Troy University Athletics
Friday, May 23
Carlsbad, Calif.
10:20 a.m.
Troy University
vs
NCAA Championship
Troy Tied for 12th Following Day One of NCAA Men’s Golf Championship
5/23/2025 10:07:00 PM | Golf (M)
CARLSBAD, Calif. – Paced by a 1-under 71 from senior Nick Fowlkes, Troy is tied for 12th place following Friday's opening round of the NCAA Men's Golf Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa North Course. The Trojans shot 4-over as a team to finish the round ahead of six top 20 teams.
Playing in his home state, Fowlkes, who is tied for 25th place, opened his round with a bogey on the par-5 10th and immediately got back even with a birdie on the 355-yard, par-4 11th. He followed with 15 consecutive pars before closing the day with a birdie on the 426-yard, par-4 ninth. The under-par round was just Fowlkes' second in his last 15 rounds after he opened the season with seven of his first eight rounds in the red.
No. 6 Oklahoma shot 8-under to claim the top spot on the leaderboard following the opening 18 holes of the NCAA Championship, followed by No. 9 Florida State, No. 7 Florida and No. 4 Texas, all in a tie for second place at 3-under.
Troy, which entered the NCAA Championship ranked No. 46 in the country, is tied with No. 24 Texas Tech; the Trojans defeated the Red Raiders last week in Regional play.
The top 15 teams following Sunday's third round will advance to one final round of stroke play on Monday before the field is trimmed to eight teams for match play. Troy is one shot clear of five teams tied for 14th, including No. 2 Oklahoma State and No. 3 Ole Miss.
"The guys played really solid," head coach Clay Bounds said. "It was a tough day. The pins were tough and the greens were tough, but we came out and played a really solid round of golf, and we've got some more left in the tank for sure."
Brantley Scott had an eventful opening nine holes where he birdied the 10th and 18th around bogeys on the 14th and 17th before settling in for nine pars on his back nine. The Troy senior ended with an even round of 72, good for a tie for 39th place overall.
Scott's round was reflective of the day for Troy, as the Trojans collected eight birdies on their first nine holes compared to just four after the turn. Additionally, 13 of the Trojans' bogeys or doubles came before the turn, while just seven came on the final nine holes.
Lee Poppell added three birdies in his round of 74, good for a tie for 63rd place, while Pablo Gracia added two birdies in a round of 75 and Jake Springer had three birdies in his round of 78.
Troy will get to sleep in Saturday morning as the tee times flip for the second round, pushing the Trojans to the afternoon wave and a 3:40 p.m. (CT) start from No. 1.
Team Standings
1. Oklahoma 280, T2. Florida 285, T2. Florida State 285, T2. Texas 285, T5. Arizona State 286, T5. Auburn 286, T5. Illinois 286, T8. BYU 289, T8. Colorado 289, T8. Cal 289, 11. Georgia 291, T12. Troy 292, T12. Texas Tech 292, T14. Oklahoma State 293, T14. South Florida 293, T14. Georgia Tech 293, T14. Ole Miss 293, T14. Pepperdine 293, T19. San Diego 294, T19. Vanderbilt 294, 21. Augusta 295, 22. Wake Forest 296, T23. Texas A&M 297, T23. New Mexico 297, T25. Virginia 299, T25. UNLV 299, 27. UCLA 301, 28. South Carolina 302, 29. Tennessee 304, 30 Purdue 307
Troy Individuals
T25. Nick Fowlkes 71, T39. Brantley Scott 72, T63. Lee Poppell 74, T79. Pablo Gracia 75, T130. Jake Springer 78
Playing in his home state, Fowlkes, who is tied for 25th place, opened his round with a bogey on the par-5 10th and immediately got back even with a birdie on the 355-yard, par-4 11th. He followed with 15 consecutive pars before closing the day with a birdie on the 426-yard, par-4 ninth. The under-par round was just Fowlkes' second in his last 15 rounds after he opened the season with seven of his first eight rounds in the red.
No. 6 Oklahoma shot 8-under to claim the top spot on the leaderboard following the opening 18 holes of the NCAA Championship, followed by No. 9 Florida State, No. 7 Florida and No. 4 Texas, all in a tie for second place at 3-under.
Troy, which entered the NCAA Championship ranked No. 46 in the country, is tied with No. 24 Texas Tech; the Trojans defeated the Red Raiders last week in Regional play.
The top 15 teams following Sunday's third round will advance to one final round of stroke play on Monday before the field is trimmed to eight teams for match play. Troy is one shot clear of five teams tied for 14th, including No. 2 Oklahoma State and No. 3 Ole Miss.
"The guys played really solid," head coach Clay Bounds said. "It was a tough day. The pins were tough and the greens were tough, but we came out and played a really solid round of golf, and we've got some more left in the tank for sure."
Brantley Scott had an eventful opening nine holes where he birdied the 10th and 18th around bogeys on the 14th and 17th before settling in for nine pars on his back nine. The Troy senior ended with an even round of 72, good for a tie for 39th place overall.
Scott's round was reflective of the day for Troy, as the Trojans collected eight birdies on their first nine holes compared to just four after the turn. Additionally, 13 of the Trojans' bogeys or doubles came before the turn, while just seven came on the final nine holes.
Lee Poppell added three birdies in his round of 74, good for a tie for 63rd place, while Pablo Gracia added two birdies in a round of 75 and Jake Springer had three birdies in his round of 78.
Troy will get to sleep in Saturday morning as the tee times flip for the second round, pushing the Trojans to the afternoon wave and a 3:40 p.m. (CT) start from No. 1.
Team Standings
1. Oklahoma 280, T2. Florida 285, T2. Florida State 285, T2. Texas 285, T5. Arizona State 286, T5. Auburn 286, T5. Illinois 286, T8. BYU 289, T8. Colorado 289, T8. Cal 289, 11. Georgia 291, T12. Troy 292, T12. Texas Tech 292, T14. Oklahoma State 293, T14. South Florida 293, T14. Georgia Tech 293, T14. Ole Miss 293, T14. Pepperdine 293, T19. San Diego 294, T19. Vanderbilt 294, 21. Augusta 295, 22. Wake Forest 296, T23. Texas A&M 297, T23. New Mexico 297, T25. Virginia 299, T25. UNLV 299, 27. UCLA 301, 28. South Carolina 302, 29. Tennessee 304, 30 Purdue 307
Troy Individuals
T25. Nick Fowlkes 71, T39. Brantley Scott 72, T63. Lee Poppell 74, T79. Pablo Gracia 75, T130. Jake Springer 78
Players Mentioned
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