Open Announce

Watkins Remains in the Top Five at NCAA Championship

by Steve Kirkland

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. –– The New Mexico men’s golf team continued play at the 2023 NCAA Championship on Saturday with the second round at Grayhawk Golf Club. The Lobos shot 16-over during the second round and remain in 25th place in the 30-team field with a 29-over total through 36 holes.

Despite the Lobos having two difficult rounds to open the championship, junior Matthew Watkins continues to be in the hunt on the individual leaderboard. A day after shooting a 4-under 66, tied for the lowest round ever by a Lobo at the NCAA finals, he shot a 2-over 72 on Saturday. Through 36 holes, he is T-5th on the individual leaderboard at 2-under, five shots off the lead.

Carson Herron and Albert Boneta each shot a 4-over 74 on Saturday, while Brandon Shong added a round of 76. Bastien Amat rounded out the lineup with an 81.

“This course is challenging because it exposes everything in your game,” said head coach Glen Millican. “This afternoon, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been because the wind was down. But it is a test of trying to keep the ball out of bad positions. There is still a lot of opportunity here and a lot of golf to play. If you can play solid, you can move up the leaderboard quickly in these conditions. We need to have a good game plan and execute a little better tomorrow.”

The Lobos will play the third round of the NCAA Championship on Sunday afternoon. Following the round, the field will be cut in half for the fourth and final round of stroke play on Monday. The top nine individuals on teams not advancing will also make the cut to compete for the individual national championship. The top eight teams from stroke play will advance to match play, which will crown the national champion. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be Tuesday and the final will be Wednesday. Golf Channel will televise the action live for the final three days (Monday-Wednesday).