James Madison edges Campbell by a shot to take team title in Intercollegiate at Innisbrook

   James Madison, behind a tie for fifth place from Nick Schlickenrieder, a sophomore from Sweden, edged Campbell by a shot to capture the team title in the Intercollegiate at Innisbrook, which wrapped up Tuesday at the Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Fla.

   It was the third tournament win of the fall campaign for the Dukes, who came into the Intercollegiate at Innisbrook at No. 40 in the latest Golfstat rankings.

   James Madison, which finished third in the Colonial Athletic Association Championship last spring, opened with a 2-over 286 over the 7,209-yard, par-71 Copperhead Course before adding the best team round of the tournament, an 8-under 276 in the second round of Monday’s double round. The Dukes closed with a 2-under 282, the best team round of Tuesday’s final round for an 8-under 844 total.

   Reigning Big South champion Campbell, ranked 42^nd, had shared the lead with James Madison after Monday’s double round, the Camels carding a pair of 3-under 281s. A final round of 1-under 283 left Campbell just a shot behind James Madison with a 7-under 845 total.

   The Copperhead Course is also the site of The American Championship in the spring and several American Athletic Conference teams took advantage of the chance for their players to familiarize themselves with the course.

   Reigning American champion Memphis and South Florida, whose four-year reign atop the American was snapped by the Tigers last spring, finished in a tie for third place at 2-over 854, nine shots behind Campbell. Memphis, ranked 47^th, opened with a 3-over 287 and added a solid 6-under 278 before closing with a 5-over 289. South Florida, ranked 41^st, opened with a 2-under 282 and added a 1-over 285 before closing with a 3-over 287.

   Another perennial American power, Houston, at 39^th the highest-ranked team in the field, shared fifth place with American rival East Carolina, each landing on 12-over 864, 10 shots behind Memphis and South Florida.

   Houston sandwiched a solid 4-under 280 in Monday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 8-over 292s. No. 68 East Carolina opened with a 6-over 290 and added a 4-over 288 before closing with a 2-over 286.

   Delaware, a CAA rival of James Madison’s, finished in 11^th place at 38-over 890. The Blue Hens opened with a 295 and added a 5-over 289 before struggling to a 306 in the final round.

   Temple’s fifth-place finish with a veteran team in last spring’s American Championship was its highest ever in the conference championship. Back at Innisbrook this week, the Owls finished in a tie for 13^th place with William & Mary in the 16-team field with a 50-over 902 total. Temple struggled a little in the opening round with a 305. The Owls added a 299 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 298 in Tuesday’s final round.

   Schlickenrieder sandwiched a 3-under 68 with a pair of 1-over 72s to finish with a 1-under 212 total that left him in the tie for fifth place, a career-high finish. Schlickenrieder went 2-under over the final seven holes, which helped lift the Dukes to the team title.

   Nacho Montero, a junior from Spain, backed up Schlickenrieder as he finished in the group tied for 20^th place at 3-over 216, closing with a sparkling 2-under 69. Montero had opened with rounds of 3-over 74 and 1-under 70 in Monday’s double round.

   Freshman Neal Shipley, a member of Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s PIAA Class AAA championship team a year ago, had the Dukes’ best round for the final day, a 3-under 68 that left him among the group tied for 18^th place at 2-over 215. Shipley’s 3-under 68 was also James Madison’s best in the opening round, but he struggled to a 79 in Monday afternoon’s second round.

   Walker Cress, a senior from Concord, N.C., and George Heath, a sophomore from England, both landed among the group tied for 26^th place at 4-over 217.

   Cress opened with a throw-out 75, but came up huge for the Dukes in the final two rounds, firing a 2-under 69 in Monday afternoon’s second round and closing with a 2-over 73. Birdies at the 18^th hole by Schlickenrieder and Cress proved to be the difference down the stretch for James Madison.

   Heath had solid rounds of 1-over 72 and 2-under 69 in Monday’s double round, although his final-round 76 was a throw-out for the Dukes.

   Campbell’s Pontus Nyholm, a junior from Sweden, put together three rounds in the 60s to claim the individual title with a 9-under 204 total. Nyholm opened with a 4-under 67 and added a 3-under 68 before closing with a 2-under 69.

   Memphis’ Isaiah Jackson, a senior from Golden, Miss., rode the best individual round of the tournament, a sizzling 6-under 65 in Monday afternoon’s second round, to a runnerup finish at 7-under 206. Jackson opened with a 1-under 70 and matched par in the final round with a 71.

   Maryland’s Peter Knade, a senior from Easton, Md., had the lead after Monday’s double round as added a 4-under 67 to a sparkling opening round of 5-under 66. Knade closed with a 3-over 74 to finish alone in third place with a 6-under 207 total. Knade finished in a tie for ninth in last spring’s Big Ten Championship at Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Wissahickon Course.

   East Carolina’s A.J. Beechler, a sophomore from Pinehurst, N.C., finished alone in fourth place at 5-under 208. After matching par in the opening round with a 71, Beechler added rounds of 3-under 68 and 2-under 69.

   Joining James Madison’s Schlickenrieder in the tie for fifth place at 1-under 212 was Memphis’ Rodi Vlasveld, a senior from the Netherlands who matched par in each of his Monday rounds with a pair of 71s before closing with a 1-under 70.

   Delaware was led by Roberto Nieves, a sophomore from Miami, Fla. who finished in the group tied for 20^th place at 3-over 216. Nieves had solid rounds of even-par 71 and 1-under 70 in Monday’s double round before closing with a 4-over 75.

   Michal Bargenda, a freshman from Poland finished in the group tied for 48^th place at 10-over 223 after closing with a 5-over 76. Bargenda’s best round was a 1-over 72 in Monday afternoon’s second round. Matt Pulgini, a sophomore from Middletown, Del., carded a pair of 2-over 73s in Monday’s double round, but struggled to a 79 in Tuesday’s final round to end up in the group tied for 61^st place at 225.

   Senior Jack Melville, who starred scholastically at Upper Dublin, finished among the group tied for 71^st place at 229. Melville opened with a 79 and added s 3-over 74 before closing with a 76. Senior R.J Wren, who finished in a tie for seventh in the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a senior at Twin Valley, ended up alone in 82^nd place at Innisbrook with a 233 total. Wren followed up a pair of 76s in Monday’s double round with a final-round 81.

   Temple was led by junior Dawson Anders, a Souderton standout who won the 2017 Golf Association of Philadelphia Junior Boys’ Championship. Anders closed with a 2-over 73 to finish in the group tied for 44^th place with a 9-over 222 total. Anders had rounds of 74 and 75 in Monday’s double round.

   Sophomore Conor McGrath, an Academy of the New Church product who has had a solid fall campaign, matched par in the final round with a 71 to finish among the group tied for 54^th place at 224. Conor McGrath had rounds of 76 and 77 in Monday’s double round. Graham Chase, a freshman from Charlotte, N.C., closed with a 5-over 76 to end up in the group tied for 67^th place at 228. Chase carded a solid 2-over 73 in Monday afternoon’s second round.

   Senior Liam McGrath, like younger brother Conor an Academy of the New Church product, closed with a 78 to finish among the group tied for 75^th place at 230. Rounding out the Temple lineup was Danny Nguyen, a freshman from Vietnam who finished alone in 85^th place at 237 after struggling to a final round of 83. Nguyen had rounds of 78 and 76 in Monday’s double round.

   Helping the cause for Maryland was freshman Austin Barbin of Elkton, Md., who captured the GAP Junior Boys’ crown at Coatesville Country Club last summer and teed it up in both the U.S. Junior Amateur at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio and the U.S. Amateur at the Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in Pinehurst, N.C. Barbin sandwiched a 3-over 74 in Monday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 1-over 72s to finish among the group tied for 29^th place at 5-over 218.

Texas men, Wake Forest women the winners in East Lake Cup

   The NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. seems like a dot off in the horizon.

   But the way to get there probably looked a little clearer for the Texas men and the Wake Forest women after they capped an impressive week with victories in their respective East Lake Cup finals Wednesday at a rainy and windy East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

   Texas, No. 25 in the latest Golfstat rankings, looks like it will be a force to be reckoned with in next spring’s college postseason as the Longhorns grabbed the top seed with a 10-under 278 performance in one day of stroke play Monday, rolled to a semifinal victory over Southeastern Conference power Vanderbilt and then polished off Big 12 rival Oklahoma State, ranked 57^th, with a 3-2 victory in Wednesday’s final.

   It is not the Oklahoma State team that dominated college golf for much of the last two seasons, the Cowboys capturing the NCAA title in 2018 on their home course at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla. and falling to their rivals, the Longhorns, in the semifinals last spring at The Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark.

   It was a role reversal from last spring when an upstart Texas team knocked off the favored Cowboys. This time it was Oklahoma State that was the underdog trying to pull off the upset over the favored Longhorns.

   And for a long time Wednesday, it was Oklahoma State with the only point on the board as Brian Stark, a freshman from Kingsburg, Calif. claimed a 4 and 3 victory over Pierceson Coody, a sophomore from Plano, Texas and No. 10 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

   But the Longhorns had leads in the other four matches and ultimately held onto the leads in three of those matches to claim the East Lake Cup.

   Parker Coody, the other of the twin grandsons of 1971 Masters champion Charles Coody, claimed a 1-up decision over Oklahoma State’s Aman Gupta, a sophomore from Concord, N.C. The Longhorns’ veteran, Spencer Soosman, a senior from Westlake Village, Calif., rolled to a 5 and 3 victory over Hazen Newman, a freshman from Las Vegas.

   And the clincher came from Travis Vick, a freshman from Houston who pulled out a 1-up victory over Rayhan Thomas, a freshman from the United Arab Emirates.

   The last link to those dominant Oklahoma State teams of the last two seasons, Austin Eckroat, a junior from Edmond, Okla. and No. 21 in the WAGR, rallied to knock off Cole Hammer, a sophomore from Houston and No. 2 in the WAGR, 3 and 1, to pick up the final point for the Cowboys.

   Hammer’s rise in the WAGR was largely a function of a torrid stretch of golf that dated back to the spring of 2018 and continued throughout his freshman season at Texas and probably culminated with the Longhorns’ upset of Oklahoma State at The Blessings.

   He understandably cooled off for a while, although he seemed to regain his form quite suddenly with a 6 and 5 victory over veteran Irishman Conor Purcell during a stunning rally in Sunday singles by the United States that enabled it to retain the Walker Cup at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England.

   The Walker Cup Match was played in early September while the college golf season was already getting under way. It took a while for Hammer to get reacclimated, but this week he looked ready to concentrate on being a Texas Longhorn in the spring.

   The East Lake Cup often seems to be unkind to the highest-ranked team in the field. That was certainly the case this week as No. 1 Wake Forest suffered a 3-2 loss to No. 21 Vanderbilt in the match for third place, the Demon Deacons going 0-2 in match play.

   Vanderbilt got a 4 and 3 victory from William Moll, a freshman from Houston, over Alex Fitzpatrick, a sophomore from England and No 28 in the WAGR. Fitzpatrick was at Royal Liverpool, too, as a member of the Great Britain & Ireland side, so his fall campaign got off to a late start.

   Harrison Ott, a junior from Brownfield, Wis., and Matthew Riedel, a freshman from Houston, were the other winners for Vandy.

   The Commodores’ best player, John Augenstein, a senior from Owensboro, Ky. and No. 5 in the WAGR, lost to Eric Bae, a senior from Pinehurst, N.C. who earned a 3 and 2 decision.

   Augenstein also represented the United States in the Walker Cup Match right on the heels of a run to the final of the U.S. Amateur at the Pinehurst Resort & Country Club. Assuming he’s sticking around for the spring portion of his senior season, Augenstein will be the leading man for Vanderbilt.

Wake Forest’s other point came from Eugenio Chacarra, a sophomore from Spain who looked really tough at East Lake.

   The Wake Forest women, meanwhile, made a major statement at East Lake.

   The Demon Deacons, No. 4 in the latest Golfstat rankings, followed up a 3.5-1.5 victory over No. 8 Arizona in the semifinals with an impressive 4-1 win over No. 30 Auburn in Wednesday’s final.

   Emilia Migliaccio, a junior from Cary, N.C. and No. 14 in the Women’s WAGR, set the tone with a hard-fought 1-up victory over Auburn’s Megan Schofill, an impressive freshman from Monticello, Fla.

   Migliaccio passed up the U.S. Women’s Amateur last summer to represent the United States in the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. She came home with two gold medals, one in the individual women’s competition and another as part of the winning U.S. mixed team. Her victory over Schofill kept her undefeated in college match-play competition.

   In the Wake Forest website coverage of the East Lake competition, Karen Lewellen, the Demon Deacons’ head coach, mentioned that the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship next spring will include a layer of match play.

   The SEC went that way a few years ago and I think it pays off if you can somehow survive four rounds of stroke play in the NCAA Championship and be one of the eight teams left standing for match play.

   Siyun Liu, a senior from China, picked up another point for Wake Forest with a 5 and 4 victory over Kaleigh Telfer, a junior from South Africa. In a battle of pals from the Old Sod, Lauren Walsh, a freshman from Ireland, downed Julie McCarthy, a junior from Ireland, 3 and 1, to deliver another point for the Demon Deacons.

   The final Wake Forest point was recorded by Rachel Kuehn, a freshman from Asheville, N.C. who claimed a 3 and 2 decision over Mychael O’Bryan, a junior from Hoover, Ala.

   The East Lake Cup was the third tournament title of the fall for the Demon Deacons, who topped an elite field in the ANNIKA Intercollegiate and won the Lady Paladin Invitational.

   Brooke Sansom, a redshirt sophomore from Pike Road, Ala., earned the lone point for the Tigers with a 4 and 3 victory over Vanessa Knecht, a sophomore from Switzerland. Knecht was huge as a freshman in Wake Forest’s run to the Final Match at The Blessings and earned co-medalist honors this week at East Lake.

   O’Bryan, Sansom, McCarthy and Telfer were in the starting lineup for Auburn in its run to the semifinals at The Blessings last spring. A win over Duke in the semifinals at East Lake would seem to indicate the Tigers are going to be making some noise in the spring.

   Wake Forest and reigning national champion Duke, ranked 11^th, managed to avoid each other in Atlanta. Despite a 3-2 loss to Arizona in the third-place match, Duke was the qualifying medalist in stroke play with Ana Belac, a senior from Slovenia, earning co-medalist honors.

   Belac earned one of the points for the Blue Devils against Arizona. The other came from Erica Shepherd, the freshman from Greenwood, Ind. who looks like she will be a valuable addition to the Duke lineup. Shepherd, the 2017 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship winner, won both of her matches at East Lake.

   Not to be overlooked, Arizona got match wins from Therese Warner, a freshman from Kennewick, Wash., Ya Chan Chung, a sophomore from Taiwan and Vivian Hou, a freshman from Taiwan who knocked off Duke’s Jaravee Boonchant, a junior from Thailand and No. 27 in the Women’s WAGR, 3 and 1.

   As I mentioned in my first post on the East Lake Cup, there’s no guarantee everybody is coming back for the spring portion of the wraparound 2019-’20 season. To me, it’s one of the idiosyncrasies of college golf that help make it endlessly interesting. That and the ton of talented players, guys and gals, from every corner of the planet.

Individual champion Lyerly leads host North Carolina Greensboro to title in Grandover Collegiate

   Host North Carolina Greensboro, behind individual champion Nick Lyerly, a junior from Salisbury, N.C., captured the team crown for the second straight year in the Grandover Collegiate, which wrapped up Monday at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro, N.C.

   The Spartans, No. 110 in the latest Golfstat rankings, pulled away from No. 74 Rutgers in Monday’s final round with a 4-over 292 that gave them a 12-over 876 total. UNCG had matched par in the opening round of Sunday’s double round with a 288 and added an 8-over 296 in the afternoon.

   Rutgers had matched UNCG’s opening-round 288 and had fallen just two shots behind the Spartans with a 10-over 298 in Sunday afternoon’s second round. But the Scarlet Knights closed with an 11-over 299 that left them in second place, nine shots behind UNCG with a 21-over 885 total.

   Appalachian State, ranked 151^st, was a other six shots behind Rutgers in third place with a 27-over 891 total after carding three straight rounds of 9-over 297. No. 98 Virginia Tech was three shots behind Appalachian State in fourth place with a 30-over 894 total after the Hokies closed with a 303.

   No. 77 Penn State, Rutgers’ Big Ten rival, was another nine shots behind Virginia Tech with a 41-over 905 total as the Nittany Lions closed out their fall campaign. Penn State opened with an 8-over 296 and struggled to a 19-over 307 in Sunday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 14-over 302.

   Villanova finished last in the 11-team field with a 93-over 957 total. The Wildcats never got it going in Greensboro, opening with a 313 and adding a 319 in Sunday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 325. Villanova was playing with just a four-man team as Mark Benevento, a redshirt senior from Ocean City, N.J., took the trip to the Grandover Collegiate, but was unable to play.

   Lyerly opened with a solid 3-under 69 over the 7,245-yard, par-72 Grandover Resort layout and added a 1-over 73 before finishing strong with a 1-under 71 in Monday’s final round to claim the individual title with a 3-under 213 total. Lyerly was the only player in the field to finish under par for 54 holes.

   Backing up Lyerly for the Spartans was Zack Swanson, a junior from Waxhaw, N.C. who finished alone in fourth place with a 1-over 217 total. Swanson had rounds of 73 and 74 in Sunday’s double round before closing with a 2-under 70.

   Jonathan Brightwell, a senior from Charlotte, N.C., closed with a 4-over 76 to finish among the group tied for 11^th place with a 5-over 221 total. Brightwell had matched par in the opening round with a 72 before adding a 1-over 73 in Sunday’s second round.

   Justin Emmons, a junior from Climax, N.C., gave the Spartans a third player inside the top 18 in the individual standings as he closed with a 3-over 75 to end up among the group tied for 18^th place at 225. He had rounds of 74 and 76 in Sunday’s double round.

   Rounding out the UNCG lineup was Symon Babin, a freshman from Southern Pines, N.C. who finished in a tie for 39^th place at 232 as he sandwiched a 4-over 76 with a pair of 78s.

Atlantic Coast Conference power Duke sent its starting lineup to the Cypress Point Classic, what looks like a pretty neat match-play event against the breathtaking backdrop of the Cypress Point Golf Club in Pebble Beach, Calif.

   The Blue Devils also sent some individuals to compete in the Grandover Collegiate and one of them, Harrison Taee, a senior from the United Kingdom, shared second place in the individual chase with Virginia Tech’s Mark Lawrence Jr., a redshirt senior from Richmond, Va., at even-par 216.

Taee was steady throughout, matching par in each round with three consecutive 72s. Lawrence opened with a 3-under 69 and added a 2-over 74 before closing with a 1-over 73.

   A pair of Rutgers players, Christopher Gotterup, a junior from Little Silver, N.J., and Tony Jiang, a senior from Bradenton, Fla., shared fifth place, a shot behind UNCG’s Swanson at 2-over 218.

   Gotterup, an impressive winner of the Fighting Irish Classic earlier this month, carded a pair of 1-over 73s in Sunday’s double round before matching par in the final round with a 72. Jiang held the individual lead after carding outstanding rounds of 1-under 71 and 3-under 69 in Sunday’s double round before closing with a 6-over 78.

   Appalachian State’s Jake Lane, a junior from Canada, and Timothius Tirto Tamardi, a sophomore from Indonesia, finished in a tie for seventh place with Chattanooga’s Leon Bader, a redshirt sophomore from Germany who competed as an individual, at 3-over 219.

   Lane sandwiched a 1-under 71 with a pair of 2-over 74s while Tamardi opened with a 1-under 71 before adding a pair of 74s. Bader’s opening round of 4-under 68 was the low individual round of the tournament. He added a 1-over 73 in Sunday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 78.

Penn State was led by Alec Bard, a senior from New Hartford, N.Y., who finished among the group tied for 11^th place at 5-over 221. Bard was solid in Sunday’s double round, following up a 1-over 73 with a 1-under 71, before struggling in the final round with a 77.

   Junior Louis Olsakovsky, who starred scholastically at Upper St. Clair, closed with a 4-over 76 to finish in the group tied for 24^th place at 228. Olsakovsky opened with rounds of 2-over 74 and 6-over 78 in Sunday’s double round.

   Ryan Davis, a senior from Berkeley Heights, N.J., and James McHugh, a junior from Rye, N.Y., both landed among the group tied for 31^st at 230.

   Davis, the 2018 Met Amateur champion, opened with a 3-over 75 before posting an uncharacteristic 83 in Sunday afternoon’s second round. Davis bounced back by matching par in the final round with a 72. McHugh opened with rounds of 74 and 76 in Sunday’s double round before struggling to an 80 in the final round.

   Rounding out the Penn State lineup was junior Lukas Clark, a Council Rock South product who finished in the group tied for 53^rd place at 236. Clark sandwiched a second-round 82 with a pair of 77s.

   Penn State head coach Greg Nye continued his strategy of sprinkling in some of his talented class of freshmen during the fall portion of Nittany Lions’ season. Jimmy Meyers, who helped Pittsburgh Central Catholic capture the PIAA Class AAA team crown a year ago, competed as an individual and put together three solid rounds to finish among the group tied for 26^th place with a 229 total.

   Meyers opened with a 1-under 71 and struggled a little in Sunday afternoon’s second round with a 78 before closing with a 3-over 75.

   Villanova was led by Reb Banas, a junior from Winnetka, Ill. who finished in the group tied for 55^th place at 235. Banas opened with a 79 and added a pair of 78s.

   Sophomore Matt Davis, one of the top players in the Inter-Ac League at Malvern Prep, finished a shot behind Banas in the group tied for 57^th at 236. Davis opened with a solid 2-over 74 before struggling to a pair of 81s in his final two rounds.

   Sophomore Danny Dougherty, who starred scholastically at Tower Hill, finished alone in 64^th place at 239. Dougherty struggled to an opening-round 83, but got better after that, adding a 79 in Sunday afternoon’s second round and closing with a 77.

   Matt Minerva of Elmsford, N.Y. has had a promising start to his college career with the Wildcats, but the freshman was not at his best in the Grandover Collegiate. After opening with a 77 and adding an 81 in Sunday afternoon’s second round, Minerva struggled to a final-round 89 to finish alone in 74^th place at 247.