Check out who’s in the running for men’s college golfer of the year.
With every passing week, the men’s college golf season creeps closer to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The Haskins Award announced Friday its first spring watch list, featuring 15 of the best men’s college golfers this season. Gordon Sargent, a sophomore at Vanderbilt who has risen to No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, is having a stellar season, but there are plenty of other big names in contention.
The Haskins Award honors the player of the year in college men’s golf, as selected by college golfers, coaches and members of the college golf media. The players are listed alphabetically. Players on the Haskins Award Watch List were selected by a panel of Golfweek and Golf Channel reporters.
With a Masters invitation on the line at the Asia-Pacific Am, Keita Nakajima and Yuxin Lin won’t go down without a fight.
There’s a reason that Keita Nakajima and Yuxin Lin were favorites entering the week at the Asia-Pacific Amateur, and with a Masters invitation on the line at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, they’ve shown they won’t go down without a fight.
Both world No. 1 amateur Nakajima, of Japan, and defending champion Yuxin Lin, of China, resurfaced at the top of the leaderboard after the third round and will have big targets on their backs entering Saturday’s fourth and final round.
Most notably, Lin had a third-round 65, which tied for the second-lowest round of the day. That effort was helped tremendously by birdies on his first three holes.
“I really couldn’t ask for a better start,” Lin said. “Made some mistakes on the front. Should have made a couple more putts but I feel like I played pretty solid all round and stayed pretty patient and really just stuck to my game plan.”
After opening with a 67 that left him part of a big group of leaders, Lin brought in a ho-hum round of even-par 71 on Thursday. His 65 moved him to 10 under for the week, and leaves him in solo second, one shot behind Nakajima.
“I’m just really glad I have this opportunity to be in contention again,” said Lin, who won this championship in 2017 and 2019. “Obviously, it would be nice to achieve the three-peat. I’ve got myself in this position and I’m going to enjoy tomorrow and see what happens.”
Yuxin Lin of China during round 3 of the 2021 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship being played on the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Friday, November 5, 2021. (Photo by AAC)
Much has been made of the difficulty of Dubai Creek’s three closing holes. Lin took a double-bogey at the par-4 18th in the second round. Those holes could present a major storyline down the stretch in the final round, particularly if scores remain close.
For his part, Nakajima played those holes in 1 under on Friday, birdieing No. 16 after hitting an 8-iron to 15 feet, on his way to 4-under 67. A par save at No. 18, where Nakajima took a drop after hitting his ball in a penalty area, was key in keeping his one-shot lead.
“A couple miss short putts but 16 was a big birdie and big save last hole,” Nakajima said in addressing his game, particularly his putting. “So good for final round putting.”
Second-round leader Bo Jin, who also hails from China and plays collegiately for Oklahoma State, remains in the mix, too, after following a bogey-free round of 64 on Thursday with a 70 on Friday. He bogeyed Nos. 17 and 18 coming in.
Jin had played 43 bogey-free holes up until that point.
“I didn’t technically notice how much but I just knew you had a pretty good stretch going in,” he said. “The bogey on the last two holes was not bad, too. 18 was a tough hole and 17 I left myself in a tough spot.”
Korea’s Sam Choi is tied for third with Jin at 9 under and Taichi Kho of Hong Kong is solo fifth at 8 under after his third-round 64, the low round of the day.
It doesn’t take long to find the favorites in this Asia-Pacific Amateur field. After the first round at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, they’re all crowded at the top. In all, seven players share the first-round lead, and at least three of those men stick out.
World No. 1 amateur Keita Nakajima of Japan and two-time AAC winner Yuxin Lin of China – also the defending champion from his 2019 victory – were paired together for Wednesday’s opening round in Dubai and both walked away with a 4-under 67. Australian Lukas Michel, winner of the 2019 U.S. Mid-Amateur, also fired 67.
Sam Choi, Alexander Yang, Jimmy Zheng and Wooyoung Cho also had 67.
Lin, who plays for Florida, and Nakajima had never played together, but Lin didn’t buy into any talk of a rivalry between them during a big week when a Masters invitation is at stake for the winner.
“Obviously everyone is trying to win the tournament,” he said. “For me, I’m not really trying to compete with anyone else. Just trying to play the best golf that I can and the results should be good.”
Yuxin Lin of China lines up a putt during Round 1 of the 2021 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by AAC)
Interestingly, both men stumbled at the start. Lin bogeyed his first hole, a par 4, while Nakajima birdied it. But Nakajima’s hand slipped on his driver at the next hole, and his tee shot sailed out of bounds to set up a double bogey.
“I had a good birdie at first hole, so I believe that I can make more birdies,” Nakajima said of recovering from an early big number.
The two men combined for 10 birdies over the next 11 holes.
Zheng, a sophomore at Duke, is the only New Zealander in the field of 93 players.
“I’m sure they will be happy to see that I’m at the top of the leaderboard, and I am happy having them cheer me on this week,” Zheng said of wearing his country’s colors.
Zheng eagled the fourth hole, a par 5, after setting up a 25-footer with a hybrid approach. His back nine included three birdies and no bogeys.
Yang, a freshman at Stanford who is representing Hong Kong this week, eagled the fourth as well as the 13th, another par 5. He closed with two birdies as the wind picked up.
“I had good shots all the way in starting on 17 tee,” he said. “I hit driver, which is aggressive but it set me up with a good look at the green and made a putt there. Same thing on 18, good drive on the fairway and hit the shot to about 10 feet and made it.”
Michel, the Mid-Am champ who competed in the 2020 Masters courtesy of that win, had five birdies and only a single bogey.
Add Jun Min Lee to the highlight reel for an impromptu dip he took at the par-4 second. Lee, of South Korea, feel backward into the water attempting to hit a shot and then had to go back in to retrieve his club.
South Korea's Jun Min Lee made a splash during Round 1 of #AAC2021 😂 We caught up with him after his round to learn more 👇 pic.twitter.com/xkBqkherMA
— Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (@AAC_Golf) November 3, 2021
“It was a poor tee shot and poor layup and I was stuck behind the rocks and I was trying to get it out in the front right of the green or front right fringe and I was like, man, I’ve got a stance, I’ve got this, I’ve got this,” he said. “So, I’m over it, I’m over it, getting ready, hit the shot and next thing I know, I throw my club and I’m falling back, ball is in the water. Overall, it’s a pretty eventful start to the day on hole 2!”
He walked away with a quadruple bogey there and despite spending much of the day squelching around the course in soaking shoes and clothes, recovered for a 2-over 73 that left him only six shots back.
Welcome back from another beautiful weekend here in the Sunshine State and the news from the past couple of days has been mostly focused on a pair of golf tournaments.
Welcome back from another beautiful weekend here in the Sunshine State and the news from the past couple of days has been mostly focused on a pair of golf tournaments. Across the pond, three members of the Gator Nation participated in the prestigious British Open while another handful played closer to home in the Florida Open. Here is a look at the latest from the links.
The Florida Gators earned the honor of men’s college golf Team of the Week after back-to-back wins to start the spring season.
Head coach J.C. Deacon and the boys have something cooking down in Gainesville.
For the second consecutive year the Florida men’s golf team defended its home turf, winning the Gators Invitational for back-to-back wins to begin the spring season. The Gators finished atop the leaderboard at 29 under, five strokes clear of runners-up Georgia and Auburn.
“To shoot 15 under and come back to win the title in those conditions while playing at home is so special,” said Deacon. “I’m really happy and proud of our guys and they truly showed how great they can be today. 15-under on your home course in the final round is certainly a great accomplishment.”
Florida’s starting lineup was comprised of three sophomores and two freshman, a not-so-surprising fact given the team has just three upperclassmen on the roster. Sophomore Yuxin Lin, an All-American transfer from USC, led the Gators with a T-6 finish while freshman Joe Pagdin earned his first collegiate top-10 finish.
Florida men’s golf added All-American transfer Yuxin Lin to an already-potent young lineup on Monday.
When college golf returns this spring, keep an eye on the Florida Gators.
Men’s golf coach J.C. Deacon announced on Monday that his already young and talented team was getting even better with the addition of All-American transfer Yuxin Lin.
“Adding Yuxin Lin to our already very talented roster is huge for the Gators. The best part about it is how well he fits into our culture. He’s ready to work hard and wants to win with his teammates. As soon as we started speaking, I knew he was made to be a Gator,” said Deacon.
As a freshman at USC last season, Lin had four top-15 finishes in five starts, ending with a playoff loss at the Southern Highlands Collegiate in March. Lin is currently ranked No. 18 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, and is a two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur.
Yuxin Lin, a USC sophomore who just played the Masters, has entered the college golf transfer portal, Golfweek has learned.
Few 20-year-olds have a Masters start on their resume and fewer still have two. Yuxin Lin, a two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur (2017, 2019), is in that select group, having just put the finishing touches on his second start at Augusta National as an amateur.
Golfweek learned on Wednesday that Lin, a USC sophomore, has entered the transfer portal. Lin did not compete this fall with his Trojan team as the Pac-12 halted all fall college competition, like many other conferences around the country.
As a freshman at USC last season, Lin had four top-15 finishes in five starts, ending with the individual title at the Southern Highlands Collegiate in March.
Lin is ranked No. 22 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Before the Masters, he was eighth at the Azalea Invitational, played at the Country Club of Charleston (South Carolina).
“He’s a terrific young man and we wish him the best,” USC head coach J.T. Higgins told Golfweek by text when asked for comment.
Higgins replaced longtime USC coach Chris Zambri in August after Zambri left his position in a mutual parting of ways with the university.
The transfer portal has seen unprecedented movement over the past six months after the NCAA granted college golfers an extra year of eligibility to make up for a postseason lost to COVID-19 cancellations.
Amateur Yuxin Lin missed the cut at Augusta National, but he’ll have memories of Augusta, his Crow’s Nest stay among them, forever.
Yuxin Lin missed the cut at the Masters Tournament, but got to spend a final night at Augusta National Golf Club in the Crow’s Nest. Because of the pandemic, each of the six amateurs were invited to stay one night in the living quarters, instead of staying there as a group for the week.
“It was great,” Lin said. “You can feel the tradition there with all of the great players that stayed here before. You can feel it. It’s just an amazing vibe.”
Lin, who plays for the University of Southern California, shot rounds of 79-73 despite making an eagle on No. 13 in his first round. Lin said he spent time in the Crow’s Nest studying for finals until his laptop broke.
“I was doing homework and it kind of crashed,” Lin said. “It’s unfortunate because it’s actually finals week coming up.”
While staying in the Crow’s Nest, the golfers get to choose their dinner. For Lin, a 20-year-old from China, it was short ribs and pecan pie for dessert.
Georgia Tech standout Andy Ogletree (1 under) and Vanderbilt’s John Augenstein (3 under) each survived the cut and will battle for low-amateur honors. Ogletree stayed in the Crow’s Nest on Wednesday. Augenstein declined the invitation.
The other amateurs – James Sugrue (77-71), Lukas Michel (76-74) and Abel Gallegos (79-81) – failed to make the cut.
The Trojans held off Texas and Texas Tech for their first win of the season, while Texas sophomore Parker Coody earned his first college win.
LAS VEGAS — For the second consecutive year a Texas Longhorn found himself in a playoff for the Southern Highlands Collegiate individual title.
This year, he came out on top.
Texas sophomore Parker Coody claimed his first collegiate win on Tuesday, defeating USC freshman Yuxin Lin, who held a five-shot lead entering the final round.
Coody shot a 5-under 67 in the final round, making five birdies on the back nine, including a clutch birdie on the 18th hole in regulation to force the playoff. He won with a par in the first playoff hole.
“I just started playing well,” Coody said of his performance down the stretch Tuesday. “I did the same thing yesterday. I knew if had any chance I had to finish strong and luckily I did. The rest is history.”
With the win, Coody earns an exemption to the PGA Tour’s 2020 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, held at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas in October.
“(The win) does great things for my confidence,” Coody said about his first win. “From junior golf to now I hadn’t really played the way I wanted to. This is a great start.”
ROAD TO GRAYHAWK BLOG: We are counting down to the NCAA Championships in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Last year UNLV’s Jack Trent beat Texas’ Cole Hammer in three playoff holes.
In the team competition, USC was the only team under par after a blustery 36 holes and entered the final round with a dominant nine-shot lead. The Trojans gave three shots back to the field, allowing Texas and Texas Tech to climb into contention. A Cameron Henry birdie on No. 18 gave USC a cushion with one group to play, propelling the Trojans to their first win of the season.
Interesting enough, Henry played the entire week without using his driver. By choice.
Parker Coody of Texas celebrates after winning the individual title at the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas. Photo by Adam Woodard/Golfweek
“I feel so confident with my 3-wood, it only goes 10 yards shorter than most guys out here with drives, and I feel like I can put it in play every time,” said Henry, who also gave a shoutout to his “little cheddar hybrid.”
The Longhorns shot 4 under as a team Tuesday to finish second, just two shots back. Texas Tech was the low team of the day, shooting 7 under to finish in third at even par. Florida finished fourth at 6 over, with Pepperdine and UCLA T-5 at 9 over.
After 36 holes everyone’s chasing the USC Trojans are freshman Yuxin Lin at the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS — The conversation surrounding the 2020 Southern Highlands Collegiate was its loaded field featuring six of the top-seven teams in the country.
They’re all chasing No. 37 USC.
Led by freshman star Yuxin Lin, the Trojans hold a dominant nine-shot lead at 6 under after a blustery 36 holes at the nation’s premier men’s college golf event. Able to outduel the elements, Southern Cal is the sole team under par.
Texas (+3) is in second, followed by Florida and Texas Tech (T-3, +7) and UCLA (+9). Thanks to a dominant 7-under 65 performance from senior leader Sahith Theegala on Monday, Pepperdine (+11) shot up the leaderboard and sits sixth.
Lin, a freshman from Beijing, China, shot a second-consecutive 5-under 67 to increase his individual lead to five shots at 10 under. Florida freshman Ricky Castillo fired off a 4-under 68 and sits second (-5), followed by SMU’s Mac Meissner in third at 4 under.
“I gave myself more looks and made it easy on myself,” said Meissner. “I really only hit one bad shot on one, then I think I hit every green after that. Stress-free golf makes it a lot easier.”
Theegala, Texas Tech’s Ludvig Aberg, Texas’ Parker Coody and UCLA’s Devon Bling are all T-4 at 3 under. USC’s Cameron Henry and Georgia’s Davis Thompson are T-8 at 2 under, with UCLA’s Hidetoshi Yoshihara rounding out the top 10 at 1 under.
SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS: Watch the final round LIVE on Tuesday, March 3. Part of College Golf Live’s 2020 Spring Series.
