Warian Is Tied for 2nd after 1st-Round 65 at Stanford Regional

Bella McCaouley defied the odds once again last week, as the University of Minnesota sophomore made it through the NCAA regionals for the second year in a row. She will be playing in the Women's NCAA Division I Championships, beginning Friday at the Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, Calif.

On Monday, the No. 1 player for the Minnesota men's team, Ben Warian, began his attempt to do the same thing -- and work his way through the men's regionals. So far, so good. The Gopher senior shot a 5-under-par 65 at the Stanford Golf Course, and he's tied for second place in the Stanford Regional after the opening round.

Like McCauley, Warian is playing in the regional as an individual only. What that means is that for him to qualify for the NCAA Championships (May 24-29, also at the Omni La Costa Resort), he has to finish first among the six players who are at Stanford as individuals only, and also finish ahead of any player whose team doesn't advance. Five teams advance from each region; so there will be 35 guys from the seven teams that don't advance all competing with Warian for the one spot in the NCAA tournament that's available to an individual only.

(The NCAA Championships will have a field of 156 -- 150 of them from the 30 teams that qualify, plus a mere six qualifiers who make it as individuals only. So that makes the odds against anyone getting to Carlsbad as an individual only 40 to 1.)

If the Stanford Regional had ended Monday, Warian would have been the one individual only to advance. The tournament leader, Max Herendeen, who shot 63, is from Illinois, and the Illini are leading the team competition after putting together a 263 (17 under). Jackson Buchanan and Tyler Goecke are two of the four players tied for second with Warian, and they are also on the Illinois team. Another 65, Luke Clanton, palys for Florida State, the team that's second to Illinois, and Michael Thorbjornsen, who produced the fourth 65, is on the Stanford team, which is in third place.

But there are two rounds left.

Warian got off to a great start Monday. The lefty from Stillwater (he went to high school at Hill-Murray) birdied the first and third holes, parred the fourth and fifth, and then birdied three of the last four holes on the front nine -- for an outgoing 30. He made his only bogey of the day at the 473-yard, par-4 12th, but got that stroke back with a birdie at the 457-yard, par-4 18th.

The Illini's Herendeen, who was the Big Ten freshman of the year for the 2023-24 season, was even better on the front side. After making a birdie at the first hole and following it with two pars, he birdied five of the next six holes -- for a front-nine 29. He got to 8 under with birdies at the par-3 14th and the par-4 15th, but he gave one back when he bogeyed the par-3 17th (185 yards).

None of the other Minnesotans competing in the regionals is in the top the top 25 individually going into Day 2. But Nate Stevens, the two-time state Class AAA high school champion from Northfield, plays for Notre Dame, which is second in the Austin Regional. Stevens shot 73 at the University of Texas Golf Course on Monday, and he's tied for 43rd.

Carson Herron struggled on Day 1 in the West Lafayette Regional, and ended up with a 79 at the Kampen Course. Nevertheless, his team, New Mexico, is in fifth place so far.


NCAA Regionals

Stanford Regional

At Stanford Golf Cours

Par 70, 6,727 yards

First-round results (the top five teams from each regional advances, plus the top individual not on an advancing team)

1. Max Herendeen, Illinois 63 (-7)

T2. Ben Warian, Minnesota 65

T2. Luke Clanton, Florida State 65

T2. Jackson Buchanan, Illinois 65

T2. Michael Thorbjornsen, Stanford 65

T2. Tyler Goecke, Illinois 65

Team results

1. Illinois 263 (-17)

2. Flordia State 267

3. Stanford 269

T4. Ole Miss 271

T4. Texas A&M 271


Austin Regional

At University of Texas Golf Club

Par 71, 7,399 yards

First-round results

T1. Palmer Jackson, ND 67 (-4)

T1. Michael Brennan, Wake For. 67

T1. Nathan Petronzio, Texas 67

T1. Bryce Lewis, Tennessee 67

T1. Tommy Morrison, Texas 67

T1. Kelvin Hernandez, UNCG 67

T43. Nate Stevens, ND 73

Team results

1. Texas 273

2. Notre Dame 275

3. Tennessee 276

4. Brigham Young 279

5 Georgia 284


West Lafayette Regional

At Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex

Kampen Course

Par 72, 7,461 yards

First-round results

1. Cameron Huss, Wisconsin 66

2. Gordeon Sargent, Vanderbilt 67

T3. Cole Sherwood, Vanderbilt 69

T3. Johnny Walker, Arizona 69

T28. Caleb VanArragon, Valpo 74

T65. Carson Herron, New Mexico 79

Team results

1. Vanderbilt 277

2. Arizona 283

3. Purdue 284

4. Florida 289

5. New Mexico 290


Racho Santa Fe Regional

At The Farms Club

Par 70, 6,962 yards

First-round results

1. Sampson Zheng, California 66

2. Rayhan Thomas, Okla. Staste 67

T3. Neil Gabrelcik North Florida 68

T3. Davis Lee, North Florida 68

T3. Eric Lee, California 68

T48. Cecil Belisle, Kansas 75

T63. Gunnar Broin, Kansas 77



Team results

1. North Florida 277

2. Oklahoma State 278

3. California 280

4. Oklahoma 284

T5.San Diego 285

T5. West Virginia 285

11. Kansas 297