Georgia Tech made up seven shots on Arizona State over the course of a rain-extended final round to claim the 18th OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational at Olympia Fields CC, handing Head Coach Bruce Heppler the 73rd tournament victory of his 30-year career with the Yellow Jackets. 

Josele Ballester of ASU (below) continued his excellent form — winning the US Amateur at Hazeltine, T2 at the Sahalee Players Championship — by claiming individual medalist honors. After nine previous top-five finishes, it was the Spaniard’s first collegiate title.

As well as No.2 ranked Arizona State, the field for the Valero Texas Collegiate included four teams – hosts Illinois, Georgia Tech, Florida State and North Carolina – that made it through to match play at the NCAA Championship in May, and 11 teams that competed in stroke play at Omni La Costa. 

Tech came out on top, finishing on 12 under par, one ahead of the Sun Devils, after carding a closing total of 280 (-8) to set a new tournament record. Oklahoma State and North Carolina were T3 on one under par.

Ballester’s 54-hole total of 10 under par matched the previous tournament record and put him two clear of GA Tech’s Benjamin Reuter. Both players opened up with 64s (6 under), the lowest scores of the week.

The final group of Ballester, Reuter and Ian Gilligan of Florida were forced to return on Sunday to finish after play had been suspended shortly before 8pm the previous evening.

By that time, 2024 NCAA Individual Champion Hiroshi Tai had helped to push the Jackets to victory with a third consecutive round of 69 to finish T6.

Tai was ably supported by sophomore Kale Fontenot, a winner in his freshman season. Fontenot made another telling contribution at Olympia Fields with a joint best-of-the-day 66 in the final round. 

After starring on the PGA Tour over the summer, Florida State’s Luke Clanton made his first appearance of the new campaign, finishing alongside Tai and others on three under par. 

Team Leaderboard | Individual Leaderboard

ASU Photographs: Ben Parris/Sun Devil Men’s Golf

Oklahoma ranks No.8 in the latest 2024-25 Bushnell/Golfweek Division I Coaches Poll but at the prestigious Valero Texas Collegiate they outlasted four of the teams above them. The Sooners overturned a one-shot deficit after 36 holes to run out six-shot winners over Ole Miss, giving Head Coach Ryan Hybl his 44th career win.

With 13 consecutive NCAA Championships, Hybl has the second longest active streak in Division I. Last season, the Sooners won three times, including the NCAA Rancho Santa Fe Regional. At TPC San Antonio Oaks, four of Hybl’s players finished inside the top 20. It’s shaping up to be another successful season.

Fast-finishing Auburn claimed third place with the Tigers once again providing the individual medalist — or the joint medalist in this case. This time, it was the turn of sophomore Josiah Gilbert (below), who tied with Ben James of Virginia on -12, one shot better than Jase Summy of Oklahoma, who set a new school scoring record to par when he opened with a 10-under 62. 

Gilbert counted in 20 of the 22 rounds he played for Auburn last season, piling up top-10s in the process. The Australian opened with rounds of 66 and 67 but looked to have passed up his chance of a maiden win when he carded two bogeys in his first seven holes. Four subsequent birdies, including three on the spin from the 15th, got him in the house at 12 under. 

The sophomore had to wait around 50 minutes for both James and Summy, who were playing together in the final group, to finish. James went seven under for his final 13, including birdies on his final two holes, which was good enough for a share of the spoils.

With a PGA Tour start in the 2025 Valero Texas Open at stake, James and Gilbert went back to the 18th tee for a sudden-death playoff, which James (above) won at the first time of asking. It was the sixth collegiate career win for the 2023 winner of the Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award.

Photography by Stephanie Sage for Valero Texas Collegiate

A flurry of late birdies propelled Colorado (-12) to the narrowest of victories over hosts New Mexico (-11) in the 69th edition of the William H Tucker Invitational. It was the Buffaloes’ first win in the event after four previous second place finishes.

‘What an incredible day by the guys,’ Head Coach Roy Edwards told the CU website after watching his team secure the 19th tournament win in his 18th year with the program. ‘They competed so hard and so well. The conditions were more “Tucker-like” than yesterday and the team responded wonderfully to the difficulty.  There is no doubt experience helped.’

Ultimately, the par-5s proved to be the difference between the top two teams with Colorado playing the four longest holes on the UNM Championship Course in a combined 13-under par, eight better than nearest rivals New Mexico. The only other team to finish the tournament under par was Long Beach State at -3.

Consolation for New Mexico came in two of its players topping the individual leaderboard. Alvaro Portillo and Carson Herron both finished at eight under par, three shots ahead of Dylan McDermott of Colorado. McDermott’s teammate, senior Justin Biwer, was tied T4, recording his third top-10 in this event.

Team Leaderboard | Individual Leaderboard

Utah made it two wins out of two for the season by closing out the Tindall hosted by Washington. Garrett Clegg’s team finished 33 under par for a 14-shot victory over Pepperdine. The Utes were ranked 24 in the latest Bushnell/Golfweek DI Coaches Poll and prevailed over seven other teams that earned votes.

‘For the second tournament in a row, we started the final round with the lead and had the round of the day,’ Coach Clegg told the Utah website. ‘Having each of our players shoot in the 60s and Brandon [Robison] coming in huge with a 64 showcased how strong each of these players are. It was a lot of fun as a coach to see these boys compete!’ His team’s final round score of 271 (13 under par) was the lowest by any team in the tournament. 

Utah’s Spanish sophomore Sergio Jimenez and red shirt junior Davis Johnson seemed destined to decide the individual championship between them after getting to nine and eight under respectively thru 36 holes. Pablo Ereno of UCLA had other ideas, however, firing a bogey-free closing 66 (-5), which earned him a share of medalist honors with Johnson after Jimenez had bogeyed the last two holes. 

The in-state battle between tournament hosts Duke and North Carolina State intensified during the final round of the Rod Myers Invitational but it was NC State who came on strong to claim the win, finishing on 22 under at the Duke University Golf Club. 

Win number 13 for Head Coach Press McPhaul came in the first tournament of his eighth season in charge. Four of his players finished inside the top 15.

The Pack’s 10-shot team victory tasted even sweeter as one of their own, red shirt senior Nick Mathews, took the individual title. A second round 64 (-8), the lowest score of his collegiate career, put Mathews in the mix and a closing 68 was good enough for a six-shot cushion over Connor McNeely of Cincinnati.

Riccardo Fantinelli of Princeton set a new program record for lowest round score to par by scorching round in 65 (-7) in the final round. The junior from Rome in Italy finished T3 in the individual standings.