Men's Golf Holds Final NCAA Championship Qualifying Spot Heading Into Final Round

Tuesday, May 13

Urbana, Ill.

All Day

Troy University

NCAA Urbana Regional

Men's Golf Holds Final NCAA Championship Qualifying Spot Heading Into Final Round

5/13/2025 7:20:00 PM | Golf (M)

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By: Troy Athletics Communications

URBANA, Ill. – Paced by rounds of 1-under from Jake Springer, Brantley Scott and Lee Poppell, Troy shot even-par as a team and sits in fifth place following Tuesday's second round of the NCAA Urbana Men's Golf Regional at the Atkins Golf Club.

Springer moved to 5-under for the week, which ties him for fourth place and just two shots off the individual lead, while Troy is 1-under as a team after 36 holes and five shots clear of Marquette – the top five teams and the top individual from a non-qualifying team will advance to the NCAA Championship.

"I thought the guys played great and we hung in there," head coach Clay Bounds said. "It was another tough day. The pins were tough, and we were able to count three scores under par, which was great. We just have to keep putting the ball in play, hitting a lot of greens and taking advantage of the opportunities when we can get them."

Troy golfers combined for 15 birdies and an eagle on Tuesday, up from 14 in Monday's opening round. Springer paced the Trojans with five birdies, while Poppell had four and Pablo Gracia and Scott added three.

No. 14 Illinois maintained its day one lead after shooting 3-over as a team, while No. 2 Oklahoma State shot up the leaderboard into second place following the low round of the day, with a 9-under. No. 35 UNLV is tied with the Cowboys and No. 23 Texas Tech is a shot up on Troy in fourth.

On the outside looking in on the team side is No. 47 Marquette, which is five shots back of Troy, while Pacific and No. 10 North Carolina are nine shots behind Troy.

"Anytime you're inside the top five in a Regional, it means you're playing pretty good golf," Scott said. "We still need to keep our head down and play well tomorrow; just let the golf take care of itself."

Thoughts from Clay Bounds and Brantley Scott following Round 2⃣ pic.twitter.com/em7440N4Cx

— Troy Men's Golf (@TroyTrojansMG) May 13, 2025

Troy started on No. 10 and made the turn even thanks largely to Poppell's 2-under after he carded back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18. Springer carded three birdies and just one bogey after the turn, while Scott added a pair of birdies and a bogey as the pair kept Troy's card even for the day.

Gracia added a birdie after the turn and shot 3-over to finish as Troy's fourth counting score of the day; he is tied for 45^th place at 5-over. Nick Fowlkes was responsible for Troy's lone eagle, a 3 on the par-5 first but shot 7-over to slip into a tie for 65^th place.

The Trojans have managed to limit the big number on both days, with just two double-bogeys or worse, the fewest in the field. Troy's 29 birdies are six off the pace, while its 113 pars rank as the fourth most.

No round ✌️ hangover for Jake Springer ... drops a 1-under 70 and is currently tied for fourth place ‼️ pic.twitter.com/p4E3ilH733

— Troy Men's Golf (@TroyTrojansMG) May 13, 2025

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 final round along with Texas Tech and Marquette beginning at 8:33 a.m. off the 10^th tee.

Team Standings
1. Illinois 277-281—558, T2. Oklahoma State 286-275—561, T2. UNLV 281-280—561, 4. Texas Tech 279-287—566, 5. Troy 283-284—567, 7. Marquette 285-287—572, 7. North Carolina 292-285—577, T8. Illinois State 287-289—578, T8. Pacific 290-288—578, 10. Long Beach State 285-295—580, T11. Houston 295-290--585, T11. Wright State 299-286—585, 13. NC State 291-299—590

Troy Individuals
T4. Jake Springer 67-70—137, T11. Brantley Scott 70-70—140, T24. Lee Poppell 73-70—143, T45. Pablo Gracia 73-74—147, T65. Nick Fowlkes 73-78—151