Josele Ballester (-4) remains steady and is now among the top ten in the NCAA Final. He is fifth after two intense rounds on the North Course at the Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad.
The Spaniard has delivered identical scores to the opening round. A round of 70 strokes and a total of four under par. Additionally, he is significantly contributing to Arizona State’s (-13) lead in the team standings.
Josele started at the 10th hole in the best possible way with two consecutive birdies. However, although three slip-ups in just five holes caused him to drop down the leaderboard, he compensated with another birdie and completed the first nine holes of the day at par. The second nine holes were much more orderly and without any mistakes. Two solitary birdies and a round of two under par.
There are still 36 holes to close the stroke play phase, but Josele is already peeking through the door. However, he will need to step up a gear. Connor Williams (-9), Josele’s teammate, and Michael La Sasso (-9) are excelling in California and are already nine under par. Four strokes ahead of their nearest challengers. It’s difficult for Connor and Michael to maintain the pace they’ve set, but Ballester will seek to reduce that gap before the final stroke play round. There’s a lot of golf ahead, and he has more than enough room.
Among the other Spaniards in the competition, Pablo Ereño (+1) has recovered from the poor finish of the first round and has closed a second round under par, placing him among the top 35 of the day. Pablo Pérez Gracia (+14) struggled significantly in the second round. A round of 83 strokes dropped him to 136th place. The other two Spaniards in the competition, Jaime Montojo (+7) and Álvaro Portillo (N/A), were substitutes on this occasion.
This Sunday brings the first cut of the tournament. The top fifteen universities and the top nine individual players not in any of those teams advance to the final stroke play round.
Beyond Arizona’s team lead, Texas A&M (+12) with Jaime Montojo is right at the fifteenth spot marking the first cut, although the Spaniard will not be able to contribute from the field as he will also be a reserve in this third round. UCLA (+22) faces an even tougher challenge. Ereño’s team is ten strokes behind Texas A&M. It’s a recoverable distance, but all five team members will need to be sharp to give themselves a chance. Troy (+24), Pablo Pérez Gracia’s team, is two strokes behind UCLA.
Remember that the top eight universities after the first four rounds will advance to the Match Play phase.
