ST ANDREWS, SCOTLAND – The first day of the second annual St Andrews Links Collegiate is in the books. Friends and family watched on as some of the best collegiate golfers from around the world teed off at the “home of golf.” The signature three-day event features some of the most historic universities in America. Men’s and women’s golf teams from Howard University, Northwestern University, the University of Arizona, and the University of St Andrews played the first of two days of stroke play on the Jubilee Course.
On the men’s side, Arizona teammates Filip Jakubcik and Zach Pollo each fired a 3-under 67 to take a two-shot lead over Northwestern’s Archie Finnie, Niall Shiels-Donegan, and Arizona’s Tiger Christensen heading into Tuesday’s final round of individual stroke play. For the men’s team competition, Arizona sits atop the leaderboard at 3 under par, four shots ahead of the Wildcats of Northwestern.
Northwestern’s Ashley Yun leads all women after a 3-under 69; the women’s championship is played at par 72. Yun made four birdies, with her lone bogey coming at the par-3 17th hole. Yun holds a one-shot lead over Arizona’s Charlotte Back, who carded a 2 under par round of 70. After one round, the Northwestern Wildcat women have a six-shot lead over Arizona in the team competition, who will look to lean on sophomore of duo Back and Maria Cabanillas, who currently sit in the top 5.
Cameron Adam, who is no stranger to St Andrews, an Edinburgh native, sits just three back with his sights set on a title at the “home of golf.” Adam, a senior at Northwestern who has his parents following him this week, said, “It’s truly special to have the family out here, as well as the dog. This is the first time they can watch me play in college, so it is great to be home here in Scotland, at St Andrews.” Adam carded an even par round; the men’s play the course at a par 70 that included three birdies and three bogeys.
St Andrews Ellie Monk and Judy Miwoo Joo each shot a 1 over par round of 73 and remain in a tie for sixth place as the second round tees off tomorrow. The St Andrews women currently sit in third place and look to improve their position as stroke play concludes. The University of St Andrews men’s team is also in third place in the men’s division. Ethan Mangum and teammate Judd Sundelson are tied for seventh place; both finished the day with a one over par round of 71. This is the first year a U.K.-based university has played in the St Andrews Links Collegiate.
Howard University is currently in fourth position in both the men’s and women’s competitions. The Bisons are eager to climb the leaderboard. Monday’s opening round 71 by Mathis Perroni put the sophomore from France in a tie for seventh place, within four shots of the lead. Emily Mayne had the best round of the day for the Lady Bisons and closed the first round in a tie for 13th place, with teammate Marley Franklin one stroke behind. There is still plenty of golf to be played for the Bisons and their playing competitors as the St Andrews Links Collegiate heads into the second round.
Round 2 of the 2024 St Andrew Links Collegiate will tee off at 9:10 a.m. BST at the Jubilee Course. The second round is the final round of individual stroke play.
About St Andrews Links Trust
St Andrews Links Trust is responsible for the management and maintenance of the seven Links courses at St Andrews, including the world-famous Old Course, host of The Open Championship a record 30 times.
St Andrews Links Trust manages a number of additional facilities including three clubhouses, a golf academy and five shops. More than 250,000 rounds are played over the seven courses attracting visitors from around the world to follow in the footsteps of the world’s greatest golfers and become a part of golf’s rich history.
About HNS Sports Group
HNS Sports Group is well-positioned to assist companies that find value in the golf industry and build and execute comprehensive golf branding or sponsorship strategies. Effectively understanding the golf marketplace today is a significant challenge, the HNS Sports Group team possesses over 125 years of collective experience that is applied to lead companies in their efforts to maximize value from golf sponsorship and event participation.
ABOUT NBC SPORTS’ COLLEGE GOLF PLATFORM
GOLF Channel is the television home for college golf, currently providing live coverage of nearly 15 college golf championships. GOLF Channel deploys its comprehensive portfolio of news, digital and social media coverage year-round in covering collegiate golf, including season preview shows, signing day specials, regional and national qualifying coverage, serving as the exclusive media partner of PGA TOUR University and exclusive annual coverage for the Haskins and ANNIKA Awards Presented by Stifel.
Following its announcement in 2013 as the exclusive television provider of the NCAA Golf Championships, GOLF Channel has provided live coverage of the men’s NCAA Championships since 2014 and the women’s NCAA Championships since 2015, which are hosted at the same venue in consecutive weeks at Omni La Costa, San Diego, CA. GOLF Channel also annually televises the three-day East Lake Cup at historic East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Ga.; the Western Intercollegiate Presented by Titleist, one of the longest-running college tournaments in the U.S. taking place at Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, Calif.; the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate Presented by Principal Financial at Long Cove Club in Hilton Head, S.C.; the Blessings Collegiate Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark; the Jackson T. Stephens Cup; the St Andrews Links Collegiate and the Southwest Airlines Showcase at Cedar Crest at Cedar Crest in Dallas, Texas.
