CARLSBAD, Calif. - Karl Vilips put on another masterclass in Saturday's second round at the NCAA Golf Championships, posting a 4-under 68 to move into sole possession of the individual lead. The Perth, Western Australia native holds a five-shot advantage over Virginia's George Duangmanee and Ohio State's Adam Wallin.
The senior kicked off the round with an eagle on the par-5 10th and didn't look back, adding four more birdies to his scorecard throughout the round with only two bogeys on the round.
Through 36 holes, Vilips is the only remaining golfer to shoot a round in the 60s in both trips around the Omni La Costa North Course after shaving a stroke off his opening round performance. The senior's ability to attack the par-4s at Omni La Costa has been the difference-maker thus far, as Vilips leads the field with a 3.75 scoring average, shooting 5-under on par-4s this weekend.
As a team, Stanford's season hangs in the balance ahead of Sunday's third round as it finished the day in the final spot above the cut line 22-over, two strokes ahead of Bay Area rival California. The Cardinal will need to finish in the top-15 following tomorrow's round to move into the final round of stroke play, before Monday's action determines the eight-team match play field.
A rocky start that including two bogeys, and double-bogey, and just one birdie lead to a 3-over 75 second round for Michael Thorbjornsen. The senior did keep the scorecard clean down the back stretch with nine consecutive pars on holes 1-9 to end the day and sits tied-41st on the individual leaderboard.
Barclay Brown tied for the most birdies on the day for Stanford with four, but a 5-over stretch on holes 12-17 and back-to-back bogeys to end his round led to another 75 for the Cardinal.
Sean-Karl Dobson made his first appearance of the tournament with an 11-over 83, while Jake Beber-Frankel shot a second-round 85 for Stanford's non-scoring effort on Saturday afternoon.
Third round action begins tomorrow morning as Stanford tees off at 8:30 a.m. PT alongside Texas and Florida.
NCAA Men's Golf Championships (Omni La Costa North Course, par 70)
| Name | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T12. Stanford | 297 (+9) | 301 (+13) | --- | --- |
| T3. Karl Vilips | 69 (-3) | 68 (-4) | --- | --- |
| T41. Michael Thorbjornsen | 74 (+2) | 75 (+3) | --- | --- |
| T41. Barclay Brown | 74 (+2) | 75 (+3) | --- | --- |
| T135. Jake Beber-Frankel | 80 (+8) | 85 (+13) | --- | --- |
| S. Ethan Gao | 80 (+8) | --- | --- | --- |
| S. Sean-Karl Dobson | --- | 83 (+11) | --- | --- |
Italics - Non-scoring round