Arizona has accomplished its first goal at the NCAA Championships and is well-positioned to cross another off the list.
The Wildcats shot 4-under par on Sunday during the third round at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., raising their tournament score to -8 through 54 holes. That’s good for a tie for fourth place and well above the cut line to make the top 15 and advance to Monday’s fourth round.
The top eight teams after Monday move on to match play, which Arizona has never reached since the format was introduced in 2019. Two years ago it was in contention going into the final round only to finish 15th.
The UA is currently eight strokes ahead of ninth-place Oklahoma, which is even through three rounds.
Sunday’s top round for Arizona was carded by Tianyi Xiong, who had a 3-under 69, while Zach Pollo was 1-under and the other three shot par. That includes senior Filip Jakubcik, who remained at -10 for the championship and is off shot behind Oklahoma State’s Preston Stout for the individual lead.
The individual champion will be crowned after Monday’s fourth round of stroke play.