Swanson, Brightwell lead host UNC Greensbcro to repeat victory in UNCG Martin Downs Collegiate

   Getting a 1-2 finish from Zach Swanson, a junior from Waxhaw, N.C., and Jonathan Brightwell, a senior from Charlotte, N.C., North Carolina Greensboro, No. 71 in the latest Golfstat rankings, won as the host of the UNCG Martin Downs Collegiate, which wrapped up Sunday at the Martin Downs Golf Club’s Osprey Course in Palm City, Fla., for the second straight year.

   The tournament also marked the spring debuts for a couple of City 6 entrants, Drexel, coming off a win in the City 6 Championship at Huntingdon Valley Country Club in November, and Villanova.

   It was a two-team race all weekend at Martin Downs as the reigning two-time Southern Conference champion Spartans were chased relentlessly by James Madison, at No. 49 the highest-ranked team in the field.

   Swanson claimed the individual crown with a spectacular 16-under-par 200 total over the 6,802-yard, par-72 Martin Downs layout. After opening with a 4-under 68 Friday, Swanson ripped off a sizzling 8-under 64 in Saturday’s second round before closing with another 68 in Sunday’s final round.

   But Swanson had to chase Brightwell the whole weekend after Brightwell opened with a brilliant 10-under 62 that matched the best score in UNC Greensboro’s program history and was the best in relation to par. Brightwell still led Swanson by one following a 3-under 69 in Saturday’s second round before he “cooled off” with a 2-under 70 in the final round to finish a shot behind Brightwell at 15-under 201.

   The duo helped the Spartans rip off team rounds of 18-under 270 and 17-under 271 in the first two rounds before closing with a 6-under 282 for a remarkable 41-under 823 total.

   But James Madison, which will be hoping to improve on a third-place finish in last spring’s Colonial Athletic Association Championship, was nearly as good. The Dukes opened with a 12-under 276 and added an 18-under 270 of their own in Saturday’s second round. JMU could only match UNCG’s final-round 282 and finished five shots behind the Spartans at 36-under 828.

   Samford probably felt pretty good about its 11-under 853 weekend, but was a distant 25 shots behind James Madison in third place. The Bulldogs opened with a strong 10-under 278 and added a 4-under 284 before backing off in the final round with a 3-over 291 as the Bulldogs outperformed their ranking of 197^th.

   Old Dominion was another two shots behind Samford in fourth place at 9-under 855. The Monarchs, out of Conference USA, opened with an 11-under 277 before adding a pair of 1-over 289s.

Elon, another CAA entry, was a shot behind Old Dominion in fifth place at 8-under 856. The Phoenix opened with a 10-under 278 on an obviously vulnerable Martin Downs before posting a 2-over 290 in Saturday’s second round and matching par in the final round with a 288.

   Drexel got a pretty good look at what it will be facing in the CAA Championship this spring as the Dragons finished in seventh place at 5-over 869. But it was a decent start for Drexel as it opened with a 6-under 282, struggled to a 9-over 297 in Saturday’s second round and closed with a 2-over 290.

Elon and Drexel finished behind James Madison in fourth and sixth places, respectively, in last spring’s CAA Championship.

   Villanova, out of the Big East, was last in the field of 14 with a 52-over 916 total. Max Siegfried, the club champion at Aronimink Golf Club who transferred from Virginia, struggled in his Wildcat debut as Villanova opened with a 313, shaved 14 shots off that with a 299 in the second round and finished up with a 304.

   Backing up the top two for UNC Greensboro was Nick Lyerly, a junior from Salisbury, N.C. who finished in a tie for fourth place at 10-under 206. Lyerly contributed rounds of 68 and 67 to the Spartans’ blazing first two rounds before closing with a 1-under 71.

   The final two players in UNC Greensboro’s starting five were among the group tied for 29^th place at 2-over 218. Justin Emmons, a junior from Climax, N.C., matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a 1-under 71 in the second round before closing with a 75. Noah Connor, a freshman from Reidsville, N.C., was steady all weekend, opening with an even-par 72 before adding a pair of 1-over 73s,  the final round was a counter the Spartans needed with JMU breathing down their necks.

   Interesting that that entire five for UNC Greensboro’s are all North Carolina golfers. Nothing against the foreign kids who populate a lot of golf rosters because it puts the game’s worldwide appeal on display, but it’s pretty unusual to have a starting five from one state.

   Third place in the individual standings went to James Madison’s George Heath, a sophomore from England who finished in a tie for second in last spring’s CAA Championship. After opening with a 70, Heath ripped off a sizzling 6-under 66 in the second round and closed with a 3-under 69 that left him four shots behind UNC Greensboro’s Brightwell at 11-under 205.

   Joining UNC Greensboro’s Lyerly in the tie for fourth place at 10-under 206 was Elon’s Graham Hutchinson, a junior from Dallas who opened with a 6-under 66 and added a pair of solid 2-under 70s. Hutchinson is another player who had a strong showing in last spring’s CAA Championship at the Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s No. 8 Course, finishing in a tie for fifth place.

   Old Dominion’s Gustav Fransson, a junior from Sweden finished alone in sixth place, a shot behind Hutchinson at 9-under 207. Fransson also opened strong with a 6-under 66, matched par in the second round with a 72 and closed with a 3-under 69.

   James Madison’s Walker Cress, a senior from Concord, N.C., was two shots behind Fransson in seventh place at 7-under 209. After solid rounds of 68 and 69 in the first two rounds, Cress matched par in the final round with a 72.

   A really nice addition to the James Madison lineup has been freshman Neal Shipley, a member of Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s 2018 PIAA Class AAA championship team. Shipley matched the best round of his fledgling college career with a 5-under 67 in the Dukes’ spectacular 18-under second round.

   He opened with a 1-under 71 and matched par in the final round with a 72 and was one of a trio of players tied for eighth place at 6-under 210.

   Joining Shipley at 210 were Samford’s Wesley Heston, a sophomore from Atlanta, and Elon’s Max Ferrari, a redshirt junior from Framingham, Mass. Both matched par in the final round with a 72. Heston fired a 5-under 67 in the second round while the highlight of Ferrari’s weekend was an opening-round 68.

   Leading the way for Drexel was senior Connor Schmidt, the Peters Township product who won the individual title in the City 6 at Huntingdon Valley. Schmidt, the winner of the 2018 Pennsylvania Amateur at Sunnehanna Golf Club near Johnstown, sandwiched a 2-over 73 in the second round with a pair of 3-under 69s to finish among the group tied for 11^th place at 5-under 211.

   Schmidt, who rewrote the Drexel record book with a scintillating runnerup performance in Elon’s Phoenix Invitational last fall, was part of the tie for fifth place along with Elon’s Hutchinson in last spring’s CAA Championship.

   Angelo Giantsopoulos, a junior from Canada, and Jeffrey Cunningham, a junior from West Palm Beach, Fla., each landed among the group tied for 32^nd place at 3-over 219. Giantsopoulos struggled a little in the final round with a 76, but opened with a 2-under 70 and added a 1-over 73 in the second round. Cunningham contributed a 3-under 69 to Drexel’s fast start before falling back with a 76 in the second round and closing with a 2-over 74.

   Senior Alex Butler, a member of St. Joseph’s Prep’s 2014 PIAA Class AAA championship team from East Norriton, finished in the group tied for 62^nd place at 226 after closing with a 77.

   After struggling for two rounds, junior Stephen Cerbara, the 2015 PIAA Class AAA champion as a senior at Holy Ghost Prep, closed with a solid 1-under 71 to finish among the group tied for 69^th place at 229.

   Villanova was led by Noah Peck, a sophomore from Hunt Valley, Md. who finished among the group tied for 53^rd place at 7-over 223 after matching par in the final round with a 72. Reb Banas, a junior from Winnetka, Ill., finished in the group tied for 62^nd place at 226 after closing with a 3-over 75.

   Jack O’Hara, a sophomore from Loudonville, N.Y., contributed an even-par 72 to Villanova’s best team round of the tournament Saturday, but struggled otherwise and ended up in a tie for 85^th place at 236.

   Matt Minerva, a freshman from Elmsford, N.Y., had his best round of the weekend, a 79, in Sunday’s final round to finish in a tie for 90^th place at 240.

   Rounding out the Villanova lineup was Siegfried, a former Haverford School standout who came home to join the Wildcats after spending two years at Virginia. Siegfried, who finished seventh in last summer’s Pennsylvania Amateur on his home course at Aronimink, had a pair of 78s in the final two rounds and was alone in 92^nd place at 241.

   Sophomore Danny Dougherty, a Tower Hill product, competed as an individual for Villanova at Martin Downs and finished among the group tied for 81^st place at 235. Dougherty’s best round came in Friday’s opening round when he recorded a 3-over 75.

   Bucknell also competed at Martin Downs and finished in 12^th place at 42-over 906.

   Junior Chris Tanabe, the 2016 PIAA Class AA champion as a senior at Quaker Valley, finished among the group tied for 43^rd place at 5-over 221. Tanabe, an impressive winner of the Pennsylvania Amateur last summer at Aronimink, added a final-round 75 to the pair of 1-over 73s he posted in the first two rounds.

   Bison senior Peter Bradbeer, winner of the 2017 Patterson Cup, a Golf Association of Philadelphia major championship, finished among the group tied for 71^st place at 231. Bradbeer, a Friends’ Central product, got off to a good start with a 2-under 70, but struggled to find his game the rest of the weekend.