At a California golf course, it’s no surprise that three of the top five schools in the 2026 NCAA Championship are from – you guessed it – The Golden State.
UCLA landed on top after shooting 8-under as a team. While 2024 National Champions Auburn are in second, Pepperdine is in third and San Diego is T4. Only 9 teams were in the red the first day, though 34 players were, too.
Arizona State’s Connor Williams, San Diego’s Ian Maspat and Alabama’s William Jennings – who qualified as an individual – are tied for first after shooting 66 (-6).
The top 5 leaders on the PGA Tour University Rankings shot as follows (in order of PGA Tour U ranking before Round 1 of the NCAA Championship):
T5. Ben James – Virginia (-4)
T100. Christiaan Maas – Texas (+4)
T91. Jase Summy – Oklahoma (+3)
T5. Luke Potter – Texas (-4)
T9. Tommy Morrison – Texas (-3)
Per tradition, Brigham Young University completed their third round yesterday in order to take their mandatory rest day on Sunday. This has been a cause of dissension among various stakeholders, with arguments ranging from different weather conditions to a more favorable competitive environment given that the Cougars are playing amongst themselves just like in practice. Rounds 3 and 4 always prove interesting with BYU is around the cutline.
The same pairings will tee off tomorrow beginning at 6:50am PT, with tee times and starting holes switched between morning and afternoon waves and off the first and tenth tees.
