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.