot in the match-play bracket in the NCAA Championship.

   Stanford’s reward for surviving that playoff is a matchup against the top-ranked team in men’s college golf in Auburn. UCLA earned a quarterfinal matchup against Texas, No. 3 in the Scoreboard rankings.

   UCLA was led by Baylor Larabee, a sophomore from Ferndale, Wash. who matched par in the final round with a 72 to get a share of sixth place with Stanford’s Greyserman at 9-under.

   There was an NCAA champion crowned Monday as Oklahoma State’s Preston Stout, a junior from Richardson, Texas and No. 3 in the WAGR, made a birdie at the North Course’s finishing hole to claim the individual title by a shot over Alabama’s William Jennings, a sophomore from Greenville, S.C. and No. 26 in the WAGR, with a 14-under 274 total.

   Stout, who helped the Cowboys claim the team crown a year ago at La Costa and was one of the heroes for the United States in its victory over Great Britain & Ireland in a Walker Cup Match at the Cypress Point Club on northern California’s Monterey Peninsula last summer, became Oklahoma State’s 10^th NCAA individual champion.

   The birdie at the last enabled Stout to close with a solid 3-under 69.

   Stout led the way for Big 12 champion Oklahoma State, No. 5 in the Scoreboard rankings, as the Cowboys finished in a tie for fourth place in the team standings with SEC power Florida, No. 2 in the Scoreboard rankings, each landing on 11-under 1,141.

   Oklahoma State, seeking its13th NCAA team crown, will open match play Tuesday morning in a fascinating quarterfinal against the powerful Gators.

   It was Auburn, however, that finished at the top of the heap following 72 holes of qualifying for match play.

   The Tigers, who claimed the program’s first NCAA crown in 2024 at La Costa, had taken control of the team chase with a 16-under 272 in Saturday’s second round.

   Auburn took a three-shot lead over Texas into Monday’s final round following a 2-under 286 in Sunday’s third round and maintained that advantage with a final round of 4-over 284.

   Auburn was led by Josiah Gilbert, a junior from Millbrook, Ala. and No. 12 in the WAGR who finished in third place in the individual standings, two shots behind Alabama’s Jennings with an 11-under 277 total.

   Gilbert, a native Australian, was a steady force all weekend for the Tigers, closing with a 2-under 70 Monday, his second straight 2-under 70. He had opened with a 70 before adding a sparkling 5-under 67 in Saturday’s second round.

   Texas matched Auburn’s final round of 4-under 284 to end up three shots behind the Tigers in second place with a 23-under 1,129 total.

   Another SEC power, Vanderbilt, No. 11 in the WAGR, continued its solid postseason run as the Commodores closed with a solid 3-under 285 to nail down third place in the team standings with a 12-under 1,140 total that left them 11 shots behind Texas.

   Vanderbilt was led its fabulous freshman, Will Hartman of Marvin, N.C., as he matched par in the final round with a 72 to share fourth place in the individual standings with Arizona’s Filip Jakubcik, a senior from the Czech Republic and No. 6 in the WAGR, each landing on 10-under 278, a shot behind Auburn’s Gilbert.

   Jakubcik and the Wildcats await Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals as the Big 12 runnerup, No. 12 in the Scoreboard rankings, closed with a 5-over 293 to finish alone in sixth place, one skinny shot ahead of the foursome that would battle it out for the final two spots in the match-play bracket with a 3-under 1,149 total.

   Jakubcik was at or near the top of the leaderboard the whole weekend and matched par in the final round with a 72 to join Hartman in the tie for fourth place at 10-under.

   For a long time over the weekend, it didn’t look good for the Florida Gators, who had been a dominant winner of the Columbus Regional on a tough golf course in The Ohio State University Golf Club’s Scarlet Course, an Alister MacKenzie masterpiece.

   But Florida got itself in the picture with a 4-under 284 in Sunday’s third round that left it in a tie for 10^th place going into Monday’s final round.

   The Gators then closed with a spectacular 12-under 276, easily the best team round of the day, to join their quarterfinal opponent Oklahoma State in a tie for fourth place at 11-under.

   Backing up Gilbert for Auburn was Jackson Koivun, a junior from Chapel Hill, N.C. and the No. 1 player in the WAGR, as he closed with a 1-under 71 to give the Tigers a second top-10 finisher in the individual standings, ending up in the group tied for 10^th place with a 7-under 209 total.

   Auburn’s two freshmen, Logan Reilly of Lovettsville, Va., and Jake Albert of Blacksburg, Va., were steady all weekend.

   Reilly closed with a solid 2-under 70 to finish among the group tied for 19^th place with a 4-under 284 total. Albert struggled a little with a 2-over 74 in the final round to end up in the group tied for 32^nd place with an even-par 288 total.

   Rounding out the Auburn lineup was Cayden Pope, a junior from Lexington, Ky. and No. 47 in the WAGR who closed with a counting 1-over 73 that left him among the trio tied for 58^th place with a 5-over 292 total.

   Really nice effort by Alabama’s Jennings, who kept the heat on Stout the whole way while playing on the other side of the golf course in Monday’s final round.

   The Crimson Tide missed out on getting the whole team to La Costa by one frustrating shot in the Marana Regional, but Jennings certainly represented Alabama proudly as he closed with a 3-under 69 in the final round to earn runnerup honors with a 12-under 276 total.

   Brigham Young’s Kihei Akina, a freshman from Alpine, Utah, and Tennessee redshirt senior Lance Simpson, a home boy from Knoxville, Tenn. and No. 35 in the WAGR, finished in a tie for eighth place in the individual standings with an 8-under 208 total.

   Akina closed with a 2-under 70. Simpson, trying to drag the Volunteers into the match-play bracket, closed with a 3-under 69.

   As I finish up this post, the quarterfinal matches are getting under way.

   Just like last week’s women’s championship, quarterfinal/semifinal day at nationals is the most dramatic, unpredictable day in men’s college golf. When the sun sets on Carlsbad, only two teams will be left standing.

   Let the matches begin.

 

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 total.

   Lugiano came up two shots short of the cut for individuals from non-advancing teams that got a chance to tee it up in Monday's final round at La Costa. 

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