Troy University Athletics
Monday, May 12
Urbana, Ill.
All Day
Troy University
vs
NCAA Urbana Regional
Springer Second, Troy Fourth Following Round One of NCAA Urbana Regional
5/12/2025 4:09:00 PM | Golf (M)
URBANA, Ill. – Jake Springer carded seven birdies en route to a 4-under 67, and Troy is in fourth place following Monday's opening round of the NCAA Urbana Men's Golf Regional at the Atkins Golf Club. The top five teams following 54 holes advance to the NCAA Championship.
Troy is just two shots back of No. 35 UNLV for third place, while No. 23 Texas Tech is four shots clear of the Trojans in second place. No. 14 Illinois, the host school for the event, shot 7-under, with an 8-under from the individual leader, to hold the clubhouse lead after round one.
No. 27 Long Beach State and No. 47 Marquette are two shots back of Troy in a tie for fifth place, while No. 2 Oklahoma State sits 2-over in seventh place, No. 10 North Carolina shot 8-over and No. 38 Houston sits 11-over.
"The guys got off to a good start," Sun Belt Coach of the Year Clay Bounds said. "The weather was tough, and it's a tough golf course. We battled rain all day, and it was cold early, so it was good to see some putts drop early in the round.
"We're in a good position," Bounds said. "Our goal coming in was to be in the top five, and right now we are. Certainly, we have a lot of golf left, but going forward, we're going to keep pushing the gas, try to make birdies and stay in the top five."
Springer opened his round with three straight birdies, and he finished with seven on the day, tied for the second most in the field. The senior from Tallahassee, Fla., traded bogeys for birdies of No. 5 thru No. 8 to make the turn at 3-under.
"Super proud of Jake, he has played well all year and for him to come out and shoot the round he did was awesome to see. It was good to see him making some putts, which is good for his confidence going forward."
He added his sixth birdie of the round on the 407-yard, par-4 12th and his seventh on the 480-yard, par-4 16thbefore a bogey on the 17th. He sits in sole possession of second place, four shots back of Illinois' Jackson Buchanan.
"I believe in my game, and I trust in it, but I've been playing bad the past couple days," Springer said. "We spent several hours yesterday on the range hitting balls, trying to find something, so to come out early, get off to a hot start and hit some quality shots in the beginning was nice to settle down and get the round started."
Brantley Scott also finished in the red for the Trojans, carding a 1-under 71 to finish the day tied for 15th place. Scott, who joined Springer on the All-Sun Belt First Team, birdied the first and seventh holes and shot par on the remainder of the course before running into trouble on the par-3 17th, where, like Springer, he carded a bogey.
Nick Fowlkes, Lee Poppell and Pablo Gracia turned in matching 73s to split the final counting score on Troy's team card; the trio is tied for 33rd place. Their cards look even more impressive when glancing at the rest of the field, as Troy's 2-over in the final counting spot was tied for the second-best in the tournament, while the 2-over as the fifth bag was the second-best, only to Texas Tech.
Fowlkes shot 36 on the front and 37 on the back of the par-71 course, to finish the day 2-over. He made the turn even after two birdies and two bogeys and then went 1-over after a bogey on the 10th. The senior All-Sun Belt Third Team selection got back even with a four on the par-5 15th, but bogeys on the 16th and 18th pushed his card to 2-over for the day.
Poppell was tagged with bogeys on the fifth and eighth and carded pars on his remaining 16 holes, while Gracia opened with a double on the par-5 first before responding with a pair of birdies and a pair of bogeys, all par-4 holes.
Troy finished the day eighth with 14 birdies but led the field with just 14 bogeys or worse and with 62 pars.
The Trojans will tee up the second round along with Long Beach State and Marquette beginning at 8:33 a.m. off the 10th tee.
Team Standings
1. Illinois 277, 2. Texas Tech 279, 3. UNLV 281, 4. Troy 283, T5. Long Beach State 285, T5. Marquette 285, 7. Oklahoma State 286, 8. Illinois State 287, 9. Pacific 290, 10. NC State 291, 11. North Carolina 292, 12. Houston 295, 13. Wright State 299
Troy Individuals
2. Jake Springer 67, T15. Brantley Scott 70, T33. Pablo Gracia 73, T33. Nick Fowlkes 73, T33. Lee Poppell 73
Troy is just two shots back of No. 35 UNLV for third place, while No. 23 Texas Tech is four shots clear of the Trojans in second place. No. 14 Illinois, the host school for the event, shot 7-under, with an 8-under from the individual leader, to hold the clubhouse lead after round one.
No. 27 Long Beach State and No. 47 Marquette are two shots back of Troy in a tie for fifth place, while No. 2 Oklahoma State sits 2-over in seventh place, No. 10 North Carolina shot 8-over and No. 38 Houston sits 11-over.
Sitting 2-under as we hit the back of the course … stay 🥵 boys!! pic.twitter.com/ulBNqSvywE
— Troy Men's Golf (@TroyTrojansMG) May 12, 2025
"The guys got off to a good start," Sun Belt Coach of the Year Clay Bounds said. "The weather was tough, and it's a tough golf course. We battled rain all day, and it was cold early, so it was good to see some putts drop early in the round.
"We're in a good position," Bounds said. "Our goal coming in was to be in the top five, and right now we are. Certainly, we have a lot of golf left, but going forward, we're going to keep pushing the gas, try to make birdies and stay in the top five."
Springer opened his round with three straight birdies, and he finished with seven on the day, tied for the second most in the field. The senior from Tallahassee, Fla., traded bogeys for birdies of No. 5 thru No. 8 to make the turn at 3-under.
"Super proud of Jake, he has played well all year and for him to come out and shoot the round he did was awesome to see. It was good to see him making some putts, which is good for his confidence going forward."
He added his sixth birdie of the round on the 407-yard, par-4 12th and his seventh on the 480-yard, par-4 16thbefore a bogey on the 17th. He sits in sole possession of second place, four shots back of Illinois' Jackson Buchanan.
"I believe in my game, and I trust in it, but I've been playing bad the past couple days," Springer said. "We spent several hours yesterday on the range hitting balls, trying to find something, so to come out early, get off to a hot start and hit some quality shots in the beginning was nice to settle down and get the round started."
Brantley Scott also finished in the red for the Trojans, carding a 1-under 71 to finish the day tied for 15th place. Scott, who joined Springer on the All-Sun Belt First Team, birdied the first and seventh holes and shot par on the remainder of the course before running into trouble on the par-3 17th, where, like Springer, he carded a bogey.
Checking in with HC Clay Bounds and Jake Springer following our opening round in Urbana.#SharpenTheSword | #OneTROY ⚔️⛳️ pic.twitter.com/dBfAmddcv2
— Troy Men's Golf (@TroyTrojansMG) May 12, 2025
Nick Fowlkes, Lee Poppell and Pablo Gracia turned in matching 73s to split the final counting score on Troy's team card; the trio is tied for 33rd place. Their cards look even more impressive when glancing at the rest of the field, as Troy's 2-over in the final counting spot was tied for the second-best in the tournament, while the 2-over as the fifth bag was the second-best, only to Texas Tech.
Fowlkes shot 36 on the front and 37 on the back of the par-71 course, to finish the day 2-over. He made the turn even after two birdies and two bogeys and then went 1-over after a bogey on the 10th. The senior All-Sun Belt Third Team selection got back even with a four on the par-5 15th, but bogeys on the 16th and 18th pushed his card to 2-over for the day.
Poppell was tagged with bogeys on the fifth and eighth and carded pars on his remaining 16 holes, while Gracia opened with a double on the par-5 first before responding with a pair of birdies and a pair of bogeys, all par-4 holes.
Troy finished the day eighth with 14 birdies but led the field with just 14 bogeys or worse and with 62 pars.
The Trojans will tee up the second round along with Long Beach State and Marquette beginning at 8:33 a.m. off the 10th tee.
Team Standings
1. Illinois 277, 2. Texas Tech 279, 3. UNLV 281, 4. Troy 283, T5. Long Beach State 285, T5. Marquette 285, 7. Oklahoma State 286, 8. Illinois State 287, 9. Pacific 290, 10. NC State 291, 11. North Carolina 292, 12. Houston 295, 13. Wright State 299
Troy Individuals
2. Jake Springer 67, T15. Brantley Scott 70, T33. Pablo Gracia 73, T33. Nick Fowlkes 73, T33. Lee Poppell 73
Players Mentioned
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