LAS VEGAS, Nev. – You know it's a good day on the golf course when your non-counting scorer shoots a 4-under 68, and that was the case for Stanford men's golf on Tuesday as it shot a 22-under 266 to shoot to the top of the leaderboard with a school-record 42-under 534 through 36 holes at the Las Vegas Regional. Stanford's 42-under is not only a school record, but an NCAA Regional record through 36 holes. The Cardinal leads top-seed Arizona State by four strokes and is 13 shots clear of the cut line with 18 holes remaining on Wednesday.
Fifth-year senior Ethan Ng is tied for the lead at 14-under 130, the best 36-hole start for a Cardinal at an NCAA Regional in school history. Junior Michael Thorbjornsen is tied for third at 13-under 131. Barclay Brown (5-under 67), Karl Vilips (5-under 67) and Nate Menon (6-under 66) were Stanford's other standouts on Tuesday, as the Cardinal tied for the second-best 18-hole team score at a regional site ever.
Through 36 holes, Stanford is first in the field on Par-4 scoring at 20-under, while it is 25-under on the Par 5s. The Cardinal has an astonishing 70 birdies, 16 more than any other team in the field, despite its 83 pars being last in the 14-team field.
Ng is first in the field on the Par 4s (-9) and tied for fourth on the Par 5s at 8-under. Thorbjornsen is 7-under on the Par 4s, good for second-best in the tournament, while Menon's 3-under on the Par 3s is best in the field.
The players with the four-most birdies in the field are all Cardinal: Thorbjornsen leads with 16, Ng and Vilips are tied for second with 15, and Brown is fourth with 14. Menon has added 10 to his ledger.
The Cardinal will look to clinch its spot to Grayhawk Golf Club and the NCAA Championships on Wednesday. The final round begins at 7:30 a.m.
NCAA Las Vegas Regional (Bear's Best Las Vegas, par 72)
Name | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. Stanford | 268 (-20) | 266 (-22) | -- | 534 (-42) |
T1. Ethan Ng | 64 (-8) | 66 (-6) | -- | 130 (-14) |
T3. Michael Thorbjornsen | 63 (-9) | 68 (-4) | -- | 131 (-13) |
T19. Barclay Brown | 70 (-2) | 67 (-5) | -- | 137 (-7) |
T24. Karl Vilips | 71 (-1) | 67 (-5) | -- | 138 (-6) |
T55. Nate Menon | 73 (+1) | 66 (-6) | -- | 139 (-5) |