Seven teams within nine strokes of lead heading into final round of Kā‘anapali Classic

Led by three Sooners in the top 11, No. 2 Oklahoma (-31) holds a five-shot lead over No. 52 Kansas (-26) after the second round of the tenth annual Kā‘anapali Classic. North Florida and No. 67 Indiana (-25) are tied for third. No. 32 Colorado (-24), No. 5 LSU (-23) and No. 26 Georgia (-22) round out the top seven in a stacked leaderboard.

Today, the two-time defending champion Sooners will seek their third team title this fall after wins at TPC San Antonio (Valero Texas Collegiate) and Colonial Country Club (Ben Hogan Collegiate). Oklahoma was led by Jase Summy (T3; -10), Asher Whitaker (T6; -9) and Matthew Troutman (T11; -7).

The Kansas Jayhawks, winners of the 2021 Kā‘anapali Classic, were led by fifth-year player Gunner Broin. He shot 66 (-5), posting seven birdies and one double bogey on the fourth hole. Broin sits T11 going into the final round. Earlier this year, he qualified for the 2024 U.S. Open. Teammate Luke Honner aided the Jayhawks with a second-round 68 (-3).

“We annually play well at Kā‘anapali and relish competing against many of the best programs,” said seven-time ASUN Conference Men’s Golf Coach of the Year and North Florida Director of Golf, Scott Schroeder. “However, we had more bogeys today than we should have. In the absence of deep scoring, we need to clean up those mistakes to best position ourselves for a good run.”

Indiana was led by third-year player Clay Merchant, who enjoyed an eagle on the par five ninth hole at 485 yards. He is T3 both individually and as a team.

Colorado’s Dylan McDermott started the day hot, posting two eagles on his front nine. McDermott climbed to T9 after posting a 67 (-4) on the Royal Kā‘anapali. Teammate Hunter Swanson helped propel the Buffaloes into fifth place ahead of Monday’s final round.

In the Individual competition, 17 players are within six shots of the lead. Oklahoma redshirt senior Jaxson Dowell (-13) holds a two-shot lead over East Tennessee State’s Kristian Bressum (-11).

“I’ve gotten the ball in the hole with a good short game and solid putting,” said Dowell. “Though my ball striking hasn’t been great, if I can clean that up and keep rolling the flat stick, I’d love to capitalize on the momentum built in Hawai‘i.” Dowell later added, “When coach informed me that I was coming to Kā‘anapali to compete as an individual, his instructions were to build positive momentum that can be carried into the offseason. Playing so well here through two rounds has reinforced that my hard work is beginning to pay off.”

TCU’s Jack Beauchamp and Oklahoma’s Asher Whitaker each fired the low round of the day, a seven-under-par 64.

“My proximity to the hole was really good,” said TCU junior Jack Beauchamp. “When I got out of position, I could consistently get up and down, saving me many strokes. My short game was clutch. I hope to carry over what I learned today into the final round.” Beauchamp, who made nine birdies and two birdies to climb 24 spots, added, “It doesn’t get better than being at Kā‘anapali. We couldn’t have picked a better place to conclude our fall season.”

Whitaker, a freshman at Oklahoma, moved up 32 spots to T6 with fellow freshman teammate Clark Van Gaalen.

The final round commences today at 8:30 a.m. HST. Attendance is free for walking fans.

All team and individual scores can be found here: SCOREBOARD

Team Leaderboard
Place School To Par Rd. 1 Rd. 2

1 Oklahoma -31 -20 -11
2 Kansas -26 -15 -11
T3 North Florida -25 -18 -7
T3 Indiana -25 -16 -9
5 Colorado -24 -14 -10
6 LSU -23 -16 -7
7 Georgia -22 -9 -13
8 TCU -19 -7 -12
T9 San Jose State -16 -7 -12
T9 Liberty -16 -9 -7
11 East Tennessee State -15 -13 -2
12 Sacramento State -13 -8 -5
13 Connecticut -11 E -11
14 Louisiana Tech -9 -2 -7
15 Wyoming -6 +3 -9
16 CSU Northridge -1 +2 -3
17 Gonzaga E -1 +1
18 UC Irvine +2 +2 E
T19 Boise State +5 +2 +3
T19 Southern Illinois +5 +4 +1
21 Hawai‘i +10 +3 +7

Top Individuals
Place Player School To Par Rd. 1 Rd. 2

1 *Jaxon Dowell Oklahoma -13 -8 -5
2 Kristian Bressum East Tennessee State -11 -6 -5
T3 Jase Summy Oklahoma -10 -6 -4
T3 Clay Merchent Indiana -10 -4 -6
T3 Jack Beauchamp TCU -10 -3 -7
T6 *Clark Van Gaalen Oklahoma -9 -4 -5
T6 Ike Joy Liberty -9 -3 -6
T6 Asher Whitaker Oklahoma -9 -2 -7
T9 Filippo Serra North Florida -8 -6 -2
T9 Dylan McDermott Colorado -8 -4 -4

*Competing as Individual