Utah Golf Primed for Strong Finish at the Williams Cup

Monday, October 20

Chapel Hill, N.C.

University of Utah

Williams Cup

Photo by: University of Utah Athletics

Utah Golf Primed for Strong Finish at the Williams Cup

10/20/2025 4:14 PM | Men's Golf

Utes, Palacios, and Jimenez remain in top 10

WILMINGTON, N.C. — Utah's Gabriel Palacios (tied seventh) and Sergio Jimenez (tied tenth) will each enter Tuesday's final Williams Cup round in the hunt for a podium finish. Both Utah golfers sit within the top 10 of the tournament's individual standings through 36 holes.

As a team, Utah ended day two of the Williams Cup in seventh place after carding a team score of nine-over 297. The Utes will enter the final round of the Williams Cup 21 strokes behind No. 26 Florida, who leads the tournament after an inspired first 36 holes of play. Texas and Notre Dame round out the tournament's podium at 5-under and 1-over, respectively.

Palacios led the way for Utah in round two, carding an even-par 72. The junior from Guatemala was two over through his first ten holes before firing off two birdies down the stretch to remain at 3-under through the tournament's first 36 holes. The No. 1-ranked golfer in the nation will enter day three four strokes behind Notre Dame's Nate Stevens and Florida's Zack Swanwick, the tournament's individual leaders at 7-under (137).

Jimenez ground through an eventful front nine to take a 1-over 73 into the clubhouse. The junior was 2-over heading into the back nine before carding a birdie on hole ten and finishing the afternoon with eight consecutive pars. Through 36 holes, the third-year Utah man is tied for tenth at 2-under, three strokes away from third place (5-under).

Two Utah players tied for the team's third-best round of the day. Davis Johnson and Brandon Robison each finished with rounds of 4-over 76. Johnson enters day three of the tournament tied for 46^th place with a 36-hole score of 6-over (150). Robison enters the final day at 8-over (152) in a tie for 62^nd.

Freshman Kade McDonough rounded out the Utah group with a 5-over 77. The Missoula, Montana native saw a three-stroke improvement from his first round and looks to continue rising up the scoreboard on day three.

All eyes will be on Palacios during the final day of tournament play to see if one of the nation's top collegiate golfers can continue his hot streak. A top-three finish would net the superstar his third consecutive podium finish, while a first-place victory would see him match his 2024 total of two wins (John Burns Invitational & Thunderbird).

DAY TWO STANDINGS
1. Florida (-24)
2. Texas (-5)
3. Notre Dame (+1)
4. NC State (+6)
5. North Carolina (+7)
6. Oklahoma (+8)
7. Utah (+9)
8. Arizona (+14)
T9. Auburn (+15)
T9. Louisville (+15)
T11. Kentucky (+20)
T11. UNCW (+20)
13. Oregon State (+23)
14. North Carolina B (+27)
15. Augusta (+28)

UP NEXT
The Utes will play their third and final round of the 54-hole Williams Cup on Tuesday, October 21. The third round will begin at 8:15 a.m. ET. Utah's Sergio Jimenez and Gabriel Palacios will tee off at 8:45 and 8:55 a.m. ET, respectively.

LIVE SCORING
To keep up with the Williams Cup results, fans can visit Golfstat. Links to live scoring on each day can be found on UtahUtes.com.

FOLLOW THE UTES
For an inside look at the Utah Golf program, including tournament, roster and news updates, fans can follow the Utes on social media (Twitter: @UtesGolf | Instagram: @UtesGolf).

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