Jin sparks Oklahoma State's surge to top spot after two rounds of NCAA Championship at Grayhawk

    With Bo Jin, a freshman from China and No. 56 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) leading the way, Big 12 champion Oklahoma State, No. 3 in the latest Golfstat rankings, took over the team lead following the second round of the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. Saturday.

   Jin, the runnerup in the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, fired a sparkling 5-under-par 65 over the 7,289-yard, par-70 layout, to take a three-shot lead in the individual standings.

   That helped the Cowboys, winners of the Stillwater Regional on their home course at the Karsten Creek Golf Club, post the best team round of the tournament, a 6-under 274, which, combined with their opening round of even-par 280, gave them a 6-under 554 total.

   Oklahoma State will not be surprised in the least to see its cross-state and Big 12 rival Oklahoma, the No. 1 team in the country, in second place, five shots behind the Cowboys. The Sooners added a 1-under 279 to their opening round of even-par 280 for a 1-under 559 total. Oklahoma State and Oklahoma are the only two teams under par through two rounds.

   No. 10 Arizona State, out of the Pac-12, was three shots behind Oklahoma in third place at 2-over 562 as the Sun Devils carded a solid 2-under 278 after opening with a 4-over 284. West Coast Conference power Pepperdine, ranked ninth, added a 6-over 286 to its opening-round 289 and was in fourth place at 5-over 565, three shots behind Arizona State.

   Big Ten champion Illinois, ranked eighth, and No. 6 North Carolina, out of the Atlantic Coast Conference, moved into a tie for fifth place at 6-over 566 with strong second-round showings. The Fighting Illini carded a 1-under 279 after opening with a 7-over 287. The Tar Heels registered a 2-under 278 after an opening round of 8-over 288.

   Southland Conference champion Sam Houston, ranked 31^st, was four shots behind Illinois and North Carolina in seventh place as the BearKats, who got off to a fast start with a 2-under 278 in the opening round, added a 12-over 292 and stood at 10-over 570.

   Two more ACC powers, conference champion Clemson, ranked fourth, and No. 7 Wake Forest shared eighth place, each landing on 11-over 571, a shot behind Sam Houston.

   The Tigers, who would like nothing more than to send retiring head coach Larry Penley out with the second national championship of his 38-year tenure, added a 4-over 284 to their opening round of 287. The Demon Deacons were right there with Clemson, matching the Tigers’ 4-over 284 in Saturday’s second round after also opening with a 287.

   Rounding out the top 10 was Southeastern Conference champion Vanderbilt, which was two shots behind Clemson and Wake Forest in 10^th place with a 13-over 573 total. The Commodores matched par in Saturday’s second round with a 280 after opening with a 293.

   There will be a cut following Sunday’s third round to the top 15 teams and the top nine individuals not playing for an advancing team. An individual national champion will be crowned Monday with the top eight teams advancing to match play, which gets under way Tuesday.

   Backing up Jin for Oklahoma State was Eugenio Chacarra, a sophomore from Spain and No. 29 in the WAGR who fired a 1-under 69 to end up in the group tied for 11^th place at 1-under 139. Chacarra had matched par in the opening round with a 70. Brian Stark, a freshman from Kingsburg, Calif., added a 1-over 71 to his opening-round 70 and was in the group tied for 19^th place at 1-over 141.

   Austin Eckroat, a junior from Edmond, Okla. and No. 12 in the WAGR, contributed a 1-under 69 to the Cowboys’ second-round surge after opening with a 74 and was among the group tied for 33^rd place at 3-over 143. Eckroat was a member of the winning U.S. team in the Walker Cup Match earlier this month at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Fla.

   Rounding out the Oklahoma State lineup was Aman Gupta, a sophomore from Concord, N.C. who carded a second straight 3-over 73 and landed in the group tied for 71^st place at 6-over 146. Gupta made a run to the semifinals of last summer’s U.S. Amateur at the Bandon Dunes Resort.

   Arizona State’s Ryggs Johnson, a sophomore from Libby, Mont. and No. 91 in the WAGR, and Clemson’s Turk Pettit, a senior from Auburn, Ala., were tied for second place in the individual chase, three shots behind Jin at 5-under 135.

   Johnston erupted for the best round of the weekend, a 7-under 63 that included nine birdies and two bogeys. Starting off the 10^th tee, Johnston twice birdied three holes in a row on Grayhawk’s incoming nine at the 10^th, 11^th and 12^th holes and again at 15, 16 and 17. Pettit added a 3-under 67 to his opening-round 68.

   Oregon State’s Carson Barry, a junior from Eagle, Idaho, also carded a 3-under 67 after opening with a 69 and was alone in fourth place at 4-under 136.

   A pair of Oklahoma Sooners, Quade Cummins, a redshirt senior from Weatherford, Okla. and No. 16 in the WAGR, and Jonathan Brightwell, a redshirt senior from Charlotte, N.C., shared fifth place, each landing on 3-under 137.

   Cummins, another member of the winning U.S. side in the Walker Cup Match at Seminole, added a 2-under 68 to his opening-round 69. Brightwell, who finished in a tie for second place in the Albuquerque Regional, carded a solid 1-under 69 after opening with a 68.

   Texas’ Travis Vick, a sophomore from Houston and No. 59 in the WAGR, headed a group of four players tied for seventh place at 2-under 138 as he matched par with a 70 after opening with a 68.

   The Longhorns enter Sunday’s third round in 19^th place in the team standings with a 24-over 584 total and need a solid round just to survive the cut to the top 15. Pierceson Coody, a junior from Plano, Texas and No. 3 in the WAGR, was not in the lineup for Saturday’s second round. Not sure what was up with that, but the Longhorns will have to pick it up to get into the top eight for match play.

   Joining Vick in the group tied for seventh place at 138 were Illinois’ Jerry Ji, a sophomore from the Netherlands, Pepperdine’s Joey Vrzich, a senior from El Cajon, Calif., and Sam Houston’s William Holcomb, a senior from Crockett, Texas and No. 83 in the WAGR.

   Ji added a 2-under 68 to his opening-round 70. Vrzich carded a second straight 69. Holcomb, who made a tremendous run to the semifinals of the 2019 U.S. Amateur at the Pinehurst Resort, registered a 1-over 71 after opening with a 3-under 67.

   ASUN champion Liberty struggled to a 300 after opening with a 295 and were tied for 27^th place at 35-over 595. Flames junior Zach Barbin, winner of a pair of Golf Association of Philadelphia major championships last summer, the BMW Philadelphia Amateur and the Patterson Cup, added a 5-over 75 to his opening-round 79 and was in the group tied for 138^th place at 14-over 154. Barbin is a member of the golfing Barbin family of Elkton, Md.