Larabee leads the way as UCLA is out in front following opening round of NCAA Championship at La Costa

 

   Big Ten champion UCLA, probably a little underrated at No. 30 in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings, got the jump on the field as the NCAA Championship teed off Friday at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s North Course in Carlsbad, Calif.

   Behind Baylor Larabee, a sophomore from Ferndale, Wash. who was a shot behind a trio of co-leaders in fourth place with a 5-under-par 67 over the 7,548-yard, par-71 North Course layout at La Costa, the Bruins opened with a solid 8-under 280 to take a four-shot lead over Southeastern Conference power Auburn, the No. 1 team in the Scoreboard rankings.

   Auburn opened with a 4-under 284 and was alone in second place.

   West Coast Conference champion Pepperdine, which got a share of the team crown at the Winston-Salem Regional, was another shot behind Auburn in third place with a 3-under 285. The Waves are No. 14 in the Scoreboard rankings.

   Another WCC representative, San Diego, behind one of the individual co-leaders, Ian Maspat, a home boy from San Diego, Calif. and the WCC’s individual champion, shared fourth place with Duke, out of the Atlantic Coast Conference, each ending up a shot behind Pepperdine at 2-under 286.

  The upstart Toreros are No. 42 in the Scoreboard rankings while the Dookies came to Carlsbad at No. 29 in the Scoreboard rankings.

   Maspat posted a sparkling 6-under 66 to share the top spot in the individual standings with Arizona State’s Connor Williams, a junior from Escondido, Calif. and No. 32 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), and Alabama’s William Jennings, a sophomore from Greenville, S.C. competing as an individual and No. 26 in the WAGR.

   Big 12 runnerup Arizona, No. 12 in the Scoreboard rankings and coming off a victory as the host in the Murana Regional, SEC power Texas, No. 3 in the Scoreboard rankings and coming off a victory in the Bryan Regional, another SEC power, Vanderbilt, No. 11 in the Scoreboard rankings and coming off a victory in the Louisville Regional, and the ACC’s North Carolina, No. 10 in the Scoreboard rankings, were part of a logjam tied for sixth place, each recording a 1-under 287.

   Everybody is trying to be among the top eight teams that will advance to match play at the conclusion of 72 holes of stroke play Monday. The Golf Channel cameras will start rolling Monday when an individual champion will also be crowned.

   Arizona was led by Filip Jakubcik, a senior from the Czech Republic and No. 6 in the WAGR who was part of a four-way tie for fifth place in the individual standings with a 4-under 68.

   Jakubcik and Alabama’s Jennings were part of a four-way tie for medalist honors in the Murana Regional at the Gallery Golf Club.

   Texas was led by Luke Potter, a senior from Encinitas, Calif. and No. 20 in the WAGR, as he also landed in the group tied for fifth place at 4-under. Potter was the individual champion in the Bryan Regional.

   Backing up Larabee for UCLA was Alex Papayoanou, a junior from The Woodlands, Texas who also was among the top 10 in the individual standings in a tie for ninth place with a 3-under 69.

   Josh Kim, a freshman from Danville, Calif. and winner of the Big Ten’s individual crown at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club’s Witch Hollow Course in North Plains, Ore., added a solid 1-under 71 for the Bruins that left him in the group tied for 25^th place.

   Kyle An, a senior from Aliso Viejo, Calif., tallied a 1-over 73 that left him in the group tied for 57^th place for UCLA.

   Rounding out the UCLA lineup was Tyler Loree, a freshman from Kula, Hawaii who was among the group tied for 91^st place with a 3-over 75.

   Lurking in the group tied for fifth place in the individual standings at 4-under was Virginia’s Ben James, a senior from Milford, Conn. and No. 2 in the WAGR who was coming off an impressive individual victory in the Winston-Salem Regional.

   Rounding out the foursome tied for fifth place at 4-under was Louisiana’s Malan Potgieter, a sophomore from South Africa competing as an individual who got a share of medalist honors in the Athens Regional.

   Liberty sophomore Michael Lugiano, who capped an outstanding scholastic career at Lake Lehman by finishing in a tie for second place in the PIAA Class AA Championship in 2023, matched par with a 72 and was among the group tied for 35^th place.

   Lugiano is competing as an individual after capturing the individual title in the Corvallis Regional.