Koivun simply spectacular in claiming individual title and leading Auburn to team crown in Amer Ari Intercollegiate

 

   Just when you think the best players in college golf can’t take it any lower in the Amer Ari Intercollegiate, Jackson Koivun, the No. 1-ranked amateur player in the world, and Auburn show up and go really low.

   Mauna Lani’s North Course near Waikola Beach in Waimea, Hawaii doesn’t offer a whole lot of resistance to the talented youngsters who show up for this event, a staple on the schedule in the early part of the spring campaign in college golf as the sprint to May’s postseason begins in earnest.

   But it got completely out of hand last week when Koivun, ripping off back-to-back 10-under-par 62s in the first two rounds over the 6,913-yard, par-72 North Course layout on his way to a 25-under 191 total, led Auburn to a 77-under 787 total that matched an NCAA record in relation to par.

   Auburn, the Southeastern Conference power that has been the top program in college golf with Koivun in the lineup the last two seasons, took control of the Amer Ari with a remarkable 32-under 256 in the opening round, added a 15-under 273 in Friday’s second round and then closed with another spectacular round, a 30-under 258 in Saturday’s final round to take the title by 13 shots over still relatively new SEC rival Texas.

   Koivun, a junior from Chapel Hill, N.C., just obliterated the North Course in the first two rounds.

   Starting off the eighth tee in the opening round, Koivun made a birdie on the ninth hole and then really went off on the incoming nine at the North Course with a birdie at 10, four straight birdies at 12, 13, 14 and 15 and a birdie at 17 in a 6-under 30 on the back nine.

   Koivun then added birdies at the first, second and seventh holes in his opening-round 62.

   In Friday’s second round, he did it again. After starting off the 13^th tee, Koivun ripped off five straight birdies at the 14^th, 15^th, 16^th, 17^th and 18^th holes.

   After making an eagle at the par-5 second hole, Koivun made birdies at four, seven and 11, that last birdie giving him another 6-under 30 on the incoming nine and another 62.

   Koivun’s 20-under total for the first two rounds broke the NCAA’s 36-hole record of 18-under established by that Tiger Woods fella when he was playing for Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship in the spring of 1996.

   Koivun settled for a positively pedestrian 5-under 67 in the final round, his 25-under total breaking the program record at Auburn for 54 holes by a whopping seven shots.

   Koivun spent a weekend in December in Jupiter, Fla. in a practice session for candidates for the U.S. Walker Cup team that will take on Great Britain & Ireland at Lahinch Golf Club in Ireland in September.

   He helped the U.S. claim a closer-than-it-looks 17-9 victory over GB&I in a Walker Cup Match last September at the iconic Cypress Point Club on northern California’s Monterey Peninsula.

   The normally biennial competition will come right back in 2026 in order to align the Walker Cup and the Curtis Cup, its female counterpart, together in even years.

   Koivun will be on the U.S. team unless he turns pro between now and then, although he certainly seems committed to trying to help Auburn claim a second NCAA crown in three years to go along with the one they won in 2024 at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa.

   Those of us in the Philadelphia area are selfishly hoping we get to see Koivun tee it up in the U.S. Amateur at Merion Golf Club’s historic East Course in August.

   The Tigers were No. 1 in the Scoreboard, powered by clppd, rankings for most of the wraparound 2024-2025 college season. They put up a spirited defense of their title before falling to Virginia in the quarterfinals of last spring’s NCAA Championship back at La Costa.

   Auburn entered the Amer Ari at No. 5 in the current Scoreboard rankings and its performance at Mauni Lani shouldn’t do anything to hurt its lofty ranking.

   Koivun’s closest pursuer was Auburn teammate Cayden Pope, a junior from Lexington, Ky. and No. 77 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) who had a pretty good week at Mauna Lani himself, settling for runnerup honors with a 20-under 196 total.

   After opening with a sparkling 7-under 65, Pope added a 4-under 68 in Friday’s second round before closing with a sizzling 9-under 63, even managing to beat Koivun by four shots for co-low-Tiger honors for the day.

   Texas, No. 6 in the Scoreboard rankings, set program records for 54 holes in scoring at 800 and relation to par, 64-under, but walked away with runnerup honors, the Longhorns ending up 13 shots behind a rampaging Auburn.

   Texas found itself 13 shots behind Auburn despite an opening round of 19-under 269 and gained some ground on the Tigers with a sizzling 24-under 264 in Friday’s second round. But again, despite a strong finishing kick with a 21-under 267, Texas couldn’t catch up with Auburn.

   Texas was led by Luke Potter, a senior from Encinitas, Calif. and No. 33 in the WAGR who finished in fourth place with an 18-under 298 total.

   Potter only trailed Koivun by a shot after opening with a sizzling 9-under 63 of his own. He added a 7-under 65 in Friday’s second round before closing with a 70.

   Two of Koivun’s fellow Longhorns, Tommy Morrison, a senior from Dallas, Texas and No. 10 in the WAGR, and Christiaan Maas, a senior from South Africa and No. 4 in the WAGR – a couple of bombers -- surged into the top 10 in the individual standings with strong finishes that left them among a foursome tied for eighth place at 16-under 200.

   Morrison added a 5-under 67 in Friday’s second round to his opening-round 69 before closing with a sizzling 64. Maas added a 6-under 66 in Friday’s second round to his opening-round 69 before finishing strong with a 65 to join his teammate at 16-under.

   In its first year in the SEC in 2024-’25, Texas, like Auburn, earned a spot in the match-play bracket in the NCAA Championship at La Costa last spring, falling to SEC rival Florida in the quarterfinals.

   Arizona State, No. 7 in the Scoreboard rankings, was another six shots behind Texas in third place with a 58-under 806 total.

   The Sun Devils, a runnerup in its first season in the Big 12 last spring, got off to a great start with a 23-under 265 and was only five shots behind Auburn after another strong showing in Friday’s second round with a 19-under 269. Arizona State closed with a 16-under 272.

   The Sun Devils were led by Michael Mjaaseth, a senior from Norway and No. 18 in the WAGR as he finished a shot behind Pope in third place in the individual standings with a 19-under 197 total.

   Mjaaseth was nearly as good as Koivun in the first two rounds with back-to-back 9-under 63s that left him just two shots behind the eventual champion going into the final round. Mjaaseth closed with a 1-under 71 to get it to 19-under.

   Like the top two finishers in the Amer Ari, Arizona State earned a spot in the match-play bracket in the NCAA Championship at La Costa last spring, the Sun Devils suffering a quarterfinal setback at the hands of Mississippi.

   Another Big 12 representative, Texas Tech, No. 16 in the Scoreboard rankings, finished in fourth place, a shot behind Arizona State with a 57-under 807 total.

   The Red Raiders opened with a sparkling 21-under 267 and added a 14-under 274 in Friday’s second round before closing with a 22-under 266.

   Texas Tech was led by Adam Bresnu, a junior from Morocco and No. 54 in the WAGR who finished in a tie for fifth place in the individual standings with Washington’s Jacob Goode, a senior from San Francisco, Calif., and Oregon State’s Nguyen Anh Minh, a freshman from Vietnam, as they all landed on 17-under 199.

   After opening with a sparkling 7-under 65, Bresnu recorded back-to-back 67s in the final two rounds.

   Texas Tech earned a trip to the NCAA Championship last spring by finishing in fifth place as a four seed in the Urbana Regional. The Red Raiders were in the hunt for a spot in the match-play bracket at La Costa, but came up short in the final round.

   Stanford, in its second year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, finished a shot behind Texas Tech in fifth place with a 56-under 808 total. The Cardinal, No. 35 in the Scoreboard rankings, opened with a sizzling 27-under 261 and added a 17-under 271 in Friday’s second rojnd before closing with a 12-under 276.

   Stanford was led by Nathan Wang, a senior from Fremont, Calif. who finished in the four-way tie for eighth place with Morrison and Maas of Texas and Pepperdine’s Mahantha Chirravuri, a senior from Chandler, Ariz. and No. 20 in the WAGR, at 16-under.

   Wang got off to a great start with a sparkling 7-under 65 and added a 68 in Friday’s second round before closing with a 67.

   Stanford failed to advance to the NCAA Championship out of the Amherst Regional as a seven seed last spring.

   It was four more shots back to the reigning national champion, Oklahoma State, in sixth place in the 20-team field with a 52-under 812 total.

   The Cowboys, the Big 12 champion and No. 11 in the Scoreboard rankings, opened with a 21-under 267, dropped back a little with an 11-under 277 in Friday’s second round and closed with a 20-under 268.

   Backing up Koivun and Pope for Auburn was the pair of Jake Albert, a freshman from Blacksburg, Va., and Billy Davis, a sophomore from Spring Valley, Calif., as they finished among the group tied for 20^th place at 13-under 203.

   Albert opened with a sizzling 8-under 64 and added a 70 in Friday’s second round before closing with a 69. After opening with a solid 5-under 67, Davis, the twin brother of Anna Davis, a standout on the Auburn women’s team, struggled a little with a 1-over 73 in Friday’s second round before finishing with a flourish, matching Pope for low Tiger in the final round with a spectacular 9-under 63.

   Rounding out the Auburn lineup was Josiah Gilbert, a junior from Millbrook, Ala. and No. 9 in the WAGR who finished among the group tied for 24^th place with a 12-under 204 total. Gilbert sandwiched a 2-over 74 in Friday’s second round with a pair of 7-under 65s.

   Nick Clinard, who ran his career total of tournament wins as Auburn head coach to 61, brought along Logan Reilly, a freshman from Lovettsville, Va., to compete as an individual and Reilly was solid, closing with a 6-under 66 to finish in a tie for 31^st place with an 11-under 205 total.

   Reilly had opened with a 3-under 69 before adding a 70 in Friday’s second round.

   Washington’s Goode and Oregon State’s Anh Minh each had three rounds in the 60s, but could do no better than get a share of fifth place with Texas’ Potter at 17-under.

   Goode opened with a sparkling 7-under 65 and added a 66 in Friday’s second round before “cooling off” with a final-round 68. Anh Minh also got off to a hot start with a sizzling 8-under 64 and added a 68 in Friday’s second round before closing with a 67.

   It was the second tournament of the spring campaign for Pepperdine’s Chirravuri as he had helped the Waves, a perennial West Coast Conference power, capture the team title in last month’s Southwestern Invitational at the North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, Calif.

   Chirravuri actually had the lead following the opening round as he did Koivun one better with a spectacular 11-under 61. He backed off with a 2-under 70 in Friday’s second round before closing with a 70 to join Texas’ Morrison and Maas and Stanford’s Wang in the tie for eighth place at 16-under.

   Pepperdine, No. 4 in the Scoreboard rankings, finished seven shots behind Oklahoma State in seventh place in the team standings with a 45-under 819 total.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lee, Ly lead the way as UCLA beats a loaded field to claim team crown in Therese Hession Regional Challenge

 

   Teams from all over the country gathered for the Therese Hession Regional Challenge this week, the tournament hosted by Ohio State and named for its legendary former head coach at the Palos Verdes Golf Club in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.

   For UCLA, however, it was just a quick trip down the 405, 25 miles or so from its campus in downtown Los Angeles.

   It probably helped that Southern California has been enjoying a quiet winter while big parts of the rest of the country have been shivering through the coldest winter in recent memory. Heck, they had to cancel the final round of the LPGA Tour’s season opener Sunday because it was too cold to play golf in Orlando, Fla.

   But give credit to the talented group that UCLA’s third-year head coach Alicia Um Holmes has put together. This was a loaded field and the Bruins were the only ones to finish under par in the team standings and bested that field by 11 shots.

   UCLA’s Jenny Lee, a sophomore from South Korea, lost in a playoff to Texas’ Farah O’Keefe, a junior home girl from Austin, Texas and No. 8 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), for the individual title after both finished with a 5-under-par 208 total over the 6,017-yard, par-71 Palos Verdes layout.

   But Lee and Kacey Ly, a freshman from Temple City, Calif. who finished alone in fourth place with a 3-under 210 total, led the way as UCLA, in its second year as a member of the Big Ten’s West Wing, captured the team crown in the Therese Hession, which wrapped up Tuesday.

   UCLA, which jumped from No. 23 to No. 11 in the latest Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings in the aftermath of its victory in the Therese Hession, opened with a 2-under 282 and matched par in Monday’s second round with a 284 to take an eight-shot lead over Florida, a Southeastern Conference power, into the final round.

   The Bruins closed with a 6-under 278, the best team round of the tournament, to finish with an 8-under 844 total that was 11 shots clear of Texas, another SEC representative.

   UCLA was a non-factor in its debut in the Big Ten Championship last spring in unfamiliar surroundings at Bulle Rock Golf Course in Havre de Grace, Md. But the Bruins were seeded fifth in the Charlottesville Regional and finished in fifth place to earn a trip back to Cali to play in the NCAA Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.

   Lee seemed right at home over the Palos Verdes layout, carding back-to-back 2-under 69s in the first two rounds to take a one-shot lead over O’Keefe into the final round. Lee closed with a 1-under 70 to get it to 5-under.

   O’Keefe was fresh from a practice session for candidates for the United States Curtis Cup team at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, which will host the tradition-rich event which pits the U.S. against top amateurs from Great Britain & Ireland in June.

   O’Keefe was also a member of the U.S. team that hoisted the Espirito Santo Trophy that goes to the winner of the World Amateur Team Championship as the Red, White & Blue prevailed in a tiebreaker after finishing in a tie with Spain and South Korea in October in Singapore.

   After matching par in the opening round at Palos Verdes with a 71, O’Keefe posted a 3-under 68 that enabled her to creep within a shot of Lee going into the final round. O’Keefe caught Lee at 5-under with a final round of 2-under 69 and then claimed the individual title, the second of her career, in a playoff.

   Texas’ Cindy Hsu, a senior from Taiwan, was just a shot behind Lee and O’Keefe in third place with a 4-under 209 total. Hsu matched par in each of the first two rounds with back-to-back 71s before closing with a 4-under 67, matching the low individual round of the tournament.

   Lauren Kim, a junior from Canada and No. 18 in the Women’s WAGR, gave the Longhorns three finishers in the top five as she ended up in fifth place, a shot behind UCLA’s Ly with a 2-under 214 total. Kim matched par in Monday’s second round with a 71 after opening with a 1-over 72 and closed with a solid 3-under 68.

   Texas, which moved up two spots from No. 11 to No. 9 in the Scoreboard rankings with its runnerup finish at Palos Verdes, opened with a 6-over 290 and added a 2-over 286 in Monday’s second round before finishing with a flourish, a 5-under 279 in the final round that gave the Longhorns a runnerup finish with a 3-over 855 total.

   Texas earned a spot in the match-play bracket in the NCAA Championship at La Costa last spring before falling to Big Ten champion Oregon in the quarterfinals.

   Texas A&M improved from No. 7 to No. 5 in the Scoreboard ranking as the Aggies finished six shots behind their SEC and ancient in-state rival Texas in third place with a 9-over 861 total.

   The Aggies opened with a 2-over 286 and added a 7-over 291 in Monday’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 284.

   Texas A&M was led by Brynn Kort, a freshman from Kingman, Ariz. who finished in a tie for sixth place with Florida’s Siuue Wu, a sophomore from Hong Kong, each landing on 1-under 212.

   Kort opened with a sparkling 3-under 68 and struggled a little in Monday’s second round with a 4-over 75 before closing with a solid 2-under 69.

   It was an excruciating finish to the wraparound 2024-2025 season for the Aggies last spring as they lost in a playoff to Purdue for the final berth to the NCAA Championship out of the Lubbock Regional. Texas A&M was the four seed in Lubbock.

   Florida, coming off a victory in its spring opener at the Sea Best Intercollegiate in chilly Jacksonville, Fla. last week, continued its strong play as the Gators, runnerup in the SEC last spring, finished in fourth place, three shots behind Texas A&M with a 12-over 864 total.

   Florida had added a solid 2-under 282 in Monday’s second round to its opening round of 8-over 292 and was UCLA’s closest pursuer going into the final round at 6-over. The Gators closed with a 6-over 290.

   Coming into the Therese Hession ranked No. 6 in the Scoreboard rankings, Florida retained its No. 6 spot after its fourth-place finish.

   Florida was led by Wu, who, after opening with a 3-over 74, tallied back-to-back 2-under 69s to join Texas A&M’s Kort in a tie for sixth place at 1-under.

   Florida earned a spot in the field for the NCAA Championship at La Costa last spring by finishing in a tie for third place as a four seed in the Charlottesville Regional, but never got in the mix for a berth in the match-play bracket.

   Oregon, which claimed the team crown in its first try in the Big Ten Championship at Bulle Rock last spring, finished a shot behind Florida in fifth place with a 13-over 865 total.

   The Ducks, who maintained their No. 3 spot in the Scoreboard rankings with their fifth-place finish in the Therese Hession, got off to a slow start with a 10-over 294 and added a 4-over 288 in Monday’s second round before finishing up with a solid 1-under 283.

   Oregon marched all the way to the semifinals of the NCAA Championship at La Costa last spring before falling to eventual champion Northwestern in a tight match.

   A third member of the Big Ten’s West Wing, Southern California, and reigning SEC champion South Carolina finished in a tie for sixth place in the 16-team field as each ended up four shots behind Oregon with a 17-over 869 total.

   Southern Cal, which maintained its lofty No. 2 spot in the Scoreboard rankings following its showing in the Therese Hession, struggled in the opening round with a 303, but quickly found its footing with back-to-back 1-under 283s in the final t wo rounds.

   The Trojans earned a spot in the match-play bracket – as they always seem to do – in last spring’s NCAA Championship at La Costa before falling to a really strong Florida State team in the quarterfinals.

   South Carolina, which dropped a spot in the Scoreboard rankings from No. 18 to No. 19 following the Therese Hession, came on strong in the final round with a 5-under 279. The Gamecocks got off to a slow start, opening with a 12-over 296 and adding a 10-over 294 in Monday’s second round.

   South Carolina was led by Vairana Heck, a junior from France who finished in a tie for ninth place in the individual standings with Texas A&M’s Vanessa Borovilos, a sophomore from Canada and No. 33 in the Women’s WAGR, and Kansas’ Kinslea Jones, a precocious freshman from Wichita, Kan. competing as an individual, as they all landed on 1-over 214.

   Heck posted back-to-back 2-over 73s in the first two rounds before finishing up strong with a 3-under 68 that sparked the Gamecocks’ final-round surge.

   After rolling to the team title as the top seed in the Charlottesville Regional in the final act of the Hannah Darling-Louise Rydqvist era at South Carolina, the Gamecocks finished two shots out of a spot in the match-play bracket in the NCAA Championship at La Costa.

   Backing up Lee for UCLA at Palos Verdes was a really impressive showing from the freshman Ly, who finished alone in fourth place with a 3-under 210 total. After struggling a little with a 3-under 74 in the opening round, Ly carded a solid 2-under 69 in Monday’s second round and was the low Bruin in the final round with a sparkling 4-under 67 that matched the low individual round of the tournament.

   UCLA also got a strong showing from Angela Liu, a sophomore from Irvine, Calif. who finished among the trio tied for 12^th place at 2-over 215. After matching par in the opening round with a 71, Liu registered a solid 2-under 69 in Monday’s second round before closing with a 4-over 75.

   Meghan Royal of Carlsbad, Calif. is the senior leader for this young group of Bruins and she finished in a tie for 15^th place, closing with a solid 3-under 68 to join the group at 3-over 216. Royal matched par in the opening round with a 71 before struggling a little with a 6-over 77 in Monday’s second round.

   As a sophomore, Royal won two matches on quarterfinal/semifinal day when the NCAA Championship was played at La Costa in her home town of Carlsbad for the first time to help send the Bruins to the Final Match, where they fell to Stanford in an appropriate curtain drop on Pac-12 golf.

   Rounding out the UCLA lineup was GaEun Athena Yoo, a freshman from Alpharetta, Ga. who finished in the group tied for 43^rd place with a 9-over 222 total. Athena Yoo matched par with a counting 71 in the opening round and added a 7-over 78 in Monday’s second round before closing with a 73.

   Um Holmes, the UCLA head coach, brought along Jennifer Seo, a junior from Chandler, Ariz., to compete as an individual and Seo closed with a solid 2-under 69 to climb into the group tied for 53^rd place at 224. Seo opened with a 7-over 78 before adding a 77 in Monday’s second round.

   A couple of strong showings from a pair of players from the Big 12’s Kansas. In addition to the freshman Jones, competing as an individual, getting a share of ninth place at 1-over, Ebba Nordstedt, a sophomore from Sweden, did her teammate one better as she finished alone in eighth place at even-par 216.

   After opening with a 1-over 72, Nordstedt posted a 2-over 73 in Monday’s second round before closing with a sparkling 3-under 68.

   Jones had grabbed the individual lead with an opening round of 4-under 67, matching the low round of the tournament. She added a 3-over 74 in Monday’s second round before closing with a 73. Made a pretty strong case for a spot in the starting five for the Jayhawks.’

   Borovilos gave Texas A&M a second finisher in the top 10 as she opened with a solid 2-under 69 and added a 3-over 74 in Monday’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 71 to join Kansas’ Jones and South Carolina’s Heck in the tie for ninth place at 2-over.

   All those players who landed in the top 10 could boast that they finished ahead of some seriously talented players.

   Case in point was Oregon junior Kiara Romero, the No. 1 player in the Women’s WAGR from San Jose, Calif. who was co-low Duck, finishing among the group tied for 15^th place at 3-over 216.

   Romero was typically steady, opening with a 2-over 73 and matching par in Monday’s second round with a 71 before closing with a 72.

   Tough start to the spring for host Ohio State under head coach Lisa Strom, the Pennsylvania high school champion in 1994 as a senior at Lansdale Catholic.

   The Buckeyes, playing out of the Big Ten, finished in 12^th place with a 32-over 884 total. Such was the quality of the Therese Hession field, though, that Ohio State improved from No. 49 to No. 45 in the Scoreboard rankings.

   Nellie Ong, a sophomore from England and No. 80 in the Women’s WAGR led the way for Ohio State as she finished among the group tied for 27^th place with a 6-over 219 total. Ong struggled in the opening round with a 6-over 77, but bounced back with a 2-over 73 in Monday’s second round and finished strong with a solid 2-under 69.

   Kary Hollenbaugh, a senior from New Albany, Ohio and No. 49 in the Women’s WAGR, couldn’t quite muster the magic of a year ago when she captured the individual title in the Therese Hession, a special achievement for an Ohio State player in the event named for the Buckeyes’ trailblazing head coach.

   After a couple of solid 1-over 72s in the first two rounds, Hollenbaugh struggled in the final round with a 77 to finish in a tie for 41^st place at 8-over 221 total.

   Still, Hollenbaugh was up the coast with O’Keefe and Romero and the rest of the best American amateur golfers at Bel-Air auditioning for a spot on the U.S. Curtis Cup team  couple of weeks ago.

   And earlier in January, Hollenbaugh earned a runnerup finish in the South Atlantic Women’s Amateur Championship – The Sally for short – at Oceanside Country Club in Ormond Beach, Fla. in her bid to capture the title in the venerable stop on the old Orange Blossom Tour for a third straight time.