It’s officially postseason time in college golf, and the road to Carlsbad begins now. Starting May 12, 81 teams and 45 individual qualifiers will fan out across six regional sites — from Bremerton, Washington, to Tallahassee, Florida — each with one goal: finish top five and punch a ticket to the 2025 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa.
Let’s dive into each of the six regional sites, break down every field, highlight key storylines, and identify teams that could surprise — or stumble.
🏆 Auburn Regional
📍 Auburn University Club – Auburn, Alabama
Hosted by: Auburn
Top Seed: Auburn (Overall No. 1 Seed)
Teams:
- Auburn
- Texas A&M
- UCLA
- SMU
- Georgia Tech
- Oregon
- Purdue
- Arkansas-Little Rock
- TCU
- College of Charleston
- New Mexico State
- Loyola Maryland
- USC Upstate
Individuals (seeded in the following order):
- Louis Anceaux, University of Louisiana Monroe
- Claes Borregaard, Kennesaw State
- Xing Luo, North Alabama
- Thomas Schmidt, Arkansas State
- Parker Claxton, Georgia Southern
- Camden Braidech, Chattanooga
- Yixiang Wang, Memphis
- Jack Maxey, Arkansas State – Sun Belt Conference
- Jeep Patrick, Presbyterian (get this guy an NIL deal @JEEP) – Big South Conference
- Jonathan Xoinis, UT Martin – Ohio Valley Conference
JGH Notes & Commentary:
Welcome to the fortress. The Tigers went 10-for-12 in tournaments last year, won their first-ever NCAA Championship, and now get to defend their crown at home. Jackson Koivun, last year’s national freshman sensation and back-to-back SEC medalist, leads a deep, confident squad. No team has ever missed advancing when hosting a regional on this track — and this doesn’t feel like the year to break that streak.
But don’t hand out trophies just yet. Texas A&M made a deep SEC run, UCLA just won the Big Ten title flying cross-country, and Georgia Tech has top-10 upside on a good week. Watch Purdue — led by first-year head coach Andrew Sapp — as a sneaky seven-seed capable of crashing the party.
On Alert: SMU is a borderline bubble.
🌴 Tallahassee Regional
📍 Seminole Legacy Golf Club – Tallahassee, Florida
Hosted by: Florida State
Top Seed: Ole Miss
Teams:
- Ole Miss
- Florida State
- San Diego State
- Georgia
- Louisville
- Northwestern
- Notre Dame
- New Mexico
- USC
- Michigan State
- Furman
- Augusta
- Davidson
- Florida A&M
Individuals (seeded in the following order):
- Malan Potgieter, Louisiana
- NaShawn Tyson, Florida Atlantic
- Hugo Thyr, South Alabama
- Niilo Maki-Petaja, Louisiana Tech
- Gaspar Glaudas, Stetson – ASUN Conference
JGH Notes & Commentary:
Ole Miss has been one of the most consistent teams all year — strong across the board, with depth, experience, and firepower. But they won’t be alone. Florida State is dangerous, especially with standout Luke Clanton (a Haskins contender) anchoring the lineup on home turf.
Watch out for Michigan State. They started the spring ranked No. 85, lost a star player to injury, yet still clawed into regionals. Casey Lubahn might’ve done the coaching job of the year. Also lurking: San Diego State, who steamrolled the Mountain West but now travels many, many miles to a very different grass and climate.
On Alert: Georgia — looks to return to Nationals after missing out last year in the East Lansing Regional.
🌽 Urbana Regional
📍 Atkins Golf Club – Urbana, Illinois
Hosted by: Illinois
Top Seed: Oklahoma State
Teams:
- Oklahoma State
- North Carolina
- Illinois
- Texas Tech
- Long Beach State
- UNLV
- Houston
- Marquette
- Troy
- Pacific
- NC State
- Illinois State
- Wright State
Individuals (seeded in the following order):
- Hunter Thomson, Michigan – Look for the Wolverine standout to make a run to Nationals as an individual competitor. He won twice this year along with 3 other runner-up finishes.
- Jack Schoenberger, Kentucky
- Paul Beauvy, Iowa State
- Patton Samuels, Austin Peay
- Anthony Delisanti, Valparaiso
- Clay Merchent, Indiana
- Ryan Ford, Cincinnati
- Ben Cors, Dayton – Atlantic 10 Conference
- Titus Boswell, IU Indy – Horizon League
- Trey Wall, Murray State – Missouri Valley Conference
JGH Notes & Commentary:
The Cowboys have done what only Texas has: make regionals 36 straight years. They won the Big 12 title and enter Regionals as arguably the most battle-tested team in the country. North Carolina, featuring the Ford brothers (David is a Haskins frontrunner), fell in the ACC finals and could be hungry for redemption.
Host Illinois is always dangerous at Atkins — it’s their backyard and they know every bump and breeze. Texas Tech is a four seed on high alert — senior leader Callum Scott hasn’t been at his best, and recent form suggests vulnerability.
Sleeper Watch: Marquette. The Golden Eagles won the Big East and are playing just a few hours from home.
🏞 Amherst Regional
📍 Poplar Grove Golf Club – Amherst, Virginia
Hosted by: Liberty
Top Seed: LSU
Teams:
- LSU
- Oklahoma
- Vanderbilt
- Pepperdine
- Tennessee
- Arizona
- Stanford
- Wake Forest
- Arkansas
- Florida Gulf Coast
- Kent State
- Princeton
- Howard
Individuals (seeded in the following order):
- Andrew Swanson, Clemson
- Kaleb Wilson, West Virginia
- Ike Joy, Liberty
- Emil Riegger, Maryland
- Peicheng Chen, St. John’s (New York) – Watch out for the Johnnies’ #1 who boasts 3 wins this season and has a knack for winning big events including the 2023 New York State Open at this year’s Ryder Cup host, Bethpage Black.
- Sakke Siltala, Texas State
- Henric Bjelke, Campbell – Coastal Athletic Association
- Colin Dutton, UNCG – Southern Conference
- Alex Heard, UConn – Big East Conference
- Nolan Schuermann, Holy Cross – Patriot League
JGH Notes & Commentary:
If there’s one regional primed for chaos, it’s Amherst. The course? Challenging. The travel? Brutal for many. The field? Loaded — and reeling.
LSU, led by Algot Kleen and new head coach Jake Amos (formerly of ETSU), looks steady. But down the line? Trouble. Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent has fallen hard from former No. 1 amateur status. Arizona is missing Tiger Christensen. Stanford and Wake Forest both underwhelmed at conference. This is where seeds four through nine could all swap places.
Cinderella Shoutout: Princeton’s Riccardo Fantinelli is a legit Walker Cup candidate for GB & I. Could he carry the Tigers to history? No Ivy team has made it through regionals since the format expanded.
🎰 Reno Regional
📍 Montreux Golf and Country Club – Reno, Nevada
Hosted by: Nevada & Reno-Sparks CVA
Top Seed: Texas
Teams:
- Texas
- Virginia
- Alabama
- Duke
- Mississippi State
- BYU
- San Diego
- Santa Clara
- California
- Grand Canyon
- Sam Houston
- ETSU
- Central Arkansas
- Fairfield – We have a soft spot for the Stags here coming off their first Conference Championship in nearly 30 years. Our very own Rick Dowling competed at Fairfield from 2012-2015.
Individuals (seeded in the following order):
- Dane Huddleston, Utah Valley – Western Athletic Conference
- Baron Szeto, Cal Poly
- Max Schliesing, UTEP
- Tegan Andrews, Cal State Fullerton
- Dylan Teeter, UTEP
JGH Notes & Commentary:
Texas heads west as the top seed and is playing solid, if not spectacular, golf. The course rewards aggressive birdie-makers — something that should suit their style. Virginia, riding high off its first-ever ACC Championship, enters hot.
But three through five is where things get shaky. Duke and Mississippi State missed nationals last year and enter with baggage. Neither of them finished inside the top-10 in their conference championships. History says someone will falter.
Feel-Good Story: Central Arkansas — with interim coach Josh Turnock — won their first conference title in over 50 years. A 13-seed has never made it through… but if you’re into miracles, here’s your team.
🌲 Bremerton Regional
📍 Gold Mountain Golf Club – Bremerton, Washington
Hosted by: Washington
Top Seed: Arizona State
Teams:
- Arizona State
- Florida
- Utah
- South Carolina
- USC
- Colorado
- Charlotte
- Kansas
- Colorado State
- Kansas State
- Elon
- Coastal Carolina
- Oral Roberts
- Seattle
Individuals (seeded in the following order):
- Sam Renner, Washington State
- Lukas Boandl, Rice
- Mason Snyder, Loyola Marymount
- Cade Anderson, Loyola Marymount
- Daniel Zou, Rice
JGH Notes & Commentary:
Arizona State was stunned last year when they missed advancing as a No. 1 seed. With revenge on their mind and a powerful roster, expect a focused group to put on a show. Florida, fresh off their SEC title, is peaking at the right time.
USC is a wild card. South Carolina has been up-and-down. The field flattens after the top few — this could be a chance for someone like Kansas or even Charlotte to sneak into the top five.
Watch Out For: Coastal Carolina and Colorado — both have shown they can post low team rounds this Spring and could thrive if conditions get tough.
🔚 Final Thoughts
Every year, regional play gives us fireworks — heartbreak for the bluebloods, triumph for the underdogs. Expect nothing less this May. The top seeds look strong, but as history shows, it’s the four-seeds and below where chaos tends to brew.
Keep a close eye on Urbana and Amherst for the volatility, Auburn for dominance, and Reno for the wild card potential.
The race to Carlsbad is on — let’s go low. Go to Clippd Scoreboard to follow all Regional live scoring next week.
Photo Credit: C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images