Arizona men’s golf falls to 21st after second round of NCAA Championships

Arizona men’s golf entered Saturday in contention for the lead at NCAA Championships. By the time the Wildcats walked off Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale Saturday afternoon, Arizona found itself nearly out of contention for a spot to compete for a national title later this week.

The UA shot a 26-over par in the second round of NCAA Championships, dropping from fourth place to 21st place. Arizona is 32-over par halfway through stroke play, 10 strokes behind the cut-off for the eight-team match play tournament that will decide the national champion.

Christian Banke shot Arizona’s best round Saturday, going 4-over. The Wildcats’ top individual golfer through two rounds is Chaz Aurilia, who is tied for 42nd at 6-over.

“Today was a challenging day for our team, and we unfortunately did not rise to the occasion,” said head coach Jim Anderson in a statement. “It was a hot, windy afternoon for us, but we got away from our game plan and the success from our first round. It’s definitely a disappointing feeling, but we have another round of golf to focus on and get back on track.”

Arizona was one of 11 teams to shoot 20-over par or worse Saturday. Only two teams shot under par — leader Oklahoma and third place Oklahoma State.

The Wildcats will tee off the third round Sunday at 11:42 a.m. on the 10th hole. They’ll play alongside Wake Forest and Florida State.