Individuals fared better on Friday, with 12 players posting under-par scores, led by Georgia Tech's Hiroshi Tai, who posted a 5-under-par 67. He birdied his closing ninth hole (he started on the 10th) to earn sole possession of the lead by one stroke over Ohio State’s Adam Wallin.

“I really didn’t think about what score I would shoot when I woke up this morning,” Tai said. “We all know the course is really tough, you have to hit good tee shots to good spots and there are hazards that come into play on different holes. We figured out yesterday what holes we could try and be more aggressive and which holes that par is good on those holes. I pretty much stuck with it all day and didn’t change.”

Wallin carded the best round of the morning wave with a 4-under 68. Starting on the 10th tee, Wallin began his round with back-to-back birdies and played his first nine holes at 3-under 33. He climbed to as high as 5-under with a birdie on 8 before closing with a bogey on 9.

“My long game was pretty good, not really my irons but I was very good off the tee,” Wallin said after playing through a steady drizzle much of his round.  “I played the par-5s great. I just kind of stayed in it and was solid. I had a good start (birdie-birdie on 10 and 11). I played hole 10 very well and then hit a long putt on 11 to get me started. It’s a very fair golf course. If you play well, you’re going to shoot a good score. If you are a little off from the tee box, you might get in trouble.”

It’s a very fair golf course. If you play well, you’re going to shoot a good score.

“Adam played really solid and was in control all day long and had really good ball control,” said Jay Moseley, Ohio State head coach. “He hit a lot of fairways and greens and made it pretty simple on himself. You have to hit fairways and greens out here, and it’s a good test.”

Arizona and Virginia took advantage of playing in the afternoon after the course was dampened by morning showers.

“I was really proud of the way they handled a national championship setup, and we showed great composure,” said Arizona Head Coach Jim Anderson. “We put the ball where we needed to most of the time. When we were out of position, we put it back in the right spots. We did not have a double (bogey) on the scorecard today, so that’s a good sign. If we continue doing that and make some birdies like we did, that’s usually a pretty good recipe.”

Looking ahead, Anderson feels that familiarity with the course will lead to success. “The course is fantastic,” he said. “It requires a lot of precision hitting into the greens. The more you play it, the more familiar it will become. We’re comfortable with the lines off the tees and the clubs off the tees already for the most part, so that’s good for us. The setup has been really good with firm greens and challenging hole locations. No one is under par (as a team), and that’s what most of us want when we play in a national championship. The course is delivering so far.”

“Obviously they played well,” said Virginia Head Coach Bowen Sargent of his team. “We talked about it last night and this morning. The start that we had, 12 to 16 were some of the hardest holes on the course. We knew we were going to struggle and get some back on the backside. We got to 6-over early and then fought back and played awesome on the front nine.

We’ll need to put the ball in the fairway, get it around the hole and take the chances when you get them.

"It should be softer tomorrow as in the mornings here, the wind doesn’t blow as much. We’ll need to put the ball in the fairway, get it around the hole and take the chances when you get them. The par fives are critical and on the short holes, you have to play well. Everyone talks about it being a second shot golf course, but if you are not in the fairway, it’s hard to attack on the second shot. We have a great driving team, and as long as we continue to do that we will be in a great position.”

Stanford senior Karl Vilips and Florida senior John DuBois are both two shots back of Tai, posting 3-under-par 69’s over the first 18 holes.

“I felt my round was disciplined and professional, said Vilips. “I haven’t been playing that well as of late so really concentrated on staying even keel throughout the round. Thought my game management was excellent today. It was a great test, pin placements were tough. You have to stay disciplined here or things can change in a hurry.” 

DuBois posted a 3-under 69 on Friday. This marked his 10th career round at the NCAA finals, and five of those rounds have now been par or better. It also marked his 25th career postseason round (SEC Championship, NCAA Regional, NCAA Championship), and 15 of those 25 rounds have now been par or better.

“I love playing big events and felt prepared coming in,” said DuBois, a key contributor to Florida’s national championship team in 2023. “I knew that the course would be a challenge and that the greens are firm, but the mist today provided softer course conditions and the wind was blowing pretty good. We have momentum and know there is a target on our back being the defending national champions. Even though we have a different lineup, it’s fun to go and try to win another one.”

We have momentum and know there is a target on our back being the defending national champions.

The second-round of the championship will tee off on Saturday, May 25 at 6:40 a.m. PST. Finals play for the 2024 championships consists of three days of stroke play over 54 holes on Friday thru Sunday (May 24-26), after which the top 15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team will be determined.

That is followed by a final day of 18 holes of stroke play (Monday, May 27) to determine the top eight teams that will advance to match play as well as the 72-hole individual champion. The team national champion will be determined by a match-play format that will consist of quarterfinals and semifinals conducted on Tuesday, May 28, followed by the finals on Wednesday, May 29.

Photos courtesy of C. Morgan Engel (NCAA Photos)