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Day two recap at NCAA Men's Golf Championships: Connor Williams in the hunt at halfway point

Sun Devil men's golf postseason finishes NCAA championship scoring
Day two recap at NCAA Men's Golf Championships: Connor Williams in the hunt at halfway pointDay two recap at NCAA Men's Golf Championships: Connor Williams in the hunt at halfway point
by Doug Tammaro

Junior Connor Williams remains in the hunt for the individual title as the No. 13 Sun Devil Men’s Golf team is 19th after two rounds at the NCAA Championships held at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa (North Course) in Carlsbad.

Williams, ranked No. 28 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) and No. 54 by the NCAA entering the tournament, shot a 1-under 71 Saturday after firing a 6-under 66 on Friday. He is tied for fourth but just three shots off the lead as 12 players are within five strokes.

He has 11 birdies (second in the field) and is averaging 3.75 on the par-4 holes, tied for second-best in the 156-man field. He tied for seventh in 2025 at the same course with a 4-under 284 (68-67-75-74), as he is now 11-under par in six NCAA Tournament rounds in Carlsbad.

Connor Wiliams notes
A third-team GCAA All-American in 2025 ... has 12 top-10 finishes in career and five top-five finishes, including a fifth-place spot at the NCAA Bremerton Regional in 2025 and a second-place finish at the 2025 Big 12 Championship ... a first-team All-Big 12 selecton in 2026 and 2025 ... finished seventh at the 2025 NCAA Championship ... won the 15th
annual Patriot All -America Invitational in Arizona in December of 2025, as Williams’ final round -4 (66) on the Wigwam Golf Club Gold Course earned him the Men’s Division title by 6 strokes at -14 (196) overall.

Connor Williams' career top-10 finishes (12)
T1: 2025 The Wohali (Sept. 15-16)
2: 2025 Big 12 Championship (Apr. 22-24)
2: 2024 Williams Cup (Oct. 20-22)
T4: 2026 Thunderbird Collegiate (April 10-11)
5: 2025 NCAA Bremerton Regional (May 12-14)
T6: 2024 Sahalee Players (Sept. 7-8)
T7: 2025 NCAA Championship (May 23-26)
8: 2023 Maui Jim Individual (Sept. 8-9)
T8: 2025 Cabo Collegiate (Mar. 1-3)
T8: 2024 Ben Hogan Collegiate (Sept. 30-Oct. 1)
T8: 2024 Valspar Collegiate (Mar. 25-26)
T9: 2025 OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational (Sept. 19-21)

Same format
Finals play continues Sunday, after which the top 15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team will be determined. That is followed by a final day of 18 holes of stroke play on Monday (June 1) to determine the top eight teams that will advance to match play, as well as the 72-hole individual champion.

The team national champion will be determined by a match-play format that will consist of quarterfinals and semifinals conducted on Tuesday (June 2), followed by finals on Wednesday (June 3).

Most NCAA Championship appearances
Oklahoma State, 77
Texas, 69
Arizona State, 60
USC, 59

Sun Devil NCAA top-10 finishes under Matt Thurmond (2017-present)
Josele Ballester (Sr.), T4/2025 (Carlsbad, CA)
Connor Williams (So.) T7/2025 (Carlsbad, CA)
Preston Summerhays (Sr.), T9/2025 (Carlsbad, CA)
Cameron Sisk (Sr.), T5th/2022 (Scottsdale, AZ)
Ryggs Johnston (So.), 3rd/2021 (Scottsdale, AZ)
Cameron Sisk (Jr.), T8th/2021 (Scottsdale, AZ)
Chun An Yu (Jr.), 3rd/2019 (Fayetteville, AR)

Sun Devil NCAA champions
Alejandro Canizares, 2003
Todd Demsey, 1993
Phil Mickelson, 1992
Phil Mickelson, 1990
Phil Mickelson, 1989
Jim Carter, 1983

Most NCAA individual men’s golf champions
Yale, 13
Oklahoma State, 9
Harvard, 8
Houston, 8
Princeton, 7
Arizona State, 6
Texas, 6

2026 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship
Omni La Costa Resort and Spa (North Course)
Carlsbad, Calif.
Par 72/7,528 yards
Teams (Ranking)/Par 288
Auburn (1) 284-272=556/-20
Texas (3) 287-577=564/-12
Vanderbilt (11) 287-277=564/-12
UCLA (30) 280-289=569/-7
Oklahoma State (5) 295-274=569/-7
Duke (29) 286-286=572/-4
Virginia (4) 288-284=572/-4
Arizona (12) 287-285=572/-4
Pepperdine (14) 285-290=575/-1
North Carolina (10) 287-288=575/-1
Oklahoma (16) 292-284=576/E
San Diego (42) 286-291=577/+1
Stanford (15) 291-286=577/+1
Chattanooga (56)294-285=579/+3
Tennessee (18)292-287=579/+3
Florida (2) 291-290=581/+5
Arkansas State (39) 295-287=582/+6
Georgia (23) 292-291=583/+7
Arizona State (13) 291-293=584/+8
Arkansas (6) 288-298=586/+10
BYU (22) 296-290=586/+10
Texas A&M (20) 299-289=588/+12
Louisville (33) 294-296=590/+14
Purdue (40) 296-294=591/+15
Mississippi State (37) 298-294=592/+16
Memphis (57) 301-293=594/+18
LSU (7) +20 303-293=596/+20
Ole Miss (9) 303-293=596/+20
USC (28) 297-300=597/+21
Florida State (26) 307-292=599/+23

Individual leader/Sun Devils
1. Filip Jakubcik, Arizona 68-66=134/-10
T4. Connor Williams 66-71=137/-7
T52. Michael Mjaaseth 73-72=145/+1
T88. Boston Bracken 75-73=148/+4
T141. Fifa Loapakdee 77-77=154/+10
T152. Bowen Mauss 82-77=159/+15

Sun Devil men’s golf top-five NCAA finishes (1983-present)
Josele Ballester (Sr.), T4th/2025 (Carlsbad, CA)

Cameron Sisk (Sr.), T5th/2022 (Scottsdale, AZ)
Ryggs Johnston (So.), 3rd/2021 (Scottsdale, AZ)
Chun An Yu (Jr.), 3rd/2019 (Fayetteville, AR)
Jon Rahm (Sr.), T3rd/2016 (Eugene, OR)
Jon Rahm (Fr.), T2nd/2013 (Atlanta, GA)
Alejandro Canizares (Fr.), 1st/2003 (Stillwater, OK)
Chez Reavie (Fr.), T4th/2001 (Durham, ND)
Paul Casey (So.), 4th/1999 (Chaska, MN)
Darren Angel (Fr.), T3rd/1996 (Chattanooga, TN)
Joey Snyder (Jr.), T5th/1995 (Columbus, OH)
Todd Demsey (So.), 1st/1993 (Lexington, KY)
Phil Mickelson (Sr.), 1st/1992 (Albuquerque, NM)
Phil Mickelson (Jr.), T4th/1991 (Pebble Beach, CA)
Phil Mickelson (So.), 1st/1990 (Tarpon Springs, FL)
Phil Mickelson (Fr.), 1st/1989 (Edmond, OK)
Jim Carter (Jr.), 1st/1983 (Fresno, CA)