The College of Charleston is crafting a Cinderella story at Palm Beach Gardens
It was moving day at the NCAA Division I Men's Regionals, where a few intriguing storylines will be played out over the final round on Wednesday.
Looking for a Cinderella story? Look no further than the Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) Regional, where 14th seed College of Charleston currently holds the No. 5 position by two strokes over Notre Dame.
Ninth-ranked Washington, which had won three out of its previous four tournaments heading into the postseason, including the Pac-12 championship, has its back to the wall. The Huskies will start play on Wednesday five strokes off the cutline at the Stockton Regional.
Other tightly-contested battles for the fifth spot are shaping up at the Norman Regional, where Utah has a one-stroke lead over South Carolina along with the Stockton and Columbus Regionals, where only five strokes stand between third and seventh place.
While advancing to Grayhawk for the national finals remains the top priority, individual titles are also to be decided on Wednesday. Interesting to note that none of the 36-hole leaders have more than a one-stroke lead heading into the final round of play.
Some takeouts from Tuesday...
Scores are low at the New Haven Regional, where Wake Forest (-21) and North Carolina have separated themselves from the pack. The seventh and eighth seeds (North Florida and Georgia Southern) from this regional have crashed the top-five and are seemingly comfortably inside the cutline at 12-under.
The Scarlett Course at Ohio State doesn't yield too many 13-under rounds, but that's what the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets shot today to move well inside the cutline in Columbus. Georgia Tech's second round was 10-strokes lower than any other team in the field.
Auburn also rode a hot round to the top of the leaderboard in the Norman Regional. The Tigers carded a 12-under 276 on Tuesday to open a six-shot lead over the Oklahoma on the Sooners home course.
Here's a recap of second-round action from the six regional sites.
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Bryan Regional; Traditions Club; Bryan, Texas
Christian Banke, Arizona The deck was shuffled a bit, but there were no changes to teams currently sitting inside the top-five in Bryan. The sixth-seeded Arizona Wildcats continue to lead the field at 13-under while Texas A&M, Georgia and Pepperdine are well inside the cutline.
Oregon State, the 10th seed, currently holds the fifth spot by one shot over Kansas while No. 4 seed Tennessee is four back at 3-over.
There's a pretty good battle taking shape for medalist honors. William Paysee of Texas A&M, Trent Phillips of Georgia and Christian Banke share the 36-hole lead at 6-under while four golfers are just one back at 5-under.
Top five seeds: 1. Pepperdine; 2. Texas A&M; 3. Georgia; 4. Tennessee; 5. Kansas
Advancing teams as of today: Arizona (-13); t-2. Texas A&M (-10); Georgia; 4. Pepperdine (-8); 5. Oregon State (-1).
On the outside looking in: 6.Kansas (E); 7. Tennessee (+3).
Advancing individual as of today: Noah Goodwin, SMU (-5).
They said it: "We didn't card the blistering low rounds that we did yesterday, but we played a steady and quality round that added a stroke to our overall team lead. Tuesday's round was another morning of smart golf and good execution of our game plan. I am incredibly proud of how our guys handled the success of Monday and remained focus throughout the round. We have put ourselves in a great position to for well-earned victories as a team and individually going into Wednesday."
Arizona head coach Jim Anderson
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Columbus Regional; Ohio State Golf Club; Columbus, Ohio
Jacob Bridgeman, Clemson The Scarlett Course at Ohio State doesn't give up too many 13-under rounds but don't tell that to Georgia Tech, as the second-seeded Yellow Jackets posted a 271 on Tuesday to jump into a tie for first place with Oklahoma State at 7-under. Just how good was Georgia Tech's round? It was 10 shots lower than any other second-round score.
While Oklahoma State and Georgia Tech are seemingly through to Grayhawk, only five shots separate the next five schools on the leaderboard looking to secure a top-five finish.
Top five seeds: 1. Oklahoma State; 2. Georgia Tech; 3. Arkansas; 4. Clemson; 5. East Tennessee State.
Advancing teams as of today: 1. Oklahoma State (-7); 2. Georgia Tech (-7); 3. Ohio State (+6); 4. Clemson (+8); 5. East Tennessee State (+8).
On the outside looking in: t-6. Arkansas (+10; San Francisco; 8. Duke (+11).
Advancing individual as of today: Playoff: Davis Poot, Wright State (-2); Thomas Giroux, Oakland (-2).
They said it: "These guys drive the ball great. It's a tough golf course and the conditions were difficult but this is certainly one of the best rounds this group has played and one of the better rounds we've had in a lot of years."
Georgia Tech head coach Bruce Heppler
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New Haven Regional; The Course at Yale; New Haven, Conn.
Austin Greaser, North Carolina Birdies remain plentiful at the Course at Yale, where Wake Forest leads the way at 21-under par followed by North Carolina, which shot 13-under on Tuesday to move into second place at 20-under. The seventh and eighth seeds (North Florida and Georgia Southern) have crashed the top-five and are seemingly comfortably inside the cutline at 12-under. Texas Tech currently has a handle on the fifth spot at 10-under with Illinois (-5) and Virginia (-4) needing lights out rounds - and a little help -- on Wednesday.
Top five seeds: 1. North Carolina; 2. Texas Tech; 3. Wake Forest; 4. Illinois; 5. North Carolina State
Advancing teams as of today: 1. Wake Forest (-21); 2. North Carolina (-20); t-3. Georgia Southern (-12); North Florida; 5. Texas Tech (-10).
On the outside looking in: 6. Illinois (-5); Virginia (-4).
Advancing individual as of today: Three tied at -4.
They said it: "It was very tough and windy conditions out on the course today and our guys did a great job handling that and shooting 8-under-par. The course was definitely a little tougher today but they have played well in the first two days. There is still one round to go tomorrow and we are looking to finish strong. Early tee time at 7:30 a.m., so we need to be ready to go."
Wake Forest head coach Jerry Haas
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Norman Regional; Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club; Norman, Okla.
Carson Bacha, Auburn What many thought would be a shootout between top-ranked Oklahoma and Texas for the team title, Auburn has rolled into Norman and has opened a six-shot lead over the Sooners on their home course, thanks to a blistering hot 12-under round on Tuesday. Ole Miss, the fifth seed, is back inside the cutline after a 7-under round left the Rebels tied for third with Texas with one round remaining.
Utah, the regional's ninth seed, is still clinging to the fifth spot at 4-under while South Carolina is just one back.
Top five seeds: 1. Oklahoma; 2. Texas; 3. Auburn; 4. South Carolina; 5. Ole Miss
Advancing teams as of today: 1. Auburn (-24); 2. Oklahoma (-14); t-3. Texas (-8); Ole Miss; 5. Utah (-4).
On the outside looking in: 6. South Carolina (-3).
Advancing individual as of today: Four tied (-3).
They said it: "We played some solid golf today as a team, and it was fun to watch our guys go out there and compete. This group is extremely talented and has a great mindset. Their youthful enthusiasm is contagious, and they are looking forward to having the opportunity to compete for a championship tomorrow."
Auburn head coach Nick Clinard
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Palm Beach Gardens Regional; PGA National Resort; Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Kieron Van Wyk, College of Charleston The top-seeded Vanderbilt looks to be well on the way to its sixth tournament title in its last seven starts, as the Commodores will take a nine-stroke lead into the final round at the Champion Course at Palm Beach Gardens tomorrow.
One of the most intriguing stories of any of the six regional sites is developing at Palm Beach Gardens, where the 14th-seed College of Charleston, behind tournament leader Kieron Van Wyk, is clinging to the fifth spot by two strokes over Notre Dame.
Top five seeds: 1. Vanderbilt; 2. Florida; 3. Notre Dame; 4. Florida State; 5. Purdue
Advancing teams as of today: 1. Vanderbilt (-9); 2. Florida State (E); 3. Florida (+2); 4. Florida State (+6); 5. College of Charleston (+10).
On the outside looking in: 7. Notre Dame (+12).
Advancing individual as of today: Davis Chatfield, Notre Dame (-3).
They said it: ““This time of year is fun and I want the boys to enjoy it and go play Vandy golf.”
Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh
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Stockton Regional; The Reserve at Spanos Park; Stockton, Calif.
Josele Ballester, Arizona State Pac-12 schools are running 1-2-3 in Stockton but conference champion Washington finds itself five shots off the cutline heading into Wednesday's final round.
Top-seeded Arizona State (-21) has a two-shot lead over Stanford, with Oregon and BYU also inside the cutline at 16-under. LSU currently holds the fifth spot at 14-under and will have to fend off Denver (-13) and Liberty (-11) if the Tigers are to advance to Grayhawk.
Ninth-ranked Washington, the region's No. 2 seed, rode a wave of momentum into Stockton with three wins in its last four outings heading into postseason. However, the Huskies will need a hot round tomorrow at Spanos Park, where birdies have been hard to come by so far for the Pac-12 champions.
Top five seeds: 1. Arizona State; 2. Washington; 3. Stanford; 4. LSU; 5. Oregon;
Advancing teams as of today: 1. Arizona State (-21); 2. Stanford (-19); t-3. Oregon (-16); BYU (-16); 5. LSU (-14).
On the outside looking in: 6. Denver (-13); Liberty (-11); Washington (-9).
Advancing individual as of today: Carson Griggs, Denver (-7).
They said it: "We didn't card the blistering low rounds that we did yesterday, but we played a steady and quality round that added a stroke to our overall team lead. Tuesday's round was another morning of smart golf and good execution of our gameplan. I am incredibly proud of how our guys handled the success of Monday and remained focus throughout the round. We have put ourselves in a great position to for well-earned victories as a team and individually going into Wednesday."
Arizona head coach Jim Anderson