CARLSBAD, Calif. — No. 22 men’s golf (296-290–586) moved into a tie for 20th at 10-over par in the NCAA Championship on Saturday at Omni La Costa Resort.
"Besides a few high numbers on a couple holes, the guys played incredibly well today," director of golf Todd Miller. "The course is always tougher in the afternoons with more wind and firm greens."
Kihei Akina (69-70–139) found himself tied for ninth, the same position as yesterday, after a 2-under-par Saturday to push him to 5-under par for the championship. Akina flashed brilliance with a hole out on hole 13, a par four, for an eagle in addition to three birdies and 11 pars.
"Kihei is doing a great job at managing the expectations and stepping up every time the team needs him," Miller said. "It’s a big ask for a freshman to lead the team on a national championship course with all the pressure, but he’s handling it beautifully."
Top-ranked Auburn (282-272–556) had a tournament best 16-under-par round two to put them ahead of the field at 20-under par. No. 3 Texas (287-277–564) and No. 11 Vanderbilt (287-277–564) share the second spot at 12-under par. No. 5 Oklahoma State (295-274–569) and UCLA (280-289–569) ended the day tied for fourth at 7-under par.
Simon Kwon (72-78–150) and Tyson Shelley (79-71–150) finished the day tied for 109th at 6-over par. Shelley helped himself out with three birdies and 13 pars on his scorecard.
"After a couple tough rounds, Tyson Shelley came up big for us today," Miller said.
Peter Kim’s (78-73–151) 1-over-par round brought him to a tie for 116th. Parker Bunn (77-76–153) ended Saturday with a share of 136th at 9-over par.
"Peter’s three birdies to close out his round at least gives us a shot of making the first cut," Miller said.
If the Cougars’ third round, played on Thursday, is enough to push them inside the top-15, they will advance to the fourth and final round of stroke play on Monday. The first tee time on Sunday will be at 7:30 a.m. MDT. Follow live scoring on Scoreboard, with live coverage of the round beginning on the Golf Channel at 1:30 p.m. MDT.