[winflop]

Men's golf tees off tomorrow at the Pac-12 Championships at the Aldarra GC in Sammamish, WA.

Why they are playing a conference championship in the Pacific Northwest is beyond me, but so it is. Weather forecast is for highs in the mid 50s with rain tomorrow & Tuesday. How lovely.

Stanford needs to get its act together. This is its last tournament before NCAA regionals. Its top 3 players - Brown, Thorbjornsen, and Vilips - need to put together 3 solid rounds each. Ng, Yang, and Shimp round out the lineup for the "six take five" format.

Team leaderborad https://results.golfstat.com/public/lead...&tid=24550

[winflop]

Men's golf tees off tomorrow at the Pac-12 Championships at the Aldarra GC in Sammamish, WA.

Why they are playing a conference championship in the Pacific Northwest is beyond me, but so it is. Weather forecast is for highs in the mid 50s with rain tomorrow & Tuesday. How lovely.

Stanford needs to get its act together. This is its last tournament before NCAA regionals. Its top 3 players - Brown, Thorbjornsen, and Vilips - need to put together 3 solid rounds each. Ng, Yang, and Shimp round out the lineup for the "six take five" format.

Team leaderborad https://results.golfstat.com/public/lead...&tid=24550

[winflop]

Playing 36 today. After the first round, Stanford sits right in the middle of the pack. Given that we threw out the score of our #1 player (Thorbjornsen), that's not a terrible position to be in.
T1. Washington & Arizona St -9 this is UW's home course so expect to see them at or near the top all week
3. Oregon -6
T4. Oregon St & UCLA +2
6. Stanford +4

On the individual side, other than Thorbjornsen our stronger players did well:
T2. Brown -3
T10. Vilips -1
T26. Shimp & Yang +1
T62. Ng +6
T64. Thorbjornsen +7

[winflop]

Playing 36 today. After the first round, Stanford sits right in the middle of the pack. Given that we threw out the score of our #1 player (Thorbjornsen), that's not a terrible position to be in.
T1. Washington & Arizona St -9 this is UW's home course so expect to see them at or near the top all week
3. Oregon -6
T4. Oregon St & UCLA +2
6. Stanford +4

On the individual side, other than Thorbjornsen our stronger players did well:
T2. Brown -3
T10. Vilips -1
T26. Shimp & Yang +1
T62. Ng +6
T64. Thorbjornsen +7

[bl82]

I was thinking about commenting on how Alex Yang's game seems to be coming along when I noticed he is now +10 after the first six holes in the second round, capped by a 9 on the par 3 15th. Ouch. This follows a very solid +1 72 in the morning. No room for error elsewhere on the team this afternoon. Let's hope Alex bounces back too.

[bl82]

I was thinking about commenting on how Alex Yang's game seems to be coming along when I noticed he is now +10 after the first six holes in the second round, capped by a 9 on the par 3 15th. Ouch. This follows a very solid +1 72 in the morning. No room for error elsewhere on the team this afternoon. Let's hope Alex bounces back too.

[BostonCard]

-2 for the second round which moves us up to third place.

BC

[BostonCard]

-2 for the second round which moves us up to third place.

BC

[winflop]

Stanford shoots the low round of the afternoon and climbs up to 3rd!

1. Washington -4
2. Arizona St E
3. Stanford +2

Individually, Barclay Brown sits on top of the leaderboard. Otherwise, the guys who played well in the morning struggled in the afternoon and vice-versa. As previously mentioned, Alex Yang balooned with an 82, going +12 on the back nine (his first nine)

1. Brown -7
T28. Shimp, Thorbjornsen, Vilips +3
T46. Ng +6
T63. Yang +13

18 holes tomorrow and again on Wednesday. Lots of golf left to be played

[winflop]

Stanford shoots the low round of the afternoon and climbs up to 3rd!

1. Washington -4
2. Arizona St E
3. Stanford +2

Individually, Barclay Brown sits on top of the leaderboard. Otherwise, the guys who played well in the morning struggled in the afternoon and vice-versa. As previously mentioned, Alex Yang balooned with an 82, going +12 on the back nine (his first nine)

1. Brown -7
T28. Shimp, Thorbjornsen, Vilips +3
T46. Ng +6
T63. Yang +13

18 holes tomorrow and again on Wednesday. Lots of golf left to be played

[Spiny_Norman]

Thorbjornsen and Brown posted 67s, two of the best rounds of the entire tournament. And Stanford's team score in Round 2 of 353 was the lowest score by any team in the afternoon. Brown now leads the individual race at -7. He is playing his best golf of the year.

Stanford has shown its potential. They have the players to win. The question is whether they can show consistency over the final 36 holes that they have not demonstrated in recent tournaments. It has to start with leadership and solid play at the top from Vilips and Thorbjornsen.

[Spiny_Norman]

Thorbjornsen and Brown posted 67s, two of the best rounds of the entire tournament. And Stanford's team score in Round 2 of 353 was the lowest score by any team in the afternoon. Brown now leads the individual race at -7. He is playing his best golf of the year.

Stanford has shown its potential. They have the players to win. The question is whether they can show consistency over the final 36 holes that they have not demonstrated in recent tournaments. It has to start with leadership and solid play at the top from Vilips and Thorbjornsen.

[winflop]

Thorbjornsen and Brown posted 67s, two of the best rounds of the entire tournament. And Stanford's team score in Round 2 of 353 was the lowest score by any team in the afternoon. Brown now leads the individual race at -7. He is playing his best golf of the year.

Stanford has shown its potential. They have the players to win. The question is whether they can show consistency over the final 36 holes that they have not demonstrated in recent tournaments. It has to start with leadership and solid play at the top from Vilips and Thorbjornsen.

Consistency has been this team's bugaboo all season. They will need to get that monkey off their back to hold a top 3 spot.

[winflop]

Thorbjornsen and Brown posted 67s, two of the best rounds of the entire tournament. And Stanford's team score in Round 2 of 353 was the lowest score by any team in the afternoon. Brown now leads the individual race at -7. He is playing his best golf of the year.

Stanford has shown its potential. They have the players to win. The question is whether they can show consistency over the final 36 holes that they have not demonstrated in recent tournaments. It has to start with leadership and solid play at the top from Vilips and Thorbjornsen.

Consistency has been this team's bugaboo all season. They will need to get that monkey off their back to hold a top 3 spot.

[winflop]

Stanford came to play again today, three shots off the low round of the day. Unfortunately, the other two good team rounds were by the first & second place teams. They are nine shots behind host Washington going into tomorrow's final round. The tournament at this point is a three-horse race for the crown, with fourth place Oregon ten shots behind Stanford and 19 shots off the lead
1. Washington -5
2. Arizona St +2
3. Stanford +4
4. Oregon +14

The whole team played well today, with its two worst rounds being just over one stroke above today's course average. Barclay Brown continues to hold the overall lead with a 3-shot lead, while Michael Thorbjornsen made his way into the top 20 with another round under par. If a 78 is what it takes to fire him up, let's hope he shoots that in his practice round at regionals! Karl Vilips and Ethan Ng both had good rounds going through 12, but then were +4 over their last six holes
1. Brown -10
T14. Thorbjornsen +2
T26. Shimp +5
T31. Ng +6
T35. Vilips +7
T64. Yang +17

Final round tomorrow. Stanford tees off on #1 starting at 8:42 and is paired with Washington & ASU.

[winflop]

Stanford came to play again today, three shots off the low round of the day. Unfortunately, the other two good team rounds were by the first & second place teams. They are nine shots behind host Washington going into tomorrow's final round. The tournament at this point is a three-horse race for the crown, with fourth place Oregon ten shots behind Stanford and 19 shots off the lead
1. Washington -5
2. Arizona St +2
3. Stanford +4
4. Oregon +14

The whole team played well today, with its two worst rounds being just over one stroke above today's course average. Barclay Brown continues to hold the overall lead with a 3-shot lead, while Michael Thorbjornsen made his way into the top 20 with another round under par. If a 78 is what it takes to fire him up, let's hope he shoots that in his practice round at regionals! Karl Vilips and Ethan Ng both had good rounds going through 12, but then were +4 over their last six holes
1. Brown -10
T14. Thorbjornsen +2
T26. Shimp +5
T31. Ng +6
T35. Vilips +7
T64. Yang +17

Final round tomorrow. Stanford tees off on #1 starting at 8:42 and is paired with Washington & ASU.

[Spiny_Norman]

Over the final 4 holes, Stanford was +7. UW was -1. That's pretty much the difference right there that Stanford now has to make up tomorrow to win.

[Spiny_Norman]

Over the final 4 holes, Stanford was +7. UW was -1. That's pretty much the difference right there that Stanford now has to make up tomorrow to win.

[Spiny_Norman]

Stanford closed the gap vs. UW in today's final round, just not enough to overtake them. The Cardinal finished 2nd (passing ASU), 3 strokes behind UW.

Stanford was led by Vilips' 67, his best round in ages, and Thorbjornsen's 69. Brown lost his lead in the individual race by going +6 after 11 holes. He then birdied the next 4 holes. After he bogeyed the 16th hole and Woolsey of UW double-bogeyed 17, Brown was one shot back with one hole to play. He drove it in the fairway, but missed the green right in a bunker. He got up and down for par. But Woolsey made par as well to win the individual title. Brown finished 2nd.

Stanford now will wait to receive their assignment at next week's NCAA regional announcement.

[Spiny_Norman]

Stanford closed the gap vs. UW in today's final round, just not enough to overtake them. The Cardinal finished 2nd (passing ASU), 3 strokes behind UW.

Stanford was led by Vilips' 67, his best round in ages, and Thorbjornsen's 69. Brown lost his lead in the individual race by going +6 after 11 holes. He then birdied the next 4 holes. After he bogeyed the 16th hole and Woolsey of UW double-bogeyed 17, Brown was one shot back with one hole to play. He drove it in the fairway, but missed the green right in a bunker. He got up and down for par. But Woolsey made par as well to win the individual title. Brown finished 2nd.

Stanford now will wait to receive their assignment at next week's NCAA regional announcement.

[winflop]

A third strong day in a row earns Stanford second place, only three shots behind host Washington. That's the kind of result we've been waiting to see from this team, and I hope it means that Coach Ray has them starting to play their best going into NCAAs.
1. Washington +2
2. Stanford +5
3. ASU +10

On the individual side, Barclay Brown did not have his best day. He made five birdies but that wasn't enough to overcome four bogeys and two doubles. He finished in second, one stroke behind UW's Noah Woolsey. Michael Thorbjornsen posted another strong round to finish top 10. Karl Vilips tied for the low round of the day to crawl back into the top 20.
2. Brown -7
T6. Thorbjornsen E
T18. Vilips +3
T35. Ng & Shimp +9
T60. Yang +18

Next up is NCAA Regionals at a location TBD.

[winflop]

A third strong day in a row earns Stanford second place, only three shots behind host Washington. That's the kind of result we've been waiting to see from this team, and I hope it means that Coach Ray has them starting to play their best going into NCAAs.
1. Washington +2
2. Stanford +5
3. ASU +10

On the individual side, Barclay Brown did not have his best day. He made five birdies but that wasn't enough to overcome four bogeys and two doubles. He finished in second, one stroke behind UW's Noah Woolsey. Michael Thorbjornsen posted another strong round to finish top 10. Karl Vilips tied for the low round of the day to crawl back into the top 20.
2. Brown -7
T6. Thorbjornsen E
T18. Vilips +3
T35. Ng & Shimp +9
T60. Yang +18

Next up is NCAA Regionals at a location TBD.

[Spiny_Norman]

Win, do you have a thought about Stanford's preference for a regional assignment?

Traditions Club (College Station, TX)
PGA National Resort - Champion Course (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
The Course at Yale (New Haven, CT)
The Reserve at Spanos Park (Stockton, CA)
Ol' Colony Golf Complex (Tuscaloosa, AL)
OSU Golf Club (Columbus, OH)

[Spiny_Norman]

Win, do you have a thought about Stanford's preference for a regional assignment?

Traditions Club (College Station, TX)
PGA National Resort - Champion Course (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
The Course at Yale (New Haven, CT)
The Reserve at Spanos Park (Stockton, CA)
Ol' Colony Golf Complex (Tuscaloosa, AL)
OSU Golf Club (Columbus, OH)

[GK3]

Win, do you have a thought about Stanford's preference for a regional assignment?

Traditions Club (College Station, TX)
PGA National Resort - Champion Course (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
The Course at Yale (New Haven, CT)
The Reserve at Spanos Park (Stockton, CA)
Ol' Colony Golf Complex (Tuscaloosa, AL)
OSU Golf Club (Columbus, OH)

I have no real info on any of these courses, but wonder if staying in California and the same time zone is worth any kind of advantage.

[GK3]

Win, do you have a thought about Stanford's preference for a regional assignment?

Traditions Club (College Station, TX)
PGA National Resort - Champion Course (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
The Course at Yale (New Haven, CT)
The Reserve at Spanos Park (Stockton, CA)
Ol' Colony Golf Complex (Tuscaloosa, AL)
OSU Golf Club (Columbus, OH)

I have no real info on any of these courses, but wonder if staying in California and the same time zone is worth any kind of advantage.

[Spiny_Norman]

Win, do you have a thought about Stanford's preference for a regional assignment?

Traditions Club (College Station, TX)
PGA National Resort - Champion Course (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
The Course at Yale (New Haven, CT)
The Reserve at Spanos Park (Stockton, CA)
Ol' Colony Golf Complex (Tuscaloosa, AL)
OSU Golf Club (Columbus, OH)

I have no real info on any of these courses, but wonder if staying in California and the same time zone is worth any kind of advantage.

A lot of success in college golf is dependent on how you putt. Staying in California likely means familiarity with the grass on the greens. The Reserve at Spanos Park hosted a regional as recently as 2018 and Stanford did play there so Coach Ray would have some memory and experience to share with the current team.

[Spiny_Norman]

Win, do you have a thought about Stanford's preference for a regional assignment?

Traditions Club (College Station, TX)
PGA National Resort - Champion Course (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
The Course at Yale (New Haven, CT)
The Reserve at Spanos Park (Stockton, CA)
Ol' Colony Golf Complex (Tuscaloosa, AL)
OSU Golf Club (Columbus, OH)

I have no real info on any of these courses, but wonder if staying in California and the same time zone is worth any kind of advantage.

A lot of success in college golf is dependent on how you putt. Staying in California likely means familiarity with the grass on the greens. The Reserve at Spanos Park hosted a regional as recently as 2018 and Stanford did play there so Coach Ray would have some memory and experience to share with the current team.

[winflop]

Win, do you have a thought about Stanford's preference for a regional assignment?

Traditions Club (College Station, TX)
PGA National Resort - Champion Course (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
The Course at Yale (New Haven, CT)
The Reserve at Spanos Park (Stockton, CA)
Ol' Colony Golf Complex (Tuscaloosa, AL)
OSU Golf Club (Columbus, OH)

I have no real info on any of these courses, but wonder if staying in California and the same time zone is worth any kind of advantage.

A lot of success in college golf is dependent on how you putt. Staying in California likely means familiarity with the grass on the greens. The Reserve at Spanos Park hosted a regional as recently as 2018 and Stanford did play there so Coach Ray would have some memory and experience to share with the current team.

To answer the first question, I've never played any of these courses. I think it's more likely that some of the players have played Spanos but not sure.

While I'd normally agree that staying in CA means familiarity with the greens, that may not be true and it may not be as big of an issue as you might think. The reason it may not be true is that Stanford's greens are bent whereas most of the courses in CA are poa annua (Stanford used to be poa until they put in the "Tiger greens" in the early 90s).

It's also not that big of an issue because their training complex has both bent and poa greens so they can (and do) practice putting (and pitching/chipping to) either one. Same goes for hitting full swing area I think they have rye (our grass), bermuda, and at least one other. Siebel is a world-class facility.

Finally, keep in mind that all of the players have extensive junior experience and likely have played on pretty much every type of grass.

[winflop]

Win, do you have a thought about Stanford's preference for a regional assignment?

Traditions Club (College Station, TX)
PGA National Resort - Champion Course (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
The Course at Yale (New Haven, CT)
The Reserve at Spanos Park (Stockton, CA)
Ol' Colony Golf Complex (Tuscaloosa, AL)
OSU Golf Club (Columbus, OH)

I have no real info on any of these courses, but wonder if staying in California and the same time zone is worth any kind of advantage.

A lot of success in college golf is dependent on how you putt. Staying in California likely means familiarity with the grass on the greens. The Reserve at Spanos Park hosted a regional as recently as 2018 and Stanford did play there so Coach Ray would have some memory and experience to share with the current team.

To answer the first question, I've never played any of these courses. I think it's more likely that some of the players have played Spanos but not sure.

While I'd normally agree that staying in CA means familiarity with the greens, that may not be true and it may not be as big of an issue as you might think. The reason it may not be true is that Stanford's greens are bent whereas most of the courses in CA are poa annua (Stanford used to be poa until they put in the "Tiger greens" in the early 90s).

It's also not that big of an issue because their training complex has both bent and poa greens so they can (and do) practice putting (and pitching/chipping to) either one. Same goes for hitting full swing area I think they have rye (our grass), bermuda, and at least one other. Siebel is a world-class facility.

Finally, keep in mind that all of the players have extensive junior experience and likely have played on pretty much every type of grass.

[slide]

Win, do you have a thought about Stanford's preference for a regional assignment?

Traditions Club (College Station, TX)
PGA National Resort - Champion Course (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
The Course at Yale (New Haven, CT)
The Reserve at Spanos Park (Stockton, CA)
Ol' Colony Golf Complex (Tuscaloosa, AL)
OSU Golf Club (Columbus, OH)

I agree with winflop's take about the Seibel Center and advantage for team (but not over other schools with similar facilities).  personally I'd like to see them play Yale -- it is not a bombers course and I think it would match up well with our team (or at least what I've seen/read of them).

[slide]

Win, do you have a thought about Stanford's preference for a regional assignment?

Traditions Club (College Station, TX)
PGA National Resort - Champion Course (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
The Course at Yale (New Haven, CT)
The Reserve at Spanos Park (Stockton, CA)
Ol' Colony Golf Complex (Tuscaloosa, AL)
OSU Golf Club (Columbus, OH)

I agree with winflop's take about the Seibel Center and advantage for team (but not over other schools with similar facilities).  personally I'd like to see them play Yale -- it is not a bombers course and I think it would match up well with our team (or at least what I've seen/read of them).

[winflop]

Win, do you have a thought about Stanford's preference for a regional assignment?

Traditions Club (College Station, TX)
PGA National Resort - Champion Course (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
The Course at Yale (New Haven, CT)
The Reserve at Spanos Park (Stockton, CA)
Ol' Colony Golf Complex (Tuscaloosa, AL)
OSU Golf Club (Columbus, OH)

I agree with winflop's take about the Seibel Center and advantage for team (but not over other schools with similar facilities).  personally I'd like to see them play Yale -- it is not a bombers course and I think it would match up well with our team (or at least what I've seen/read of them).

I'm just happy to see Yale as one of the sites it must have been brought back. It was basically shut down for all of 2020 and in early 2021 it was in terrible shape

[winflop]

Win, do you have a thought about Stanford's preference for a regional assignment?

Traditions Club (College Station, TX)
PGA National Resort - Champion Course (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
The Course at Yale (New Haven, CT)
The Reserve at Spanos Park (Stockton, CA)
Ol' Colony Golf Complex (Tuscaloosa, AL)
OSU Golf Club (Columbus, OH)

I agree with winflop's take about the Seibel Center and advantage for team (but not over other schools with similar facilities).  personally I'd like to see them play Yale -- it is not a bombers course and I think it would match up well with our team (or at least what I've seen/read of them).

I'm just happy to see Yale as one of the sites it must have been brought back. It was basically shut down for all of 2020 and in early 2021 it was in terrible shape

[Spiny_Norman]

Win, do you have a thought about Stanford's preference for a regional assignment?

Traditions Club (College Station, TX)
PGA National Resort - Champion Course (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
The Course at Yale (New Haven, CT)
The Reserve at Spanos Park (Stockton, CA)
Ol' Colony Golf Complex (Tuscaloosa, AL)
OSU Golf Club (Columbus, OH)

I agree with winflop's take about the Seibel Center and advantage for team (but not over other schools with similar facilities).  personally I'd like to see them play Yale -- it is not a bombers course and I think it would match up well with our team (or at least what I've seen/read of them).

I'm just happy to see Yale as one of the sites it must have been brought back. It was basically shut down for all of 2020 and in early 2021 it was in terrible shape

I kind of like that idea too. Yale last hosted a regional in 2015 and it played tough. Only one team broke par for 54 holes. It would be a good test of patience and perseverance. You can't bomb and gouge it.

There is a bit of a Nicklaus theme to the other courses. His firm designed the course at Texas A&M and renovated the courses at PGA National and Ohio State.

[Spiny_Norman]

Win, do you have a thought about Stanford's preference for a regional assignment?

Traditions Club (College Station, TX)
PGA National Resort - Champion Course (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
The Course at Yale (New Haven, CT)
The Reserve at Spanos Park (Stockton, CA)
Ol' Colony Golf Complex (Tuscaloosa, AL)
OSU Golf Club (Columbus, OH)

I agree with winflop's take about the Seibel Center and advantage for team (but not over other schools with similar facilities).  personally I'd like to see them play Yale -- it is not a bombers course and I think it would match up well with our team (or at least what I've seen/read of them).

I'm just happy to see Yale as one of the sites it must have been brought back. It was basically shut down for all of 2020 and in early 2021 it was in terrible shape

I kind of like that idea too. Yale last hosted a regional in 2015 and it played tough. Only one team broke par for 54 holes. It would be a good test of patience and perseverance. You can't bomb and gouge it.

There is a bit of a Nicklaus theme to the other courses. His firm designed the course at Texas A&M and renovated the courses at PGA National and Ohio State.

[winflop]

Win, do you have a thought about Stanford's preference for a regional assignment?

Traditions Club (College Station, TX)
PGA National Resort - Champion Course (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
The Course at Yale (New Haven, CT)
The Reserve at Spanos Park (Stockton, CA)
Ol' Colony Golf Complex (Tuscaloosa, AL)
OSU Golf Club (Columbus, OH)

I agree with winflop's take about the Seibel Center and advantage for team (but not over other schools with similar facilities).  personally I'd like to see them play Yale -- it is not a bombers course and I think it would match up well with our team (or at least what I've seen/read of them).

I'm just happy to see Yale as one of the sites it must have been brought back. It was basically shut down for all of 2020 and in early 2021 it was in terrible shape

I kind of like that idea too. Yale last hosted a regional in 2015 and it played tough. Only one team broke par for 54 holes. It would be a good test of patience and perseverance. You can't bomb and gouge it.

There is a bit of a Nicklaus theme to the other courses. His firm designed the course at Texas A&M and renovated the courses at PGA National and Ohio State.

I'm hoping to leverage several family members who are Yale alums to be able to play it when my wife and I make a golf trip to the northeast in a couple of years.

[winflop]

Win, do you have a thought about Stanford's preference for a regional assignment?

Traditions Club (College Station, TX)
PGA National Resort - Champion Course (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
The Course at Yale (New Haven, CT)
The Reserve at Spanos Park (Stockton, CA)
Ol' Colony Golf Complex (Tuscaloosa, AL)
OSU Golf Club (Columbus, OH)

I agree with winflop's take about the Seibel Center and advantage for team (but not over other schools with similar facilities).  personally I'd like to see them play Yale -- it is not a bombers course and I think it would match up well with our team (or at least what I've seen/read of them).

I'm just happy to see Yale as one of the sites it must have been brought back. It was basically shut down for all of 2020 and in early 2021 it was in terrible shape

I kind of like that idea too. Yale last hosted a regional in 2015 and it played tough. Only one team broke par for 54 holes. It would be a good test of patience and perseverance. You can't bomb and gouge it.

There is a bit of a Nicklaus theme to the other courses. His firm designed the course at Texas A&M and renovated the courses at PGA National and Ohio State.

I'm hoping to leverage several family members who are Yale alums to be able to play it when my wife and I make a golf trip to the northeast in a couple of years.

[d4cohn]

FYI Alabama is no longer hosting a regional; Oklahoma will host at the OU Golf Club.

[d4cohn]

FYI Alabama is no longer hosting a regional; Oklahoma will host at the OU Golf Club.