Texas Tech golfer Callum Scott shot a 4-under 68 to advance past the 54-hole cut and into the fourth round at the NCAA Championships in Carlsbad, California, on Sunday.
Scott ace's the 245-yard 12th hole on the Omni La Costa North Course. The junior from Scotland stumbled with a double bogey on the par-4 15th but birdied the par-5 18th to finish 2-over after 54 holes.
The NCAA Championship began with 30 teams but was narrowed down to 15 after Sunday's rounds, with the nine lowest scorers not selected. Tech moved from 28th to 17th on Sunday with its second-best round of 3-under par, but fell five strokes short of advancing and four strokes short of a playoff spot.
“We dug ourselves a big hole,” Tech coach Greg Sands said, “and I'm really proud of the way we gave ourselves a chance to at least finish in the top 15. The way our guys persevered is a big confidence boost.”
Baton Rouge Area medalist Bard Skogen shot 74-79 over the first two days before shooting a 3-under 69 in the final round Sunday to tie for 40th. The senior from Norway had four birdies and one bogey.
Matthew Comegys (79-74-75) finished at 12 over and Tylan Snyders (82-76-73) finished at 15 over. Vicente Marsilio started with rounds of 80-77 and was replaced by Charlie DeLong, who shot 79 on Sunday.
Scott has continued his strong postseason run after tying for second at the Baton Rouge Regional.
“The potential of this kid is limitless,” Sands said. “He's one of the best talents in the world. Probably one of the most talented kids here, but he's still learning how to play golf. … This is just a glimpse of what kind of player he is.”
Related:Texas Tech golf heads to national championships inspired by Bird Skogen's finest moment
Related:Byrd Skogen wins regional championship, leads Texas Tech golf team to NCAA championship
Texas Tech has advanced to the NCAA Championship four straight years, the past three at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Red Raiders finished tied for 13th in 2021 and tied for 15th last year, missing the playoffs out of the fourth round. In 2022, Tech finished eighth after 72 holes and lost to Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals of the match play.
Individual medalists will be decided after 72 holes on Monday. The field will be narrowed down to eight teams, which will begin on Tuesday in match play format.
Illinois is 2 under par and leads the team race, six strokes ahead of Virginia.
In the individual standings, Ohio State's Adam Wallin leads by two strokes at five under par.
