Engle, Chattanooga grab two-shot lead following opening round of Auburn Regional

   I don’t expect to be able to keep up with these NCAA Division I men’s regionals, but here’s a stab at Day 1 around the country. I’ll probably end up doing what I did with the women’s regionals last week and just transcribe Day 2 and then round up all the regionals by the end of the week. If Monday is any indication, it’s going to be a wild ride.

   It was a pretty formful day as the NCAA regionals teed off at six sites around the country, but I’ll start with the Auburn Regional, which was probably the least formful, and also because there were several interesting Pennsylvania names that popped up in the field.

   Chattanooga, the Southern Conference runnerup, got the jump on the field with a 5-under-par 283 at the Auburn University Club in Monday’s opening round.

   The Moccasins, No. 48 in the latest Golfstat rankings and seeded eighth in the Auburn Regional, were led by John Houk, a junior from Etowah, Tenn. who got a share of the individual lead with Colorado State’s Christoph Bleier, a sophomore from Austria, as each carded a 4-under 68 over the 7,591-yard, par-72 Auburn University Club layout.

   The top five teams and the best individual from a non-advancing team following Wednesday’s third round will advance to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., which is playing host to the tournament for the third straight year.

   Bleier’s strong opening round led the Rams, out of the Mountain West Conference, to second place in the team standings with a 3-under 285 total that left them two shots behind Chattanooga. Colorado State is ranked 24^th and seeded fourth.

   Host Auburn, ranked 13^th and seeded third, and Texas Christian, ranked 37^th and seeded seventh, were tied for third place as each recorded a 4-over 292. The Tigers are out of the powerful Southeastern Conference while the Horned Frogs are a Big 12 entry.

   The No. 1 team in the country and the top seed in the Auburn Regional, Vanderbilt, the SEC runnerup, and the Big Ten’s Ohio State, ranked 25^th and seeded fifth, were tied for fifth place, each registering an opening round of 6-over 294.

   Backing up Houk for Chattanooga was sophomore Garrett Engle, the Central Dauphin product who never competed in the PIAA postseason when he was in high school and started his college career at Oklahoma before transferring to Chattanooga.

   Engle was part of a trio of players tied for third place that included Auburn’s Brendan Valdes, a sophomore from Orlando, Fla. and TCU’s Jacob Skov Olesen, a senior from Denmark, as each posted a 2-under 70 that left them two shots behind the co-leaders.

   Paul Conroy, a junior from Ireland, gave Chattanooga a third player inside the top six as he was in the group tied for sixth place with a 1-under 71. Samuel Espinosa, a junior from Spain, was in the group tied for 26^th place for the Mocs after recording a 2-over 74.

   Rounding out the Chattanooga lineup was Braedon Wear, a sophomore from Maryville, Tenn. who finished among the group tied for 54^th place with a 6-over 78.

   Ohio State got a strong showing from graduate student Neal Shipley, a member of Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s PIAA Class AAA championship team as a senior in 2018 who became a Buckeye after being a standout at James Madison. Shipley was in the group tied for 11^th place after matching par with a 72.

   Shipley is the reigning Pennsylvania Amateur champion as he captured the title last summer at Llanerch Country Club.

   Auburn got a strong showing from junior Carson Bacha, who capped his outstanding scholastic career at Central York by winning the PIAA Class AAA individual crown as a senior in 2019 and is No. 90 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). Bacha was in the group tied for 15^th place after opening with a 1-over 73.

   In the Bath Regional, Georgia, another SEC power, took a six-shot lead over a couple of Big Ten entries as the Bulldogs, behind individual leader Ben van Wyk, a senior from South Africa, opened with a sizzling 18-under 266.

   Van Wyk posted a 6-under 65 at the Eagle Eye Golf Club to lead the way for Georgia, ranked 34^th and seeded sixth in the Bath Regional.

   Host Michigan State, ranked 61^st and seeded 10^th, and top-seeded and No. 3-ranked Illinois, which captured the Big Ten crown for the eighth straight time in a rain-shortened conference championship at Galloway National Golf Club at the Jersey Shore a couple of weeks ago, were tied for second place, each posting a 12-under 272 over the 7,090-yard, par-71 Eagle Eye layout.

   Reigning national champion Texas, ranked 15^th and seeded third, was another two shots behind Michigan State and Illinois in fourth place with a 9-under 275 total.

   Ohio Valley Conference champion Little Rock, ranked 50^th and seeded ninth, and Pac-12 power Oregon, ranked 22^nd and seeded fourth, were tied for fifth place, each registering a 5-under 279.

   Backing up van Wyk for Georgia was Caleb Manuel, a sophomore from Topsham, Maine who was in a tie for second place with Oregon’s Owen Avrit, a senior from Arroyo Grande, Calif., and Michigan State’s Troy Taylor II, a freshman from Westerville, Ohio, each ending up a shot behind van Wyk with a 5-under 66.

   Connor Creasy, a junior from Abingdon, Va., gave the Bulldogs a third player in the top five as he was in a group tied for fifth place after carding a 4-under 67. Buck Brumlow, a sophomore from Cartersville, Ga., was the final counter for Georgia as his 3-under 68 left him among the group tied for 12^th place.

   Rounding out the Georgia lineup was Maxwell Ford, a sophomore from Peachtree Corners, Ga. and No. 98 in the WAGR who matched par with a 71 and was in the group tied for 41^st place.

   ASUN champion Liberty, ranked 39^th and seeded seventh was in ninth place in the team standings with a 1-under 283.

   The Flames have two of the top junior players in the Philadelphia area in recent years in their lineup and senior Austin Barbin, winner of the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Junior Boys’ Championship in 2019, and freshman Josh Ryan, who won the GAP Junior Boys’ crown the next three years in a row following Barbin’s victory, both landed in the group tied for 59^th place as each carded a 2-over 74.

   Notre Dame senior Palmer Jackson, the 2018 PIAA Class AAA champion as a senior at Franklin Regional and No. 75 in the WAGR, was competing in the Bath Regional as an individual and was among the group tied for 30^th place after posting a 1-under 70.

   In the Las Vegas Regional, Pac-12 powers Arizona State and Stanford and two of the most talented players in the country, the Sun Devils’ Preston Summerhays, a sophomore from Scottsdale, Ariz. and No. 32 in the WAGR, and the Cardinal’s Michael Thorbjornsen, a junior from Wellesley, Mass and No. 3 in the WAGR, put on a show in the opening round.

   Arizona State, ranked fourth and the top seed, opened with an explosive 26-under 262 at Bears Best Las Vegas while Pac-12 champion Stanford, ranked eighth and seeded second, wasn’t far behind in second place with a 20-under 268.

   Arizona State reached the NCAA Championship’s Final Match at Grayhawk, a few miles from its campus, before falling to Texas a year ago and the Sun Devils seem determined to make another deep postseason run.

   Summerhays, the Scottsdale home boy, blitzed the 7,217-yard, par-72 Bear’s Best layout with a scintillating 10-under 62 that included a pair of eagles to take the individual lead.

   But Thorbjornsen, who captured the Pac-12’s individual title on his home course at the Stanford Golf Course, was right on Summerhays’ heels in second place with a 9-under 63.

   The ACC’s Virginia, ranked 16^th and seeded third, was just a shot behind Stanford in third place after opening with a 19-under 269 total.

   Perennial Southern Conference power East Tennessee State, ranked 63^rd and seeded sixth, was three shots behind Virginia in fourth place with a 1-under 272 total.

   Perennial Big 12 and national power Oklahoma State, ranked 21^st and seeded fourth, shared fifth place with another Southern Conference representative, UNC Greensboro, ranked 51^st and seeded ninth, and Atlantic 10 champion Davidson, ranked 83^rd and seeded 12^th, as each registered a 12-under 276.

   Backing up Summerhays for Arizona State was Josele Ballester, a sophomore from Spain and No. 46 in the WAGR, as he had a share of third place with Stanford’s Ethan Ng, a fifth-year player from New York City, as each were a shot behind Thorbjornsen with an 8-under 64.

   Michael Mjaaseth, a freshman from Norway, was in the group tied for 14^th place for the Sun Devils with a 5-under 67. Another talented freshman, Luke Potter of Encinitas, Calif. and No. 86 in the WAGR, opened with a 3-under 69 and was in the group tied for 25^th place.

   Rounding out the Arizona State lineup was Ryggs Johnston, the Sun Devils’ veteran senior from Libby, Mont. whose 1-under 70 left him in the group tied for 33^rd place.

   Nate Menon, the 2015 PIAA Class AA champion as a junior at Wyomissing, is in his sixth season at Stanford and is in the lineup for the Cardinal. Menon opened with a 1-over 73 that left him in the group tied for 55^th place.

   In the Morgan Hill Regional, another SEC entry, Mississippi State, ranked 18^th and seeded third, grabbed a five-shot lead over the ACC’s Florida State, ranked seventh and seeded second, at The Institute Golf Club.

   The Bulldogs opened with a solid 12-under 276 as Hunter Logan, a sophomore from Steens, Miss., and Pedro Cruz Silva, a junior from Peru, were two of the three players tied for second place in the individual standings as each recorded a 4-under 68 over the 7,561-yard, par-72 Institute Golf Club layout.

   The third member of the trio tied for second place individually was Florida State’s Fredrik Ketterup, a junior from Denmark and No. 24 in the WAGR, as his 68 helped the Seminoles end up five shots behind Mississippi State in second place with a 7-under 281 total.

   The West Coast Conference’s Pepperdine, ranked sixth and the top seed, was three shots behind Florida State in third place with a 4-under 284. The Waves have been a player on the national scene in each of the last three seasons, winning the national championship in 2021 at Grayhawk.

   Conference USA champion Charlotte, ranked 78^th and seeded 11^th and the Big 12’s Baylor, ranked 31^st and seeded sixth, were tied for fourth place, each a shot behind Pepperdine with a 3-under 285.

   Backing up Logan and Cruz Silva for Mississippi State were Ford Clegg, a junior from Birmingham, Ala., and Garrett Endicott, a freshman from San Antonio, Texas as they both ended up in the group tied for ninth place at 2-under 70.

   Rounding out the Mississippi State lineup was Raun Pretorius, a graduate student from South Africa who posted a 4-over 76 that left him in the group tied for 58^th place.

   The individual leader following the opening round was Missouri’s Alfons Bondesson, a freshman from Sweden who carded a 5-under 67, a shot better than the trio of Mississippi State’s Logan and Cruz Silva and Florida State’s Ketterup.

   In the Norman Regional, Texas Tech, ranked fifth and the top seed, grabbed a one-shot lead over Big 12 rival Oklahoma, the host team ranked ninth and seeded second, by opening with a 10-under 278.

   The Sooners, playing on their home course, the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club, was right on the heels of the Red Raiders with a 9-under 279 total.

   The Sooners were led by Drew Goodman, a sophomore home boy from Norman, Okla. and No. 63 in the WAGR who got a share of the lead in the individual standings with Alabama’s Nick Dunlap, the Huntsville, Ala. native who is one of the many talented freshmen around the country and is No. 40 in the WAGR, each carding a 6-under 66 over the 7,452-yard, par-72 Jimmie Austin OU layout.

   Leading the way for Texas Tech was the No. 1 player in the WAGR, Ludvig Aberg, a senior from Sweden who was just a shot behind Goodman and Dunlap in third place with a solid 5-under 67.

   Dunlap and SEC power Crimson Tide, ranked 21^st and seeded third, were in third place, two shots behind Oklahoma after opening with a 7-under 281.

   ACC power Duke, ranked 32^nd and seeded sixth, was two shots behind Alabama in fourth place as the Blue Devils registered a 5-under 283.

   The Pac-12’s Colorado, ranked 52^nd and seeded ninth, was a shot behind Duke in fifth place after the Buffaloes opened with a solid 4-under 284.

   Backing up Aberg for Texas Tech was Matthew Comegys, a freshman from Van Alstyne, Texas who posted a 3-under 69 to land in the group tied for sixth place.

   Colum Scott, a sophomore from Scotland and No. 53 in the WAGR, and senior Jack Wall of Brielle, N.J. and a product of Christian Brothers Academy were the final two counters for Texas Tech as each recorded a 1-under 71 that left them in the group tied for 15^th place.

   Got a chance to watch Wall play a match in the BMW Philadelphia Amateur at Stonewall in 2019, which was ultimately won by his older brother Jeremy. The Walls play out of Manasquan River Golf Club.

   Rounding out the Texas Tech lineup was Tyran Snyders, a junior from South Africa who matched par with a 72 that left him among the group tied for 25^th place.

   Oklahoma got another strong showing from Ben Lorenz, a junior from Peoria, Ariz. who carded a 4-under 68 that left him a tie for fourth place in the individual standings with Kansas’ Will King, a freshman from Olathe, Kan.

   In the Salem Regional, SEC upstart Arkansas, ranked 35^th and seeded sixth, grabbed the lead by opening with a sizzling 22-under 266.

   The Razorbacks were led by the pair of Segundo Oliva Pinto, a fifth-year player from Argentina, and Wil Gibson, a graduate student from Jonesboro, Ark., as they were two of the three players tied for third place in the individual standings, each recording a 7-under 65 at The Cliffs at Keowee Falls.

   Mountain West Conference representative New Mexico, ranked 47^th and seeded eighth, was in second place, six shots behind Arkansas with a 16-under 272 total over the 7,126-yard, par-72 Keowee Falls layout.

   A powerful North Carolina team out of the ACC was a shot behind New Mexico in third place with a 15-under 273 total. The Tar Heels are the No. 2 team in the Golfstat rankings and are the top seed at Keowee Falls.

   North Carolina was paced by individual leader Ryan Burnett, a fifth-year player from Lafayette, Calif. and No. 44 in the WAGR who opened with a sizzling 9-under 63.

   Mid-American Conference champion Northern Illinois, ranked 123^rd and seeded 12^th, found itself in between a couple of ACC powers as the Huskies were two shots behind North Carolina in fourth place after opening with a 13-under 275, which was three shots better than ACC champion Georgia Tech in fifth place at 10-under 278.

   The Yellow Jackets, who won their 19^th ACC title with a victory over Wake Forest in the match-play final at the Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst, N.C., are ranked 11^th and seeded second behind their ACC rival North Carolina.

   Manuel Lozada, a redshirt sophomore from Argentina, gave Arkansas a third player inside the top eight in the individual standings as he opened with a 5-under 67 that left him in the group tied for eighth place.

   Matteo Fernandez de Oliveira, a senior from Argentina and No. 31 in the WAGR, was the final counter for the Razorbacks as he posted a 3-under 69 to end up in the group tied for 22^nd place.

   Rounding out the Arkansas lineup was Julian Perico, the Razorbacks’ fifth-year veteran from Peru whose 3-over 75 left him in the group tied for 59^th place.

   Longwood sophomore Scott Jordan, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Upper St. Clair, fired a sparkling 8-under 64 that left him in second place in the individual standings, a shot behind North Carolina’s Burnett.

   Joining Arkansas’ Pinto Oliva and Gibson in the tie for third place at 7-under was Furman’s Sam Lape, a senior from Atlanta.