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NCAA golf: UNM and NMSU men's golf are one round away from national championship
Albuquerque Academy’s Clark Sonnenberg tees off during the first day of the Class 4A state golf tournament at Santa Ana Golf Club on May 13, 2024. Sonnenberg, now in his freshman year with UNM men's golf, played a huge role for the Lobos on Tuesday during the second round of the NCAA Tallahassee Regional.
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When they needed it most, the Lobos got a major boost from one of their underclassmen.
Freshman Clark Sonnenberg shot a blistering four-under 68 Tuesday, steadying New Mexico men’s golf to a fourth place finish in the second round of the NCAA Tallahassee Regional.
After carding a one-under 71 during Monday’s opening round at Seminole National Golf Club in Tallahassee, Florida, the Albuquerque Academy graduate caught fire Tuesday, making five birdies and just one bogey. One of three underclassmen in UNM’s regional rotation, he was the only Lobo to shoot under-par in the second round and rose into a five-way tie for third-place on the individual leaderboard at five-under.
At two-under as a team through two rounds, UNM trails regional host Florida State (-21), Ole Miss (-7) and Georgia (-6). Fifth-place Augusta (-1) and Notre Dame (even-par) are close behind; the top five teams in each regional after Wednesday’s final round advance to the NCAA Championships (May 23-28) at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
“We got a great round from Clark Sonnenberg today,” head coach Jake Harrington said in a release Tuesday. “It was exactly what we needed to be able to stay in fourth.”
The rest of the day wasn’t as kind to UNM’s lineup. On a day where the Lobos went as low as nine-under as a team before dropping back, Carson Herron (+1) and Oliver Cage (+2) each carded a one-under 73; Mesa Falleur (+4) and Wyatt Provence shot a three-over 75 and a four-over 76, respectively.
“This team will bounce back tomorrow,” Harrington added. “There are a lot of schools out there that wish they were in the spot we are in. We will get ready for tomorrow and win the day.”
Playing in the Auburn Regional, New Mexico State also got some help from one of its freshmen in rising to third place on the team leaderboard. Mateo Payán, a freshman from Cali, Colombia, turned in a two-under 70 for the Aggies’ lowest score of the day, rising into a six-way tie for 11th place on the individual leaderboard at one-under on the week.
Aidan Thomas (-4) is tied for sixth place as an individual after carding an even-par 72 while Javier Delgadillo (+2) shot a one-under 71. Ethan Klose (+4) turned in a three-over 75 and Alexandre Baudin (+10) struggled to an eight-over 80.
At even-par as a team, NMSU trails regional host Auburn (-19) and second-place Texas A&M (-1), and hold a two-stroke lead over fourth-place UCLA (+2). If the Aggies hold in the top five through tomorrow’s final round, they would advance to the program’s first NCAA Championship since 1995.
