Bacha, Auburn edge SEC rival Vanderbilt by a shot to claim Auburn Regional team title on its home course

   Auburn came up seven shots short of a berth in the match-play bracket in a tie for 10^th place in the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. a year ago.

   After edging Southeastern Conference rival Vanderbilt, No. 1 in the latest Golfstat rankings, by a shot to capture the team crown in the Auburn Regional, which wrapped up Wednesday on its home course, the Tigers will head back to Grayhawk with some serious momentum.

   Auburn moved up a spot in the Golfstat rankings from No. 13 to No. 12 after matching par in the final round with a 288 over the Auburn University Club for a 1-under 863 total. Auburn, the third seed, had jumped into the lead with its best round of the week, a 5-under 283, in Tuesday’s second round.

   The victory for the Tigers had a little extra meaning since it came over top-seeded Vanderbilt. Nobody has to tell Auburn how tough Vanderbilt is and the Commodores closed with a 4-under 284 over the 7,560-yard, par-72 Auburn University layout to finish a shot behind the Tigers with an even-par 864 total.

   Vanderbilt reached the semifinals at Grayhawk a year ago before falling to eventual champion Texas. The Commodores will have only one goal in mind when they return to Scottsdale next week.

   Southern Conference representative Chattanooga outperformed its No. 8 seed as the Moccasins closed with a 2-over 290 to finish two shots behind Vanderbilt in third place with a 2-over 866 total. Chattanooga moved up from No. 48 to No. 41 in the Golfstat rankings following its showing in Auburn.

   It was another six shots back to the Big Ten’s Ohio State as the Buckeyes, behind individual co-medalist Maxwell Moldovan, a junior from Uniontown, Ohio and No. 29 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), finished in fourth place after closing with a solid 3-under 285 for an 8-over 872 total.

   Moldovan finished up with a second straight 3-under 69 after opening with a 1-under 71 as he got a share of medalist honors with Colorado State’s Christoph Bleier, a sophomore from Austria, each landing on 7-under 209.

   Ohio State, seeded fifth in the Auburn Regional, moved up from No. 25 to No. 23 in the Golfstat rankings following its solid showing.

   Bleier’s performance enabled Colorado State, the fourth-seeded Mountain West Conference champion, to grab the final ticket to the NCAA Championship out of the Auburn Regional as the Rams closed with an 8-over 296 to finish in fifth place with a 10-over 874 total.

   Colorado State moved up from No. 24 to No. 22 in the Golfstat rankings following its performance at Auburn.

   Auburn was led by Brendan Valdes, a sophomore from Orlando, Fla. who finished alone in sixth place with a 3-under 213 total. Valdes was just two shots out of the lead after adding a 3-under 69 to his opening-round 70 before finishing up with a 2-over 74.

   J.M. Butler, a junior from Louisville, Ky., matched par in the final round with a 72 as he finished in the group tied for 10^th place with an even-par 216 total. I’m guessing the John Marshall Butler at No. 51 in the WAGR and J.M. Butler are one and the same.

   Junior Carson Bacha, the PIAA Class AAA champion in 2019 as a senior at Central York and No. 90 in the WAGR, and Alex Vogelsong, a senior from Palm City, Fla., gave Auburn four finishers inside the top 13 as they both landed in the group tied for 13^th place at 1-over 217.

   Bacha’s not the biggest guy, but he has been really solid for the Tigers each of the last two seasons. He matched par for the second straight day in Wednesday’s final round to get it to 1-over. Vogelsong closed with a solid 2-under 70.

   Rounding out the Auburn lineup was Reed Lotter, a freshman from Savannah, Ga., closed with a 3-over 75 to finish in a tie for 26^th place with a 6-over 222 total.

   Bleier’s Colorado State teammate, Connor Jones, a senior from Westminster, Colo., carded a second straight 2-under 70 in the final round to finish alone in third place in the individual standings with a 5-under 211 total.

   Indiana’s Drew Salyers, a junior from Howard, Ohio, gave the Big Ten another representative at Grayhawk as he matched par in the final round with a 72 to finish in a tie for fourth place with Chattanooga’s John Houk, a junior from Etowah, Tenn., at 4-under 212, giving Salyers the lone berth to nationals that goes to the low individual from a non-advancing team.

   Houk, who was just two shots off Bleier’s pace going into the final round, closed with a 1-over 73.

   Houk’s Chattanooga teammate, sophomore Garrett Engle, a Central Dauphin product, struggled in the final round with a 6-over 78, but still finished in the group tied for 23^rd place with a 5-over 221 total. Engle never played in the PIAA postseason while he was at Central Dauphin and transferred to Chattanooga after starting his college career at Oklahoma.

   Ohio State got a strong showing from graduate student Neal Shipley, winner of last summer’s Pennsylvania Amateur Championship at Llanerch Country Club. Shipley, a member of Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s 2018 PIAA Class AAA championship team, struggled a little in the final round with a 4-over 76 to end up in the group tied for 13^th place with a 1-over 217 total.

   In the Bath Regional, Georgia, another SEC power, closed with a solid 1-under 283, to claim the team crown with a 29-under 823 total that was five shots better than Big Ten champion Illinois, No. 3 in the Golfstat rankings and the top seed.

   The Bulldogs went wire to wire, taking command in Tuesday’s second round at the Eagle Eye Golf Club with a 10-under 274 after they had opened with a sizzling 18-under 266.

   Georgia got a 1-2 finish from Ben van Wyk, a senior from South Africa who claimed the individual regional crown, and Caleb Manuel, a junior from Topsham, Maine who shared second place with Illinois’ Adrien Dumont de Chassart, a fifth-year player from Belgium and No. 12 in the WAGR, and Kansas State’s Luke O’Neill, a junior from Ireland.

   Van Wyk took a three-shot lead into the final round after adding a 3-under 68 over the 7,090-yard, par-71 Eagle Eye layout in Tuesday’s second round to his sizzling opening-round 65. He closed with a 2-under 70 to finish three shots clear of the field with a 10-under 203 total.

   Manuel was only a shot behind his teammate van Wyk entering the final round after Manuel added a 4-under 68 in Tuesday’s second round to his sparkling opening-round 66. Manuel matched par in the final round to get a share of second place with a 7-under 206 total.

   Georgia entered the Bath Regional at No. 34 in the Golfstat rankings and its victory vaulted the Bulldogs into the top 25 at No. 25 heading to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk. It is Georgia’s 25^th trip to the NCAA Championship since the regional format was adopted in the 1988-’89 season. The Bulldogs have advanced to nationals 22 times in veteran head coach Chris Hack’s 26 years at the helm.

   Illinois, behind Dumont de Chassart, closed with a solid 3-under 281 to earn runnerup honors with a 21-under 831 total. Dumont de Chassart finished up with a 4-under 68 to land in the tie for second place at 7-under.

   The Pac-12’s Oregon, seeded fourth, closed with a 1-over 285 to finish in third place a 14-under 838 total, seven shots behind Illinois. The Ducks moved up from No. 22 in the Golfstat rankings to No. 19 with its strong showing in South Carolina.

   SEC champion Florida, the second seed, made a big move in the final round with the best round of the day, an 8-under 276, to punch its ticket to Grayhawk as the Gators finished in fourth place, two shots behind Oregon with a 12-under 840 total. Florida moved up a spot in the Golfstat rankings from No. 10 to No. 9 following the Bath Regional.

   Big 12 power Texas will be back at Grayhawk to defend the national championship it won a year ago as the Longhorns, seeded third, closed with a 2-over 286 to finish two shots behind Florida in fifth place with a 10-under 842 total.

   Texas dropped a couple of spots in the Golfstat rankings from No. 15 to No. 17 following its performance in the Bath Regional.

   Backing up van Wyk and Manuel for Georgia was Maxwell Ford, a sophomore from Peachtree Corners, Ga. and No. 84 in the WAGR, as he finished in the group tied for 11^th place with a 4-under 209 total. Ford contributed a 6-under 65 to the Bulldogs’ solid showing in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 2-over 73.

   Buck Brumlow, a sophomore from Cartersville, Ga., was the low Bulldog in Wednesday’s final round with a 3-under 69 to finish in a tie for 18^th place with a 2-under 211 total.

   Rounding out the Georgia lineup was Connor Creasy, a senior from Abingdon, Va.  who finished among the group tied for 20^th place with a 1-under 212 total.

   Kansas State’s O’Neill closed with his second straight 3-under 69 to get his share of second place at 7-under and earn the individual berth to the NCAA Championship.

   Notre Dame senior Palmer Jackson, the PIAA Class AAA champion in 2018 as a senior at Franklin Regional and No. 76 in the WAGR, competed as an individual in the Bath Regional and finished in the group tied for 20^th place with a 1-under 212 total after closing with a 3-over 74. Jackson’s best round was Tuesday’s second round as he carded a solid 3-under 68.

   ASUN champion Liberty, which was seeded seventh, finished in eighth place with a 3-over 855 total and failed to advance to the NCAA Championship.

   Norristown’s Josh Ryan capped a solid freshman season at Liberty with a 2-under 69 to finish in the group tied for 35^th place with a 3-over 216 total. Ryan won his third straight Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Junior Boys’ Championship title last summer at Bala Golf Club and was GAP’s Junior Player of the Year in 2022.

   Senior Austin Barbin of the golfing Barbin family of Elkton, Md., matched par in the final round with a 71 for the Flames to finish in the group tied for 68^th place with a 226 total. Barbin won the GAP Junior Boys title and was GAP’s Junior Player of the Year in 2019.

   In the Las Vegas Regional, Arizona State edged Pac-12 rival Stanford by two shots in a spectacular shootout in the desert.

   Stanford, the second seed, beat the Sun Devils, ranked fourth and the top seed at Bear’s Best Las Vegas, on the Cardinal’s home course, the Stanford Golf Course, for the Pac-12 Championship last month.

   Arizona State closed with a sizzling 21-under 267 in Wednesday’s final round over the 7,217-yard, par-72 Bear’s Best layout for an eye-popping 59-under 805 total to beat Stanford by two shots for the regional crown.

   The rubber match at Grayhawk, a few miles from Arizona State’s campus, in the NCAA Championship should be a doozy. If these two were to meet in match play, it would be nothing short of epic.

   The Sun Devils were led by sophomore Preston Summerhays, of Scottsdale’s golfing Summerhays family and No. 32 in the WAGR. Summerhays, winner of the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, closed with a 7-under 65 to finish with a 19-under 197 total, a shot behind the co-medalists, Virginia’s Ben James, a freshman from Milford, Conn. and No. 11 in the WAGR, and San Francisco’s Matthew Anderson, a graduate student from Canada.

   Stanford had taken a four-shot lead into the final round after the Cardinal registered a sizzling 22-under 266 in Tuesday’s second. The Cardinal closed with a 15-under 273 to end up two shots behind Arizona State with a 57-under 807 total, fairly remarkable in its own right.

   Stanford moved up two spots in the Golfstat rankings from No. 8 to No. 6 off its stellar performance in Las Vegas.

   The ACC’s Virginia, behind James, closed with a 16-under 272 to finish eight shots behind Stanford in third place with a 49-under 815 total. The Cavaliers, ranked 16^th, was seeded third in Las Vegas.

   The West Coast Conference’s San Francisco, behind Anderson, outperformed its No. 8 seed as the Dons closed with a 14-under 274 for a 45-under 819 total that left them in fourth place, four shots behind Virginia. San Francisco improved by five spots in the Golfstat rankings, from No. 45 to No. 40 with its solid showing in Las Vegas.

   Anderson sandwiched a sizzling 8-under 64 in Tuesday’s second round with a pair of 6-under 66s to join James at 20-under and get his share of medalist honors.

   Southern Conference champion East Tennessee State, the sixth seed, defeated Northwestern, out of the Big Ten, in a playoff to claim the fifth and final berth to the NCAA Championship out of the Las Vegas Regional after both teams landed on 43-under 821 totals.

   The Buccaneers closed with a 14-under 274 that enabled them to catch the Wildcats, who were seeded fifth. East Tennessee State dropped two spots in the Golfstat rankings from No. 33 to No. 35 in the aftermath of the Las Vegas Regional while Northwestern fell from No. 28 to No. 32.

   Backing up Summerhays for Arizona State was Josele Luis Ballester, a sophomore from Spain and No. 47 in the WAGR who closed with a 5-under 67 to finish among the group tied for fifth place with a 15-under 201 total.

   Michael Mjaaseth, a freshman from Norway and No. 65 in the WAGR, gave Arizona State a third finisher in the top nine as he closed with his second straight 4-under 68 to finish in the group tied for ninth place with a 13-under 203 total.

   Arizona State’s other talented freshman, Luke Potter of Encinitas, Calif., was also solid in the final round, closing with a 5-under 67 to end up in the group tied for 22^nd place with a 9-under 207 total.

   Rounding out the Arizona State lineup was its veteran senior, Ryggs Johnston of Libby Mont., as he matched par in the final round with a 72 to finish in the group tied for 36^th place with a 6-under 210 total.

   Leading the way for Stanford was Ethan Ng, a fifth-year player from New York City who finished a shot behind Summerhays in fourth place with an 18-under 198 total after closing with a solid 4-under 68.

   Nate Menon, the PIAA Class AA champion in 2015 as a junior at Wyomissing, is in his sixth season at Stanford. Menon got hot in the final two rounds with a 6-under 66 in Tuesday’s second and a final round of 5-under 67 as he finished in a tie for 20^th place with a 10-under 206 total.

   In the Morgan Hill Regional, yet another SEC entry, Mississippi State, ranked 18^th and the third seed, captured the team crown as the Bulldogs closed with a 1-over 289 for a 1-under 863 total gave them a five-shot victory over West Coast Conference champion Brigham Young.

   Mississippi State went wire to wire after opening with a 12-under 276 at The Institute Golf Club and maintaining its advantage despite a 10-over 298 in Tuesday’s second round.

   BYU outperformed its No. 8 seed as the Cougars closed with a solid 284 over the 7,561-yard, par-72 Institute layout for a 4-over 868 total and a runnerup finish. BYU rose from No. 43 in the Golfstat rankings to No. 37 with its strong showing in Morgan Hill.

   The ACC’s Florida State, behind individual champion Luke Clanton, a freshman from Hialeah, Fla., finished three shots behind BYU in third place with a 7-over 871 total. The Seminoles, who were seeded second, maintained their No. 7 ranking.

   Clanton was the picture of consistency, rattling off three straight 2-under 70s to finish two shots clear of the field with a 6-under 210 total.

   It was another two shots back to the Big 12’s Baylor in fourth place as the sixth-seeded Bears closed with a 6-over 294 to finish with a 9-over 873 total. Baylor moved up a notch in the Golfstat rankings from No. 31 to No. 30 following its showing in Morgan Hill.

   Top-seeded Pepperdine, a WCC rival of BYU’s, grabbed the final berth to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk as the Waves closed with a 5-over 293 to finish two shots behind Baylor in fifth place with an 11-over 875 total.

   Only 12 shots separated the tightly-bunched five teams that qualified for nationals from the Morgan Hill Regional.

   Pepperdine, which dropped two spots in the Golfstat rankings from No. 6 to No. 8 in the aftermath of the Morgan Hill Regional, has been a national player the last three years, capturing a national championship two years ago at Grayhawk and reaching the semifinals before falling to eventual runnerup Arizona State a year ago.

   Mississippi State was led by the pair of Ford Clegg, a graduate student from Birmingham, Ala., and Hunter Logan, a senior from Steens, Miss., both of whom landed in the group tied for seventh place at even-par 216.

   Clegg finished up with a 2-over 74 while Logan matched par in the final round with a 72.

   The low Bulldog in the final round was Garrett Endicott, a freshman from San Antonio, Texas who closed with a 2-under 70 to finish among the group tied for 11^th place with a 1-over 217.

   Endicott was joined in the group at 1-over as Pedro Cruz Silva gave Mississippi State four players in the top 11, closing with a solid 1-over 73.

   Rounding out the Mississippi State lineup was Ruan Pretorius, a graduate student from South Africa who closed with an 80 to finish in the group tied for 57^th place with a 230 total.

   The battle for the lone individual berth to the NCAA Championship from a non-advancing team came down to a playoff between Loyola Marymount’s Riley Lewis, a junior from Prescott, Ariz. and North Carolina State’s Maximilian Steinlechner, a senior from Austria and No. 78 in the WAGR, as both finished two shots behind individual champion Claxton in a tie for second place at 4-under 212 total.

   Lewis, who closed with a 3-under 69 to catch Steinlechner at 4-under, prevailed in a three-hole playoff to earn the final individual ticket to Grayhawk.

   In the Norman Regional, a resurgent Alabama program, seeded third, made it four SEC team champions in six regionals as the Crimson Tide closed with a 13-under 275 to finish with a 28-under 836 total that gave them a three-shot victory over host Oklahoma, out of the Big 12.

   Alabama’s final-round surge was led by Jonathan Griz, a freshman from Hilton Head, S.C. as he closed with a sparkling 6-under 66 at the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club.

   Alabama moved up two spots in the Golfstat rankings from No. 17 to No. 15 following its victory in Norman.

   Oklahoma, behind a respective 2-3 finish in the individual standings from Drew Goodman, a sophomore home boy from Norman, Okla. and No. 63 in the WAGR, and Ben Lorenz, a junior from Peoria, Ariz. and No. 56 in the WAGR, also closed strongly with a 12-under 276 as the second-seeded Sooners finished with a 25-under 839 total.

   Goodman closed with a 5-under 67 over the 7,452-yard, par-72 Jimmie Austin layout to finish in second place with a 13-under 203 total, just a shot behind the regional’s individual champion, Texas Tech’s Ludvig Aberg, a senior from Sweden and the No. 1 player in the WAGR.

   Lorenz did his teammate one better in the final round with a sparkling 6-under 66 to finish three shots behind Goodman in third place with a 10-under 206 total.

   Pac-12 upstart Colorado, seeded ninth, punched its ticket to Grayhawk as the Buffaloes finished in third place with a 23-under 841 total, two shots behind Oklahoma, after a closing strongly with a 12-under 276. Colorado moved up from No. 52 to No. 48 in the Golfstat rankings following its outstanding showing in Norman.

   Top-seeded and No. 5 Texas Tech, behind Aberg, finished a shot behind Colorado in fourth place with a 22-under 842 total after the Red Raiders, a Big 12 rival of Oklahoma’s, closed with an 11-under 277.

   Aberg, who was making cuts on the PGA Tour as an amateur this spring, closed with a typically sparkling 5-under 67 to claim the individual title in Norman with a 14-under 202 total.

   Duke, out of the ACC, grabbed the final berth to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk out of the Norman Regional as the sixth-seeded Blue Devils matched Alabama for the low team round in the final round with a 13-under 275 to finish in fifth place with a 21-under 843 total that left them a shot behind Texas Tech.

   Only seven shots separated the top five finishers in a balanced and competitive Norman Regional. Duke dropped a spot in the Golfstat rankings from No. 32 to No. 33 with its fifth-place finish in Norman.

   Alabama was led by Nick Dunlap, a freshman from Huntsville, Ala. and No. 40 in the WAGR as he closed with a 2-under 70 to finish among the group tied for fourth place with a 9-under 207 total. Dunlap captured the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2021 at the Country Club of North Carolina.

   Backing up Dunlap was Canon Claycomb, a senior from Bowling Green, Ky. who finished in a tie for second place with a 7-under 209 total after closing with his second straight 3-under 69.

   Griz’s sparkling final-round 66 left him in the group tied for 11^th place with a 6-under 210 total, giving the Crimson Tide a trio of players among the top 11 in the individual standings.

   Thomas Ponder, a senior from Dothan, Ala., and J.P. Cave, a junior from Mobile, Ala, rounded out the Alabama lineup as both landed in the group tied for 28^th place at 2-under 214. Ponder closed with a solid 2-under 70 while Cave matched par in the final round with a 72.

   Texas Tech got a solid showing from senior Jack Wall, a Christian Brothers Academy product from Brielle, N.J. who closed with a 1-over 73 to finish in the group tied for 39^th place with an even-par 216 total.

   Wall, playing out of the Manasquan River Golf Club, reached the quarterfinals of the 2019 BMW Philadelphia Amateur at Stonewall that was eventually won by his older brother Jeremy. Jack Wall transferred to Texas Tech after beginning his college career at South Carolina.

   In the Salem Regional, ACC champion Georgia Tech, ranked 11^th and the second seed, went off in the final two rounds to claim an eight-shot victory over SEC upstart Arkansas, the sixth seed.

  The Yellow Jackets closed to within seven shots of the Razorbacks with a scintillating 22-under 266 in Tuesday’s second round at The Cliffs at Keowee Falls and backed it up with a 21-under 267 in the final round for a remarkable 53-under 811 total.

   Georgia Tech was led by Connor Howe, a senior from Ogden, Utah and No. 58 in the WAGR, and Christo Lamprecht, a junior from South Africa and No. 10 in the WAGR, as they finished in a tie for third place, each ending up with a 14-under 202 total.

   Howe closed with a sparkling 6-under 66 over the 7,126-yard, par-72 Cliffs at Keowee Falls layout while Lamprecht finished up with a solid 3-under 69.

   Arkansas cooled off in the final round with a 6-under 282, but still finished with a 45-under 819 total that left it in second place. The Razorbacks moved up from No. 35 to No. 28 in the Golfstat rankings following its impressive runnerup finish in South Carolina.

   Georgia Tech’s ACC rival North Carolina, ranked No. 2 and the top seed in the Salem Regional, finished two shots behind Arkansas in third place with a 43-under 821 total as the Tar Heels closed with an 18-under 270 total.

   North Carolina was led by the Salem Regional’s individual champion as Ryan Burnett, a fifth-year player from Lafayette, Calif. and No. 42 in the WAGR, closed with his second straight 4-under 68 for a 17-under 299 total that was two shots better than runnerup Sam Lape, a senior at Furman from Atlanta, Ga.

   New Mexico, out of the Mountain West Conference, outperformed its No. 8 seed as the Lobos finished a shot behind North Carolina in fourth place with a 42-under 822 total. New Mexico closed with a 17-under 271 and moved up a spot in the Golfstat rankings from No. 47 to No. 46 with its solid showing in the Salem Regional.

   The SEC’s Texas A&M, ranked 14^th and seeded third, survived a playoff with the ACC’s Clemson, ranked 50^th and seeded ninth, to grab the final ticket to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk after the Aggies and the Tigers both landed on 29-under 835.

   Texas A&M closed with a 17-under 271 to catch Clemson, which finished up with a 13-under 275 total.

   Backing up Howe and Lamprecht for Georgia Tech was Ross Steelman, a senior from Columbia, Mo. and No. 22 in the WAGR who closed with a 4-under 68 to finish in the group tied for 11^th place with a 10-under 206 total.

   Bradley Forrester, a redshirt senior from Gainesville, Ga., closed with a solid 5-under 67 to finish among the group tied for 14^th place with a 9-under 207 total for the Yellow Jackets.

   Hiroshi Tai, a freshman from Singapore and No. 89 in the WAGR, matched Howe for low Yellow Jacket in the final round with a sparkling 6-under 66 as all five players in the Georgia Tech lineup finished among the top 18, Tai landing in a tie for 18^th place with an 8-under 208 total.

   Furman’s Lape earned the individual berth to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk out of the Salem Regional as he unleashed a spectacular final round of 8-under 64 to earned a second-place finish with a 15-under 201 total.