No. 1 Auburn suges to top of the leaderboard following two rounds in the NCAA Championship at La Costa

 

   The road to a national championship in Division I men’s college golf has run through Auburn, a Southeastern Conference power, the last couple of years.

   The Tigers have a 2024 national title and a run to the NCAA semifinals a year ago and they brought the No. 1 ranking in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings to this year’s NCAA Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s North Course in Carlsbad, Calif.

   In Saturday’s second round of qualifying for match, it was, who else, Auburn surging to the top of the leaderboard, the Tigers firing the best team round of the week with a 16-under 272 that gave them a 20-under 556 total and an eight-shot lead over SEC rivals Texas and Vanderbilt. Auburn had opened with a 4-under 284.

   It looks almost certain that Auburn will be among the top eight teams still standing when match play gets under way Tuesday. The team chase will be cut in half to 15 teams following Sunday’s third round.

   Auburn was led by a couple of veterans of that run to the program’s first national championship two springs ago, Josiah Gilbert, a junior from Millbrook, Ala. and No. 12 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), and the best player in college golf, Jackson Koivun, a junior from Chapel Hill, N.C. and No. 1 in the WAGR.

   Gilbert, a native of Australia, added a sparkling 5-under 67 to his opening-round 70 for a 7-under 137 total that left him among a trio tied for fourth place.

   Koivun added a 4-under 68 to his opening-round 70 as he was in a tie for seventh place with a 6-under 138 total.

   Texas, No. 3 in the Scoreboard rankings and coming off a victory in the Bryan Regional, added an 11-under 277 in Saturday’s second round to its opening-round 287 to get its share of second place at 12-under 564.

   Vanderbilt, No. 11 in the Scoreboard rankings and coming off a victory in the Athens Regional, matched the Texas splits as the Commodores added an 11-under 277 in Saturday’s second round to their opening-round 287 to join the Longhorns at 12-under.

   Vanderbilt continues to get strong performances from its freshmen.

   Jon Ed Steed, a rookie from Enterprise, Ala., added a 5-under 67 in Saturday’s second round to his opening-round 70 to join Auburn’s Gilbert in the trio tied for fourth place at 7-under.

   Will Hartman, the phenom from Marvin, N.C. who led Vandy to its team win in Athens by claiming a share of the individual crown, was just a shot behind his fellow frosh in a tie for seventh place with Auburn’s Koivun at 6-under after Hartman added a 4-under 68 to his opening-round 70.

   Defending national champion Oklahoma State, the Big 12 champion and No. 5 in the Scoreboard rankings, made a big move in Saturday’s second round with a 14-under 274 as the Cowboys surged into a tie for fourth place with Big Ten champion UCLA, No. 30 in the Scoreboard rankings, with a 5-under 569 total.

   Oklahoma State had struggled in the opening round with a 7-over 295.

   The Cowboys were led by Eric Lee, a junior from Fullerton, Calif. who earned the clinching point in Oklahoma State’s victory over Virginia in the NCAA Championship’s Final Match a year ago. Lee, who had matched par in the opening round with a 72, added a 5-under 67 in Saturday’s second round and landed among a group of four players tied for ninth place at 5-under 139.

   Lee was one of the four co-medalists in the Marana Regional.

   UCLA had grabbed the lead with an opening round of 8-under 280, but the Bruins backed off a little with a 1-over 289 in Saturday’s second round to join Oklahoma State at 7-under, five shots behind Texas and Vanderbilt.

   UCLA was led by Baylor Larabee, a sophomore from Ferndale, Wash. who was part of the quartet tied for ninth place at 5-under. Larabee was in fourth place in the individual chase, just a shot out of the lead, following an opening round of 5-under 67 before matching par in Saturday’s second round with a 72.

   Oklahoma State’s Big 12 rival, Arizona, No. 12 in the Scoreboard rankings, and Atlantic Coast Conference champion Virginia, No. 4 in the Scoreboard rankings, and its ACC rival Duke, No. 29 in the Scoreboard rankings, landed in a tie for sixth place, each ending up with a 4-under 572 total.

   Arizona, led by individual leader Filip Jakubcik, a senior from the Czech Republic and No. 6 in the WAGR, added a 3-under 285 in Saturday’s second round to its opening-round 287. The Wildcats were coming off an impressive victory in the Marana Regional as the host at the Gallery Golf Club.

   Jakubcik, who joined Oklahoma State’s Lee as one of the co-medalists in the Marana Regional, carded a sizzling 6-under 66 in Saturday’s second round at La Costa after opening with a 68 as he took a two-shot lead in the individual chase with a 10-under 134 total.

   Virginia, which reached the NCAA Championship’s Final Match a year ago before falling to Oklahoma State, recorded a 4-under 284 in Saturday’s second round after matching par in the opening round with a 288.

   Duke registered a second straight 2-under 286 to join Arizona and Virginia in the tie for sixth place at 4-under.

   Another ACC entry, North Carolina, No. 10 in the Scoreboard rankings, and West Coast Conference champion Pepperdine, No. 14 in the Scoreboard rankings, were tied for ninth place, each landing on 1-under 575.

   The Tar Heels matched par with a 288 in Saturday’s second round after opening with a 1-under 287. The Waves, who got a share of the title with Virginia in the Winston-Salem Regional, had opened with a solid 3-under 285 before falling back a little with a 2-over 290 in Saturday’s second round.

   Another SEC power, Oklahoma, No. 16 in the Scoreboard rankings and coming off a victory in the Corvallis Regional, was a shot behind North Carolina and Pepperdine in 11^th place at even-par 576.

   The Sooners bounced back from a 4-over 292 with a solid 4-under 284 in Saturday’s second round.

   Backing up Gilbert and Koivun for Auburn was Logan Reilly, a freshman from Lovettsville, Va. who was among the group tied for 13^th place with a 4-under 140 total as he added a 3-under 69 in Saturday’s second round to his opening-round 71.

   Jake Albert, another talented freshman for the Tigers from Blacksburg, Va., contributed a 4-under 68 to their second-round surge Saturday that left him in the group tied for 21^st place with a 3-under 141 total. Albert had opened with a 1-over 73.

   Rounding out the Auburn lineup was Cayden Pope, a junior from Lexington, Ky. and No. 47 in the WAGR who matched par with a 72 in Saturday’s second round to end up in the group tied for 102^nd place at 5-over 149. Pope had opened with a 5-over 77.

   Alabama’s William Jennings, a sophomore from Greenville, S.C. competing as an individual and No. 26 in the WAGR, and Louisiana’s Malan Potgieter, a senior from South Africa also competing as an individual and No. 65 in the WAGR, are tied for second place in the individual standings, each ending up two shots behind Jakubcik with an 8-under 136 total.

   Jennings, another of the four co-medalists in the Marana Regional, had opened with a 6-under 66 that gave him a share of the lead before adding a 70 in Saturday’s second round.

   Potgieter, who was the co-medalist along with Vanderbilt’s Hartman in the Athens Regional, posted a second straight 4-under 68 to join Jennings at 8-under.

   Arizona State’s Connor Williams, a junior from Escondido, Calif. and No. 32 in the WAGR, joined Auburn’s Gilbert and Vanderbilt’s Steed in the trio tied for fourth place at 7-under 137.

   Williams had a share of the individual lead with his opening round of 6-under 66 before adding a 71 in Saturday’s second round.

   Joining Oklahoma State’s Lee and UCLA’s Larabee in the foursome tied for ninth place at 5-under were Brigham Young’s Kihei Akina, a freshman from Alpine, Utah and No. 22 in the WAGR, and Arkansas State’s Thomas Schmidt, a senior from Germany.

   Akina added a 2-under 70 in Saturday’ second round to his solid opening-round 69. Schmidt moved up the leaderboard with a 5-under 67 in Saturday’s second round after he had matched par in the opening round with a 72.

   Liberty sophomore Michael Lugiano, who capped his scholastic career at Lake Lehman by finishing in a tie for second place in the PIAA Class AA Championship in 2023, continued his impressive postseason run.

   Lugiano, coming off an individual victory in the Corvallis Regional that earned him the right to compete in the NCAA Championship as an individual, had matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a 1-under 71 in Saturday’s second round that left him in the group tied for 33^rd place at 1-under 143.