SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — One thing about playing this championship in The Grand Canyon State is it tends to feel like Groundhog Day. You know what to expect daily with everything. The only thing that tends to change is the leaderboard.
We’re now two rounds into the third year of three years at Grayhawk Golf Club for the NCAA Championship. What have we learned?
• The Raptor Course at Grayhawk continues to provide a stern test. An abundance of low scores is not something we see much of. Only one team in the previous two finals has managed to finish 72 holes in the red, that being Arizona State (3 under) in 2021. With only Illinois under-par to this point, the trend remains.
• Since the NCAA format went to match play to decide a champion, Florida has played in 11 of the 14 championships. However, the Gators have yet to play in match play. At the midway point, Florida is in good shape sitting in second place just three shots behind Illinois.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=none image=]
• Illinois arrived in Scottsdale this week ranked No. 2 in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings and No. 3 in the Golfstat rankings. The Illini had lost to just eight teams all year – twice to Florida, Stanford, Auburn, Arizona, Pepperdine, Arizona State and Georgia. Through 36 holes they are losing to no one.
• Illinois posted the second-best round in the past 10 rounds at Grayhawk with a 7-under 273. The only team to go lower was Pepperdine with a 271 in the final round two years ago.
Golfweek/Sagarin rankings: Men’s team | Men’s individual
NCAA Leaderboard: Team | Individual | Photos
• Maybe the most storied program in college golf without an NCAA title is Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets have finished runner-up four times, with head coach Bruce Heppler, one of the best without a title, having three of those second-place trophies. Since Heppler started at Tech in 1995-96 season, he has led the Yellow Jackets to the championship in 20 of 25 years. Georgia Tech has made four appearances in match play, going 1-4. With senior Ross Steelman holding a three-shot lead in the individual standings, this could be the year Heppler wins that title that has evaded him.
• The Big 12 Conference, which at times has arguably been the best golf conference in any given year the past few years, may be in danger of not having a team make the 54-hole cut. Currently Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech and Baylor are all outside the number to make the cut. Since the beginning of match play, we have always had at least one Big 12 team find a spot in bracket play, and since 2016, a Big 12 team has been in the match play final every year. That streak is in danger.
• Oklahoma has the longest streak of advancing to match play. The Sooners have been a regular for the last six years, going 5-5 during that stretch. There is work to be done if the Sooners hope to extend the streak to seven.
• Very quietly, Virginia has worked its way into having a lot to play for over the next two rounds. Bowen Sargent’s squad, led by freshman of the year candidate Ben James, is sitting in T-7. The Cavaliers have never advanced to match play.
• That pesky .500 Rule created a lot of noise this year. Georgia and Arkansas were two of those teams that barely stayed eligible. After 36 holes, both are in the middle of the pack and have a shot to make the 54-hole cut.
• Pepperdine has made match play in each of the last two years and is in position to do so again this week. And they are doing it with three new guys in the lineup – Sam Choi, Luke Gifford and Roberto Nieves. Only William Mouw and Derek Hitchner return from the squad last year that made it to the Final FORE.
