Villanova opened the spring portion of its 2018-’19 season
last week by taking a trip to Florida for the Martin Downs Collegiate, hosted
by the University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG) at the Martin Downs Golf
Club’s Osprey Course in Palm City.
It was, predictably, a struggle for the Wildcats, many of
whom probably hadn’t swung a golf club in any other setting than with a
simulator for quite some time. Villanova ended up 12th in the
13-team field with a 917 total.
The Wildcats got a little better in each round, opening with
a 315 and taking 12 shots off that with a 303 in the second round before
finishing up with an 11-over-par 299 for a 53-over 917 total. The final round
was Feb. 12.
The host Spartans, at No. 89 in the latest Golfstat rankings the highest-ranked
team in the field, rolled to a six-shot victory over Mercer to claim the team
title. After opening with a 5-over 293, UNC Greensboro blitzed the 6,802-yard,
par-72 Osprey Course with a spectacular 15-under 273 in the second round. The
Spartans finished up with a 4-under 284 for a 14-under 850 total.
UNC Greensboro has already come back with another start in
the Puerto Rico Classic, which wrapped up Tuesday. I’m hoping to put together a
post on the Puerto Rico Classic, maybe before the day is out on a snowy
Wednesday in the Philadelphia area. The Spartans finished 10th
against a tougher field in Puerto Rico.
The Spartans were led by individual champion Nick Lyerly, a
sophomore from Salisbury, N.C. who opened with a 4-under 68, added a 3-under 69
and finished up with a 2-under 70 that gave him a 9-under 207 total.
Mercer finished up by matching par with a 288 in the final
round that left it six shots behind UNC Greensboro at 8-under 856. The Bears
opened the tournament with back-to-back 4-under 284 rounds.
James Madison was another three shots behind Mercer in third
place at 5-under 859 after finishing up with a 4-under 284. Chattanooga had the
best round of the day in the final round, a 9-under 279 that left it alone in
fourth place at 1-under 863.
Virginia Commonwealth was another six shots behind
Chattanooga in fifth place at 5-over 869 after a final round of 6-over 293. VCU
put together a solid 7-under 281 in round 2 when the Osprey Course appears to have
been at its most vulnerable during the three-day tourney.
There seems to be an unlimited amount of golf talent in
North Carolina and the all-North Carolina lineup the Spartans featured in Palm
City only serves to validate that feeling.
Bryce Hendrix, a senior from Greenville, N.C., backed up
Lyerly as he finished in a tie for fifth with James Madison’s Ignacio Montero,
a sophomore from Spain, at 3-under 213. After struggling to a 4-over 76 in the
opening round, Hendrix contributed a 3-under 69 to the Spartans’ sizzling
15-under team effort in the second round before finishing up with a 4-under 68.
Jonathan Brightwell, a junior from Charlotte, N.C., gave the
Spartans a third top-10 finisher as he joined the group tied for ninth at 1-under
215. Brightwell finished up with a 1-over 73, but he, too, heated up in the
second round with a 4-under 68.
The low round for UNC Greensboro in that second round came
from Grant Powell, a junior from Colfax, N.C. who contributed a 5-under 67. He
sandwiched that round with a pair of 76s and finished among the group tied for
24th at 3-over 219.
Rounding out the UNC Greensboro lineup was Zack Swanson, a
sophomore from Waxhaw, N.C. who finished among the group tied for 43rd
at 225. Swanson’s final round of 1-over 73 was a key counter for the Spartans.
Runnerup honors in the individual chase went to VCU’s
Kristian Tannum Donaldson, a sophomore from England who had opened the
tournament with back-to-back 5-under 67s before backing off in the final round
with a 2-over 74. Donaldson’s 8-under 208 total left him a shot behind UNC
Greensboro’s Lyerly, the individual champion.
Samford’s Aaron Walker, a senior from Charlotte, N.C.,
closed with a 5-under 67, which matched the low round of the day, to finish
third at 7-under 209. Mercer’s Stanton Schorr, a senior from Columbus, Ga., was
two shots behind Walker in fourth at 5-under 211. Schorr closed with a 1-over
73 after getting into contention with a 5-under 67 in the second round.
JMU’s Montero finished up with his second consecutive
2-under 70 to get his share of fifth with UNC Greensboro’s Hendrix at 3-under
213.
Montero’s teammate and fellow Spaniard, freshman Ignacio De
Pineda, finished in a tie for seventh with South Dakota’s Tommy Vining, a
senior from Sioux Falls, S.D., at 2-under 214. De Pineda bettered par in each
of his last two rounds with a 2-under 70 in round 2 before finishing up with a
1-under 71. After a 3-under 69 in round 2, Vining closed with a 1-under 71.
Villanova coach Jim Wilkes took an all-underclass group with
him to Palm City and the Wildcats were led by their best player, Connor Daly, a
junior from Bronxville, N.Y. Daly’s 1-under 71 in the second round was the best
of the tournament for Villanova and he closed with a 3-over 75 to join the
group tied for 28th at 4-over 220.
Mark Benevento, a redshirt junior from Ocean City, N.J.,
landed among the group tied for 56th at 230 after his second
straight 75. Reb Banas, a sophomore from Winnetka, Ill., finished in the group
tied for 64th at 233 after posting a second straight 76.
Three freshmen took their lumps, but, to a certain extent,
that is to be expected.
Jack O’Hara, out of Loudonville, N.Y., finished strong,
closing with a 1-over 73 to end up in the group tied for 71st at
236. Rounding out the lineup was Matt Davis, a four-year standout with Inter-Ac
League power Malvern Prep who finished 83rd at 242 after a
final-round 80.
Tower Hill product Danny Dougherty competed as an individual
and finished among the group tied for 60th at 232. Highlighting the
trip for Dougherty was a solid 1-over 73 in the second round. He closed with an
80.
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