AUBURN, Ala. – The NCAA Division I men’s regionals got underway Thursday at six sites around the country. The low five teams after Saturday’s final round will advance to the May 23-28 NCAA Championship at Prairie Dunes.
Here are the first-round results from the Auburn, Raleigh and Sugar Grove regionals (click here for complete regional scores):
Auburn Regional, at Auburn (Ala.) University Club:
Leader: Alabama (-1)
Second place: Texas (+5)
Individual leader: Robin Sciot-Siegrist, Louisville (-3)
Rest of the top 5: Auburn (+6); Colorado (+8); Kennesaw State, Louisville and UNC-Greensboro (+9)
Work to do: BYU (+11); Virginia Tech (+13); New Mexico (+14)
Skinny: Top-ranked Alabama was the only team to finish Round 1 under par. Only 11 players broke par on a day that featured unseasonably cool temperatures, soggy conditions and a steady 15-mph breeze. … Texas rallied on the back nine to finish the day six shots back. The Longhorns were led by Beau Hossler, who came home in 32 to shoot 71. … No player on second-seeded Virginia Tech broke par. The 301 the Hokies shot Thursday was their highest score of the season (299 was previous high). Still, they are only four shots back of the all-important fifth spot.
Raleigh Regional, at Lonnie Poole Golf Course:
Note: Play suspended because of inclement weather
Leader: Georgia Tech (-14 thru 14-17)
Second place: Washington (-10 thru 14-17)
Individual leader: Richy Werenski, Georgia Tech (-5 thru 17)
Rest of the top 5: South Alabama (-5 thru 10-14); Texas Tech (-3 thru 10-14); Wake Forest (-3 thru 10-14); Texas A&M (-3 thru 13-15)
Work to do: Florida State (E thru 14-17); Minnesota (+1 thru 10-12); Mercer (+5 thru 13-15)
Skinny: Heavy storms were the only thing that could slow down the top two seeds, which raced out of the gates with double-digit starts. Four of Tech’s players were 2 under or better, while Trevor Simsby (-4) set the early pace for Washington. … No. 5 seed Mercer got off to a tough start, going 5 over early, but there is plenty of time to turn that around. … Big Ten champion Minnesota is among the teams hovering near the all-important fifth spot, just four shots off the early pace.
Sugar Grove Regional, at Rich Harvest Farms (Ill.):
Leader: UAB (+4)
Second place: Illinois (+5)
Individual leader: Brian Campbell, Illinois (-3)
Rest of the top 5: Clemson and Kent State (+11); Jacksonville State and USC (+14)
Work to do: Cal (+17); UNLV (+20); Purdue (+21)
Skinny: UAB, which won only once this season, was the surprising leader after Day 1. The Blazers counted no score higher than 74 in the opening round. … The biggest surprise was top-seeded Cal, which shot 305, its second-highest score of the season, to sit in seventh place. The Golden Bears counted both a 78 and 80 in the first round. … Jacksonville State, which earned its way to regionals by virtue of its victory at the Ohio Valley Conference championship, opened with 302 to share fifth place heading into Friday’s second round.
