Exactly two years ago, Ohio State sophomore Jack Vojtko remained humble, saying he played “boring golf” at the East Lake Cup. His closing stretch, however, was anything but boring. He was 1-under through 12 holes that Monday when he made a birdie on par-4 13th, followed it with an eagle at 14th before a pair of birdies on 16th and 17th. With a 1-shot lead to close the day, he hit a big drive to ultimately end with two putts. He fired a bogey-free round of 6-under 66 to win the individual title in Atlanta. Miles away, World No. 1 PGA Tour player Scottie Scheffler, who was preparing for the Tour Championship, breathed a sigh of relief.

You see, Vojtko could’ve been in a good enough position to threaten Scheffler’s decade-old East Lake record when he played at the University of Texas. All that the Buckeye could do was match him. But while nothing happened then, on Monday, a sophomore broke that 6-under 66 record in the East Lake Cup half an hour before a senior followed suit.

The 2026 East Lake Cup is in full force in Atlanta with Auburn sophomore Logan Reilly and Oklahoma State senior Preston Stout dominating the field day in and day out. But Monday hit another milestone for both the collegiate golfers.

Reilly’s gamble worked, threatening Stout to show out

During the lone stroke-play round, Reilly, who helped Auburn win the NCAA title in June, recorded eight birdies and one bogey for a career-best round, leading the field for most of the day. But the last hole didn’t come easy.

Reilly hit a bad drive and ended up in the pine straw. He went with the gamble instead of pitching out, trusting the coaches’ read, and hit a great approach to save par. That scramble is why Stout got the chance to catch him. Auburn finished two strokes clear of Oklahoma State and took the top seed for match play.

“I got over it and knew that was the play for sure, and I agreed with my coaches and took it on,” said Reilly of his big gamble at 18 when asked if he ever thought of pitching it out to his left.

Half an hour later, Stout followed after he got to know his chances of winning depended on his performance against Reilly, delivered by the latter’s Auburn teammate, Josiah Gilbert.

“He was telling me, ‘Oh Logan, made another birdie another birdie.’ Great, I don’t really want to know but thanks for telling me,” Stout joked in his post-round interview. “But I did ask Josiah on 18 if [Logan] finished at 6 or 7 and he told me and that helped feed me down the stretch.”

The world’s No. 1 amateur made a birdie at 18 to match Reilly for the ninth win of his college career. Both shot 7-under 65 to erase it on the same afternoon and finished tied for medalist honors. Scheffler set the benchmark in 2016 while playing for Texas, and Ohio State’s Jack Vojtko matched it last year. But Stout knew what this day meant.

“It was nice to feel some nerves,” Stout said, according to Cameron Jourdon of Golfweek USA Today. “It’s always fun being under pressure. That’s why we practice. I love getting in those moments and having putts like that.”

Scheffler has been making history at East Lake one way or another

Scheffler’s number carried weight because he has been a star of the game before he even started college and because he has been the best player in the world for most of the last four years. He also won the 2016 East Lake Cup as a Longhorn in that very course.

Of course, the PGA Tour’s Tour Championship is also played at East Lake.

He won it there in August to take his second FedEx Cup, his 22nd PGA Tour title. He also set a record while there.

Scheffler received over $30.9 million in 2026 through on-course earnings. With that, he broke his own 2025 record of over $27.6 million.

But a kid beating Scheffler’s college score on that course is a bigger deal than it sounds, and he would be more than happy to congratulate them when he meets them, as he did to one Junior golfer earlier this year.

Their record-breaking rounds put Reilly and Stout at the top of the individual leaderboard, but the team title is still up for grabs. Stroke play determined the match-play seeds, and the championship will be decided head-to-head.

Match play takes over at East Lake Cup

Auburn and Oklahoma State both won their semifinals on Tuesday. Auburn beat Arizona 4-1, and Oklahoma State edged UCLA 3-2. That sets up a men’s final between the two teams that tied for the lead on Monday.

On the women’s side, Arkansas senior María José Marín won the individual title with a 5-under 67 on Monday, two shots clear of USC’s Jasmine Koo. It’s the seventh win of her career.

“I asked my coach where we were standing because I had no idea what was happening,” Marin said, according to Cameron Jourdon of Golfweek USA Today. “I knew (Koo) was kind of close to me.

“She said, ‘Well, if you make this putt, you might win.’ My mind gets to a point where the only thing that matters is the hole. That was what was going through my head on that last putt.”

USC took the top women’s seed, and Arkansas got the second. Arkansas reached the final against Oklahoma State, which also has a men’s team in the final. Wednesday brings the championship matches and the consolation round.