HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla.—Sophomore
Aman Vantipalli (Alpharetta, Ga.) shot a 3-over 75 to secure one of six individual spots for the final two rounds while the 20th-ranked Babson College men's golf team narrowly missed the 36-hole cut as a team at the NCAA Division III Championship at Mission Inn Resort and Club on Wednesday evening.
The Beavers posted a second round score of 16-over 304 on the 6,778-yard par 72 El Campeon Course to finish with a 36-hole total of 29-over 601 as the 43-team field was cut down to the top 18 squads. Babson finished just three strokes behind 18th-place Transylvania, while No. 9 Illinois Wesleyan posted the low round of the day (279) to get to 5-under and holds a three-shot lead over No. 6 Washington & Lee (2-under) at the midway point of the championship.
Vantipalli, who opened with a 1-under 70 on the Las Colinas Course on Tuesday, played the final 11 holes of the second round in 1-under to settle into a tie for 32nd position at 3-over 146 through 36 holes. He was 4-over through seven holes after making a double bogey but responded with a birdie at the par 4 ninth and another at the par 4 16th hole before closing his round with a bogey.
Despite the late bogey, Vantipalli made the cut as one of the top six individuals on a non-advancing team and will play the final two rounds on Thursday and Friday in his NCAA Championship debut.
Seniors
Shane Quinn (Morristown, N.J.) and
Colin Fowler (Portland, Ore.) both shot 76 in the final collegiate round of their respective careers on Tuesday. Quinn was 1-over on his inward nine to tie for 74th place with a 36-hole total of 6-over 149, while Fowler made a pair of back-nine birdies and finished in a tie for 103rd position at 8-over.
Junior
Jack Berry (Western Springs, Ill.) recovered from a tough start to play his final 10 holes in 2-under on the way to carding a 5-over 77. He made three consecutive birdies on Nos. 14-16 and posted a 36-hole total of 13-over 156.
Sophomore
Chad Tordone (Barnstable, Mass.) opened his second round by birdieing the short par-5 first hole on the way to shooting a 5-over 77. He was 4-over through eight before making par on nine of his final 10 holes to finish with a 36-hole score of 16-over 159.
Vantipalli will begin third round play on the El Campeon Course on Thursday at 9:40 a.m.
TOURNAMENT NOTES
• Babson's 36-hole score of 601 was its lowest in four NCAA Championship appearances at Mission Inn Resort and Club, which includes 2022 when it was tied for eighth after two rounds at 34-over 606.
• The Beavers' 21st-place finish is their second highest behind the 2022 squad that tied for 12th in seven trips to the NCAA Championship since 2002.
• Quinn will leave Babson ranked sixth all-time with a 74.82 stroke average in 51 career rounds, while Fowler teed it up 57 times over four seasons for the Beavers and ranks ninth all-time with a 75.58 scoring average.
• Wednesday's round of 304 is tied for the team's second lowest score in six rounds on the El Campeon Course going back to 2012.
