CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA 鈥 Arizona State shot 11-under 277 on Saturday to take a three-stroke team lead after 36 holes at the 2025 红杏视频 Division I Men鈥檚 Golf Championships being played at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa North Course (7,528 yards/par 72).
Sophomore Connor Williams led the way for the Sun Devils with a bogey-free round of five-under 67, while teammates Josele Ballester, Peer Wernicke and Preston Summerhays provided the support, each shooting 70 on a cool morning in Carlsbad.
鈥淚t was a great round, we have put ourselves in an advantageous position,鈥 said Arizona State head coach Matt Thurmond. 鈥淚 am pleased with the way we have competed the past two days. To post a score like that, which will probably hold up as the lowest round of the day, provides a huge confidence boost for us going forward.鈥
First-round leader Oklahoma came in at 2-under 70 on Saturday and is three strokes back of the Sun Devils (563) with a team score of 10-under 566. Defending national champion Auburn turned in a second consecutive solid round and is currently in third place at 568, five strokes back.
UPDATES: Follow the 2025 DI men's golf championship here
After two rounds, Williams of Arizona State is tied with Michael La Sasso of Ole Miss for the individual lead at 9-under 135. Texas A&M senior Phichaksn Maichon, who had a one stroke lead after the first round, is currently in third place, four strokes back of the leaders after shooting a 73 on Saturday. Also tied for third place is Brendan Valdes of Auburn with back-to-back rounds of 69-70.
鈥淚t is exciting but there is still a lot of golf left,鈥 said Williams, a native of Escondido, California, 20 miles from Omni La Costa. 鈥淭here are so many talented players in this field that can make a run. I do feel good about being in the lead, but it makes me even more motivated to come out and keep it the next two days. I enjoy playing this course and my teammates have been keeping me in the right frame of mind to compete at a high level. Getting a chance to play in front of friends and family near where I grew up has also helped elevate my game.鈥
鈥淭his is what Connor has been capable of, he is an extremely talented golfer who continues to grow every day,鈥 said Thurmond. 鈥淭hat was an impressive round coming off a great start yesterday. He is playing smart and consistent golf. The key will be maintaining his focus and continue playing the same way that got him the lead.鈥
La Sasso posted a 67 on Saturday working around three straight bogeys on holes 12,13 and 14. The junior had six birdies and an eagle on the 622-yard par-five second hole.
FIRST ROUND RESULTS: Oklahoma leads after first round of 2025 DI men's golf championships
鈥淚 got off to a pretty good start, taking better advantage of the par-five鈥檚 today than I did yesterday,鈥 said La Sasso. 鈥淚t was just a fun round and exciting to be a part of. The second nine is definitely more difficult as the day progresses. The greens get firmer and the breeze picks up. On my three straight bogeys, I never really hit that bad of a shot but just got unlucky. That鈥檚 what a challenging layout can do to you. I found a way to bring it home though with the three birdies on 15, 16 and 18 to finish well.鈥
The third-round of the championship will tee off on Sunday, May 25 at 6:30 a.m. PST and will determine the top 15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team who will advance to play in Monday鈥檚 fourth and final round of stroke play and remain in contention for the individual national champion on Monday and team national championship on Wednesday of next week.
Finals play for the 2025 championships consists of three days of stroke play over 54 holes on Friday thru Sunday (May 23-25), followed by a final day of 18 holes of stroke play (Monday, May 26) 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 27, followed by the finals on Wednesday, May 28.
