CARLSBAD, Calif. – Among the top collegiate golf teams in the nation, each roster showed signs of inconsistency throughout the weekend at the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships. Despite relatively favorable weather conditions on the first day, the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa North Course, in Carlsbad, showed its teeth throughout the event thus far.
This event is local for fellow San Diegans, located just 30 miles outside of Mission Valley, giving fans an opportunity to enjoy the highest level of collegiate golf.
At just over a lengthy 7,500 total yards, competitors must hit the ball far while shaping their shots in order to walk away with a par or better.
Texas A&M senior Phichaksn Maichon walked away with the top score, shooting six-under-par without any bogeys, signifying minimal mistakes throughout the round.
“It wasn’t anything special. I wasn’t hitting it super close or anything,” Maichon said. “It’s a championship course and it’s tough, so you just have to play smart shots and limit your mistakes.”
Vanderbilt senior Jackson Van Paris, Georgia junior Carter Loflin and Texas junior Tommy Morrison all finished one stroke behind, ending their round with a 65. Georgia Tech junior Hiroshi Tai, defending individual champion, had glimpses of a low round but ultimately finished with a 72, even par.
No. 6 Oklahoma jumped out to a convincing lead, shooting eight-under par collectively. Freshman Clark Van Gaalen and junior Jase Summy led the group, both shooting under 70, combining for seven-under par. This put them in first place by five strokes, while the rest of the field fell behind.
“Today was a great start for our group,” said Oklahoma head coach Ryan Hybl. “It’s a long week and we still have a lot of work ahead, but this was a solid beginning.”
The second day showed serious challenges, as the wind became a true factor in round two. Just seven teams shot under par, while only two were better than five-under.
No. 5 Arizona State surged to the top of the leaderboard, shooting 11-under in round two, the best team score of the entire tournament. Sophomore Connor Williams fueled the team’s success, shooting a bogey-free round of 67 while the rest of the roster added scores under par as well.
Williams grew up in Escondido, 20 miles from Carlsbad. The opportunity to play in a familiar location has allowed him to play at his highest level.
“I enjoy playing this course and my teammates have been keeping me in the right frame of mind to compete at a high level. Getting a chance to play in front of friends and family near where I grew up has also helped elevate my game,” Williams said.
Williams found himself tied for the individual lead with Ole Miss junior Michael La Sasso, both sitting at nine-under. La Sasso started the round off on fire, with an eagle on the second hole and shooting five-under throughout the front nine. Despite tallying three straight bogeys on the back, La Sasso found his rhythm to finish the round three-under through the final four holes.
“It was just a fun round and exciting to be a part of. The second nine is definitely more difficult as the day progresses,” La Sasso said. “On my three straight bogeys, I never really hit that bad of a shot but just got unlucky…I found a way to bring it home, though, with the three birdies.”
Coming into the final day of stroke play before the first cut of the tournament, numerous teams fought for a spot in the top 15.
The course was playing its toughest conditions yet with just two teams shooting under par, due to challenging pin placements. However, the most consistent team of the tournament slowly crept into the top spot.
No. 1 Auburn showed the field why they’re the defending champions. As the only team to be under par all three days, they now sit at the top with a comfortable advantage over ASU.
Sophomore Jackson Koivun erupted for three birdies through the first four holes, but also added on a few bogeys to finish one-under on the day. Redshirt senior Carson Bacha finished with a 69, his best score of the weekend.
After three days of constant movement throughout the standings, the best team in the nation still managed to climb its way to the top.
Individual leader La Sasso finished his third round with a 70, leaving him at 11-under through 54 holes. He holds a two-stroke lead over Maichon, with just one more round to decide the individual champion.
“Golf is golf at the end of the day,” La Sasso said. “There’s not much else to do other than normal preparation tonight in order to give myself the best chance tomorrow.”
Although the lead is just out of reach for Maichon, that title is not what he’s focused on.
“I’m just going to play for the team, play the best I can and put the individual title aside.” Maichon said. “I’m going to play my best tomorrow. If that wins, great. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”
The final day of stroke play takes place on Monday, where the individual champion will be crowned and the final eight teams will remain. They will compete in match play format on Tuesday and Wednesday to determine the national champion.
