STOCKTON, Calif - Round 1 of the NCAA Division II Men’s Golf West/South Central Regional, powered by Visit Stockton and the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), took place Thursday at The Reserve at Spanos Park.
 
The 20 teams are competing for six spots in the NCAA Division II Championship on May 18-22 at Boulder Creek Golf Club. Additionally, two individual spots will be awarded to the highest-finishing players whose teams do not advance to the national championship. 
 
Individually, it is Liam Weaver of Cal State San Marcos sitting two shots clear of the field after firing a 6-under 66. The redshirt freshman transfer from San Diego State was the only player in the field to card a bogey-free round on Thursday. 
 
“It was one of those days where I got a lot of momentum,” Weaver said following his round. 
 
Sitting alone in second place is Lukas Taggart of Colorado School of Mines after shooting a 4-under 68. Taggart and teammate Liam Allen qualified for the regional as individuals after the Orediggers narrowly missed qualifying as a team. 
 
There is a six-way tie for third place at 3-under 69, including Tyler Price of Cal State San Bernardino and Peyton Hendricks of Cal State East Bay. 
 
On the team side, Western Washington University leads the field at 5-under par (283). Vikings head coach Luke Bennett has qualified for the national championship twice as a player and three times as a head coach, though Western Washington has not advanced since 2019. 
 
“We’re just trying to take it one shot at a time,” Bennett said. “We just have to go out there and play golf.” 
 
West Texas A&M University sits in second place at 4-under, while Cal State San Marcos holds third at 3-under. Cal State San Bernardino and Cameron University round out the top five at 2-under par. 
 
“We got a late tee time , and it was rough with how the wind was blowing,” Kyle Emerson said following the round. “Hopefully, tomorrow we can get some calmer conditions.” 
 
The second round will begin Friday, May 8 at 7:30 a.m. local time. Fans can follow the action on SCOREBOARD - NCAA DII West/South Central Regional (Men) Team Leaderboard 
 
CCAA Team Scores 

• 3rd — Cal State San Marcos (285, -3)  
• 4th — Cal State San Bernardino (286, -2)  
• 6th — Cal State East Bay (287, -1)  
• 12th — Chico State (293, +5)  
• 20th — Cal State Monterey Bay (302, +14)