CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA - MAY 29: J.M. Butler of the Auburn Tigers celebrates with his teammates after defeating the Florida State Seminoles in the championship match during the Division I Men's Golf Championship held at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa on May 29, 2024 in Carlsbad, California. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
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As the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship participants descend on Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California, they can expect tougher conditions, including firmer, faster greens and thicker rough and fescue.
"We had heard rumors of green speeds reaching 14 on the Stimpmeter, but we're more likely looking at 12-plus," Head Professional of Resort and Tournament Golf Robert Gogulich said. "With the slopes on these greens, it will play fast."
Source: Break80 Golf
Thirty of the nation's best collegiate men's golf teams will tee off May 29 in a three-round stroke-play competition. Following the third round, the field will be cut in half, with the top 15 teams advancing to the final round of stroke play. At the conclusion of that round, the individual champion will be crowned, and the eight teams with the lowest cumulative scores will advance to match play.
June 2 and 3 will feature team match-play competition. Quarterfinal and semifinal matches will be contested on June 2, with the championship match scheduled for June 3.
OAKMONT, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 13: Amateur Jackson Koivun of the United States and his caddie look over an upcoming putt on the fourth hole during the second round of the 125th U.S. OPEN at Oakmont Country Club on June 13, 2025 in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
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Auburn enters as a heavy favorite, led by star player Jackson Koivun. The Tigers advanced out of the Athens, Georgia, regional in third place. Virginia, led by Ben James, the No. 2-ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, also enters in strong form after tying for first in its regional.
"It's anyone's tournament if you get hot," Gogulich said. "If you can make the top 15 and then the top eight, it's a whole different game. It's not about shooting 63 or 64 anymore. It's about getting into your opponent's head, making putts and winning your match."
Source: Break80 Golf
The course itself offers plenty of excitement. The 11th hole is a drivable par 4 measuring 348 yards. A narrow waste bunker guards the left side, while a pond runs up the right side and wraps around the green. Four greenside bunkers await aggressive tee shots or poorly played wedges, and anything long left can find a penalty area.
"If you hit the backside of the 11th green, it's gone," Gogulich said. "Par is a good score. Lay up, get to the green, two-putt and get out of there. Us guys, we like to smash it, so we'll see."
Source: Break80 Golf
The Gil Hanse-redesigned North Course at Omni La Costa blends the coastal beauty and luxury of Pelican Hill with the elevated greens and strategic design elements of Riviera Country Club. La Costa is striving for PGA Tour-level conditions. The championship course features elevated greens, water hazards and long fescue, with those challenges magnified on the par-3 12th and 16th holes.
"The NCAA determines where the tees are, and I don't think they're going to tip it all the way back on that hole, but I think 260 yards is about where they'll play it," Gogulich said of the par-3 12th.
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The 16th is widely considered La Costa's signature hole. Visible from the resort, practice area and putting green, the picturesque par 3 features a pond guarding the front of the green and a redesign inspired by Augusta National's famous 12th hole. Any shot left short risks rolling into the water. The hole is also remembered as the site of Tiger Woods' brilliant playoff-clinching iron shot in the rain to defeat Tom Lehman at the 1997 Tournament of Champions.
Athletes from all 30 competing teams are staying on property at the expansive 650-room resort, giving them access to the facility's amenities and practice areas. Omni La Costa sits atop a hill overlooking the course and the Pacific Ocean, with architecture highlighted by white stone, Roman-inspired details and grand columns.
How to Watch the NCAA Men's Golf Championship
Friday, May 29
Saturday, May 30
Sunday, May 31
Monday, June 1
Tuesday, June 2
Wednesday, June 3
Timothy is a founding member of Break80 Golf and a contributing golf and sports writer for Forbes with PGA Tour and LIV Golf media credentials. Timothy can be reached at break80podcast@gmail.com for inquiries or story leads.
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