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Aggies seeking 10th appearance in NCAA National Championship.
Source: NMSU Athletics
By Michael Navarrette
Photo By Stew Milne for NMSU: Courtesy
AUBURN, Ala. – For the second consecutive day, the Aggies play strong, consistent golf to remain among the leaders at the NCAA Auburn Regional held at Auburn University Club. On Tuesday, the Aggies recorded a 288 (E) once again to bring their team total to 576 (E) for the week, a mark that is good for third place among the 13-team field.
The Aggies will begin the third and final round just one stroke back of No. 12 Texas A&M for second place, while No. 1 Auburn holds a commanding 18-stroke lead over Texas A&M. Currently, NM State holds a seven-stroke lead over the sixth-place team, No. 37 Purdue. This remains vital as the Aggies will need to finish among the top five teams in the field to qualify for the upcoming NCAA National Championship held in Carlsbad, Calif., on May 23-28. This would mark the Aggies’ 10th appearance in the NCAA National Championship and first since 1995.
NM State is currently paced by sixth-year senior Aidan Thomas, who carded a 72 (E) on Tuesday to end the day four under par for the tournament, which is good for a tie for sixth place. Thomas’ consistent golf in the second round puts him just four strokes back of Kennesaw State’s Claes Borregaard, who leads the pack at eight-under after shooting a 68 (-4) for the second straight day. For Thomas, his best finish at an NCAA Regional came in 2023 when he placed tied for 30th at the Las Vegas Regional after shooting a 209 (-7) for the week.
Following closely behind Thomas is true freshman Mateo Payán who turned in the lowest round two score of any Aggie after shooting a 70 (-2) to jump 20 spots up the leaderboard and into a tie for 11th place. In total, Payán is one under for the tournament and is one of six players tied for 11th.
The Aggies’ largest leap on the leaderboard came from junior Javier Delgadillo, who launched himself 32 spots up the standings by shooting a 71 (-1) to sit in a tie for 23rd following the second round of play.
Meanwhile, Ethan Klose concluded the day in a tie for 33rd as he posted a score of 75 (+3) for the day. Lastly, Alexandre Bauduin will open his final round in a tie for 67th after shooting eight over on Tuesday.
LEADERBOARD
| Pos. | Team | R1 | R2 | Total (To par) |
| 1. | Auburn | 275 | 282 | 557 (-19) |
| 2. | Texas A&M | 288 | 287 | 575 (-1) |
| 3. | NM State | 288 | 288 | 576 (E) |
| 4. | UCLA | 283 | 295 | 578 (+2) |
| 5. | Georgia Tech | 284 | 296 | 580 (+4) |
| 6. | Purdue | 288 | 295 | 583 (+7) |
| 7. | SMU | 286 | 298 | 584 (+8) |
| 8. | Charleston | 296 | 292 | 588 (+12) |
| 9. | Little Rock | 291 | 300 | 591 (+15) |
| 10. | Loyola Maryland | 300 | 294 | 594 (+18) |
| 11. | TCU | 289 | 307 | 596 (+20) |
| 12. | Oregon | 297 | 300 | 597 (+21) |
| 13. | USC Upstate | 309 | 303 | 612 (+36) |
| Pos. | Name | R1 | R2 | Total (To par) |
| T6. | Aidan Thomas | 68 | 72 | 140 (-4) |
| T11. | Mateo Payán | 73 | 70 | 143 (-1) |
| T23. | Javier Delgadillo | 75 | 71 | 146 (+2) |
| T33. | Ethan Klose | 73 | 75 | 148 (+4) |
| T67. | Alexandre Bauduin | 74 | 80 | 154 (+10) |
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- The Aggies are seeking the program’s 10th appearance in the NCAA National Championship and first since 1995. Previously, the Aggies qualified for the national championship in 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1993 and 1995, with their best finish coming in 1971 when they finished 13th. This includes the 1968 National Championship which NM State hosted at the New Mexico State University Golf Course.
- The Aggies are a combined 15 over on the par 4s this week to rank third among the field.
- NM State also ranks third in the field on the par 5s, shooting a combined 12-under for the week
- NM State currently ranks fifth in scoring on the course’s par 3s as they are a combined eight-over across the first two rounds.
- The Aggies rank second in the field in total pars with 123, standing behind only Auburn, which has 128 pars this week.
- NM State has also tallied the third-fewest bogeys this week with 27.
- Mateo Payán is currently one of just eight players in the field at even par or better on the course’s par 4s, as he is even through two rounds.
- Both Ethan Klose and Aidan Thomas currently rank tied for second among the field in total pars with 28 apiece. This ranks second only to Little Rock’s Rhett South, who has recorded 29 pars
- Through two rounds, Ethan Klose remains one of just eight players in the field with an eagle.
- Aidan Thomas is one of just four players in the field with two or fewer bogeys in the opening two rounds.
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