PENFIELD, N.Y. – After a dramatic sudden-death playoff, the Amherst College men's golf team has advanced to compete in the final two rounds of the 2025 NCAA Division III Championships. The Mammoths were in a four-way tie for 17th place after Wednesday's second round at the Midvale Country Club, but with only 18 teams making the cut to advance to the final rounds, a four-team playoff was necessary for the final two spots.

The Mammoths reached the playoff after a strong round on the par-72 course, shooting a 13-over 301 as a team, a nine-stroke improvement over Amherst's first-round score. When the dust settled on the second round, four teams were tied for the final two spots: Amherst, Gettysburg, Redlands and Trinity (Texas).

The playoff unfolded simultaneously across five holes, with one golfer from each team playing each hole. The best four scores against par were compared to break the tie between teams. Junior Paari Kaviyarasu, first-year Andre Zhang, senior Steven Chen and junior Mark Vitels each shot par on their respective holes to put the Mammoths at even par in the playoff. Gettysburg's golfers shot 2-under to advance, while Redlands (+2) and Trinity (+3) were eliminated.

In the second round, Zhang led the Mammoths once again, shooting a 1-under 71 in a round that included four birdies and just three bogeys. Zhang finished the second round at +2 for the tournament to tie for eighth place on the individual leaderboard.

First-year Jan Ebbinge shot an even par round of 72, also collecting four birdies to stay at +4 for the tournament and tie for 18th place. Vitels and Chen each carded a 7-over 79 on the day. Vitels enters the third round tied for 124th place at +13 for the tournament, while Chen and Kaviyarasu are tied for 188th place at +21 through two rounds.

The Mammoths will be back at Midvale for the third round on Thursday (May 21) with Amherst's tee times beginning at 9:50 a.m.