CLEMSON, S.C. — Sophomore Colin Salema had a career tying, bogey-free 66 to lead Clemson to an 11-under-par 277 team score in the second round of the Marana (Arizona) Regional of the NCAA men’s golf Championship at the Gallery Golf Club in Marana, Arizona.
Clemson stands in seventh place after 36 holes with a score of seven-under-par 569. The Tigers are seven shots behind fifth-place Duke, who is at 14-under-par as a team through 36 holes. The regional is a 14-team field and the top five teams from the regional will advance to the NCAA Championship Tournament in Carlsbad, CA, May 29-June 2 after Wednesday’s final round.
Host school Arizona is the leader at 35-under-par, including an incredible 24-under-par 264 in the second round. Oklahoma State, the number-one team in the regional field in terms of national ranking and the defending nation champion, is second at 25-under. Arkansas State, ranked 44th in the nation entering the tournament, is a surprising third at 21-under. LSU is fourth at 18-under, followed by the Blue Devils at 14-under. Alabama, ranked 20th in the nation is sixth at 12-under.
Clemson must jump into the top five at the end of Wednesday’s final round, or its season will be over. Two teams Clemson hopes to jump in the final round at Alabama and Duke. Clemson is 5-1 against those two teams so far this year.
Salema tied his career best round with his six-under-par score on Tuesday. It was the second bogey-free round of the his Clemson career. He also had a bogey-free 66 at the Bryan Brothers Collegiate in Columbia, S.C. on Sept. 29, 2025. The native of Matthews, N.C. had six birdies and 12 pars on Tuesday and his 140 score is tied for 17th in the individual race.
Two other Tigers scored in the 60s on Tuesday at the par 72 course that measures 7,317 yards. Senior Lucas Augustsson had a 69 to go with his opening round even par 72 and stands in 23rd place at 141. Augustsson was bogey free through 15 holes, then made back to back bogeys on 16 and 17 before finishing with a birdie on the 18th hole. Augustsson leads the team in birdies this year with 117, including the seven he has made so far in the regional.
Oscar Bredkjaer also had a 69 in the second round and stands at 142 through two rounds, good enough for 25th place. He was even par 36 after the front nine on Tuesday, then shot three-under-par on the back nine, a stretch that included an eagle.
Sophomore Rich Wills had his second consecutive 73 on Tuesday. He shot 37 on the front, then shot 36 on the back.
Clemson was 15 shots off of fifth place early in the second round, then the top four Tiger players made three eagles and a birdie on the par five 558-yard 11th hole. It is believed be the first time three Clemson golfers made three eagles on the same hole in the same round of an NCAA Tournament. Wills registered an 18-foot putt for eagle, Bredkjaer made a nine footer, then Augustsson made a 20-footer. Salema also made birdie on the hole.
That run helped Clemson close the gap between the Tigers and the five-team cut line from 15 shots to seven by days end.
Senior Thomas Higgins was Clemson’s non-counter on Tuesday with a score of three-over-par 75. Live scoring will be available HERE.