Utah golf coach Garrett Clegg said a few weeks ago that the final round of the NCAA Regional could be excruciatingly difficult to watch for Utes fans, because chances were high that it would come down to the wire to determine the five teams that would make the cut for the NCAA Championships.
Clegg knew exactly what he was talking about.
Heading into Wednesday’s third and final round at Tumble Creek Club in Cle Elum, Washington, the Utes are tied for fifth in the team race with Pepperdine. Both teams are at even-par 568 after Tuesday’s second round.
Seventh-place Denver (570), eighth-place Florida (574) and ninth-place Oregon (575) are also threats to jump into the top five, but would need big days and some faltering from Utah, Pepperdine or both to advance.
Sacramento State of the Big Sky Conference was forced to withdraw before Tuesday’s round began due to COVID-19 protocols.
Meanwhile, Utah’s Tristan Mandur is alone in third place after firing another 3-under-par 68 and could be in position to advance to nationals in Scottsdale, Arizona, even if the rest of the Utes aren’t there with him.
Along with Mandur’s 68, Utah used Mitchell Schow’s 71, Javier Barcos’ 73 and Jesper von Reedtz’s 73 on Tuesday in arriving at 285, two shots higher than Monday’s 283. Utah’s second-best player, former Skyline High star Blake Tomlinson, shot a noncounting 77 and dropped into a tie for 38th with Schow and several other players in the medalist race.
Barcos is tied for 33rd and von Reedtz is tied for 58th.
Other locals at NCAA Regionals
BYU’s Carson Lundell, one of the hottest players in the West entering the tournament, is tied for 54th after shooting a 4-over 75 on Tuesday. Lundell played the final four holes 3-over.
Utah Valley’s Gabe Lysen, a graduate student, is tied for 23rd at 1-over 143 after shooting an even-par 71 on Tuesday.
Southern Utah’s Jake Vincent is tied for 58th after Tuesday’s 76.
Elsewhere, Georgia Tech’s Connor Howe, a former Weber High golfer who is competing in the Tallahassee Regional, shot a 70 Tuesday and is tied for 14th entering Wednesday’s final round at Seminole Legacy Golf Club. Georgia Tech is in third place in the team race.