Ford's runnerup finish helps Cincinnati hold off Duke in a shootout at the Dorado Beach Collegiate

   Cincinnati, picking up right where it left off in a strong fall portion of the wraparound 2022-2023 season, opened its spring campaign with an eight-shot victory in the Dorado Beach Collegiate, which wrapped up Tuesday at TPC Dorado Beach’s Sugarcane Course in Dorado, Puerto Rico.

   Behind a runnerup finish in the individual standings from Ryan Ford, a freshman from Westfield, Ind., the Bearcats, out of the American Athletic Conference, were strong from start to finish in putting together a 44-under-par 820 total over the 7,112-yard, par-72 Sugarcane Course layout.

   Cincinnati’s opening round of 13-under 275 left it two shots behind North Carolina Greensboro, but the Bearcats took control with a sizzling 29-under 269 in Monday’s second round before holding off Atlantic Coast Conference power Duke with a final round of 12-under 276.

   The victory enabled the Bearcats, ranked 39^th when they arrived in Puerto Rico, to climb into the top 25 in the latest Golfstat rankings at No. 25.

   Ford provided the spark for Cincinnati in the opening round as he carded a sparkling 7-under 65. He added back-to-back 4-under 68s in the final two rounds for a 15-under 201 total that left him two shots behind the individual champion, Duke’s William Love, a freshman from Atlanta, Ga. who was competing as an individual.

   I suspect Love will be in the starting lineup in Duke’s next outing after he set program and freshman records for the Blue Devils. After opening with a 1-under 71, Ford ripped off a scintillating 9-under 63 in Monday’s second round before closing with a 7-under 65 for a 17-under 199 total.

   Ford set program and freshman records in relation to par and he is the first Duke freshman to post a sub-200 score for a 54-hole tournament. His 197 total is the second-lowest in program history.

   Duke only trailed Cincinnati by four shots going into Tuesday’s final round as the Blue Devils did Cincinnati one better in Monday’s second round with a spectacular 20-under 268 after opening with an 8-under 280. Duke added another 8-under 280 in the final round, but couldn’t quite catch the front-running Bearcats as it finished with a 36-under 828 total.

   Duke maintained its No. 31 spot in the Golfstat rankings with its showing in the Dorado Beach.

   Pacing the Duke lineup was Ian Siebers, a junior from Bellevue, Wash. who finished a shot behind Cincinnati’s Ford in third place in the individual standings with a 14-under 202 total. After opening with a sparkling 6-under 66, Siebers registered back-to-back 4-under 68s in the final two rounds.

   UNCG, coming off a runnerup finish to Drexel in the Advance Golf Partners Collegiate a couple of weeks ago, grabbed the lead with an opening round of 15-under 273, but backed off a little with a 5-under 283 in Monday’s second round. Not sure if the setup was a little easier or the conditions were more favorable, but there were some low numbers being posted in that second round.

   The Spartans, out of the Southern Conference, closed with a solid 11-under 277 for a 31-under 833 total, finishing ahead of some pretty good teams. UNCG, with two strong showings in the early going of its spring campaign, was ranked No. 49 in the aftermath of the Dorado Beach Collegiate.

   Augusta, UNCG’s Southern Conference rival, was another four shots behind the Spartans in fourth place with a 27-under 837 total. After matching par in the opening round with a 288, the Jaguars recorded a 15-under 273 in Monday’s second round before closing with a solid 12-under 276 that matched Cincinnati for the low round in Tuesday’s final round.

   Virginia, an ACC rival of Duke’s, was opening the spring portion of its schedule and the Cavaliers showed a little rust, finishing five shots behind Augusta in fifth place with a 22-under 842 total. After opening with an 8-under 280, Virginia added a 4-under 284 in Monday’s second round before closing with a solid 10-under 278.

   Coming off a strong fall campaign, Virginia came to Dorado Beach ranked 12^th, but fell back to No. 15 in the Golfstat rankings after finishing in fifth place.

   It’s been a choppy start to the spring campaign for Southeastern Conference power Auburn, which brought a gaudy No. 2 ranking to Dorado Beach.

   The Tigers were supposed to open their spring campaign at the Amer Ari Invitational in Hawaii, but there was trouble in paradise with wicked weather forcing the event to be cancelled. Auburn did sneak in a dual match with Pac-12 power Washington before the Tigers left Hawaii.

   Three Auburn individuals teed it up in The Prestige at The Club at Terra Lago in Indio, Calif., but the Dorado Beach had to feel a little like the spring debut for the full team.

   The Tigers struggled a little in the Dorado Beach Collegiate, finishing five shots behind Virginia in sixth place with a 17-under 847 total. After opening with a 3-under 285, Auburn carded an 8-under 280 in Monday’s second round before closing with a 6-under 282. Auburn fell back to No. 7 when the updated Golfstat rankings came out following the Dorado Beach.

   Drexel couldn’t carry over any momentum from its bustout victory in the Advance Golf Partners Collegiate in its spring opener at the Hammock Beach Golf Club in Palm City, Fla. as the Dragons finished in 11^th place in the 18-team field with a 3-under 861 total.

   Drexel, out of the Colonial Athletic Association, bounced back from an opening round of 2-over 290 with a solid 8-under 280 in Monday’s second round before closing with a 291. Still, playing against a big field with some top-notch programs in Puerto Rico in February just might pay dividends later in the spring.

   Backing up Ford for Cincinnati was Sam Jean, a senior from Greenwood, Ind. who was part of a trio of players tied for eighth place with a 10-under 206 total. Jean added a 3-under 69 in Monday’s second round to his opening-round 70 and was the low Bearcat in the final round, contributing a crucial 5-under 67 as Cincinnati was trying to hold off Duke.

   Ty Gingerich, a junior from Russiaville, Ind., and William McDonald, a redshirt junior from Oklahoma City, Okla., both landed in a large group tied for 16^th place at 7-under 209 for Cincinnati.

   After opening with a 2-under 70, Gingerich contributed a sparkling 7-under 65 to the Bearcats’ second-round surge before finishing up with a 2-over 74. After opening with a 2-under 70, McDonald also got on a roll in Monday’s second round with a 5-under 67 before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Rounding out the Cincinnati lineup was Rylan Wotherspoon, a freshman from Florence, Ky. who finished among the group tied for 24^th place with a 5-under 211 total. Wotherspoon also opened with a 2-under 70 and matched par in Monday’s second round with a 72 before finishing up with a big counting number of 3-under 69.

   Heading a group of three players tied for fourth place in the individual standings, two shots behind Duke’s Siebers at 12-under 204, was Virginia’s Ben James, a freshman phenom from Milford, Conn. and No. 21 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

   James, coming off a stellar junior career on the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) circuit, burst on the college scene with a pair of individual victories in the fall portion of the Cavaliers’ schedule

   Like the other two players in the trio at 12-under, James had three rounds in the 60s over the Sugarcane layout, adding a 4-under 68 in Monday’s second round to his opening-round 69 before finishing up with a 5-under 67.

   James was one of the players who was invited to participate in a practice session for candidates for the U.S. Walker Cup team in December in the Jupiter, Fla. area. Being on a U.S. Walker Cup team is a big deal in any year, but with the 49^th edition being staged in September at the Old Course at St. Andrews, there’s some added incentive to make the U.S. side in 2023.

   Joining James at 12-under were Siebers’ Duke teammate, Ethan Evans, a freshman from Mercer Island, Wash., and Ball State’s Kash Bellar, a sophomore from Peru, Ind.

   Evans contributed a 6-under 66 to Duke’s second-round surge in between a pair of 3-under 69s in the first and final rounds. After opening with a 4-under 68, Bellar added a 69 in Monday’s second round before closing with his best round of the tournament, a 5-under 67.

   UNCG’s Symon Balbin, a senior from Pinehurst, N.C., finished alone in seventh place with an 11-under 205 total. Balbin had a share of the individual lead going into the final round after adding a sparkling 6-under 66 in Monday’s second round to his opening-round 67 before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Joining Cincinnasti’s Jean in the trio tied for eighth place at 10-under were Augusta’s Behn Heyns, a freshman from South Africa, and Auburn’s J.M. Butler, a junior from Louisville, Ky. who was competing as an individual.

   After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Heyns carded back-to-back 5-under 67s. Butler will probably get a closer look for a spot in Auburn’s starting lineup after he added back-to-back 4-under 68s in the final two rounds to his opening-round 70.

   One of the members of that Auburn first five was junior Carson Bacha, who capped an outstanding scholastic career at Central York by claiming the PIAA Class AAA Championship in 2019 at the Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York County.

   Bacha, No. 94 in the WAGR, had an outstanding sophomore season for the Tigers. He was their highest individual finisher, ending up in a tie for 20^th place, in the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. Auburn made it to the final day of qualifying for match play at Grayhawk, finishing in a tie for 10^th place, just seven shots out of a spot in the match-play bracket.

   Bacha finished in the group tied for 37^th place at Dorado Beach with a 1-under 215 total as he added a 2-under 70 in Monday’s second round to his opening round of 1-over 73 before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Leading the way for Drexel was Drue Nicholas, a junior from Egg Harbor Township, N.J. who joined Auburn’s Bacha in the group tied for 37^th place at 1-under. Nicholas, coming off a tie for second place in the Advance Golf Partners, added a 2-under 70 in Monday’s second round to his opening-round 71 before finishing up with a 2-over 74.

   A pair of Drexel juniors, Griffin Mitchell of New Albany, Ohio and Tafadzwa Nyamukondiwa of Zimbabwe, both landed in the group tied for 44^th place with even-par 216 totals.

   Mitchell got off to a great start with an opening round of 5-under 67 followed by a solid 2-under 70 in Monday’s second round, but struggled to a 79 in the final round. After opening with a 3-over 75, Nyamukondiwa was solid with a 1-under 71 in Monday’s second round and a final round of 2-under 70.

   Brockton English, a sophomore from Shelby Township, Mich., bounced back from an opening-round 78 with back-to-back 1-under 71s in the final two rounds to finish in the group tied for 63^rd place 4-over 220.

   Rounding out the Drexel lineup was Oscar Maxfield, a graduate student from Salt Lake City, Utah who transferred to Drexel from Utah. Maxfield got it going in Monday’s second round with a 3-under 69, but struggled in the opening round with a 77 and again had trouble solving the Sugarcane Course in the final round with a 4-over 76 as he finished among the group tied for 68^th place with a 6-over 222 total.

   Senior Liam Hart, who captured the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a junior at Holy Ghost Prep in 2017, competed as an individual for Drexel at Dorado Beach. Hart added a 4-over 76 in Monday’s second round to his opening-round 75, but finished up strong with a 4-under 68 in the final round that left him in the group tied for 57^th place with a 3-over 219 total.

 

 

 

 

 

Strand helps Nebraska hold off Big Ten foe Ohio State to claim team crown in Westbrook Invitational

   It appears the arrival of Jeanne Sutherland, who had successful stints at Texas A&M and Southern Methodist, as the new head coach at Nebraska is having an impact.

   The Cornhuskers put together a solid final round of 11-under-par 277 to claim their second team crown of the wraparound 2022-2023 season as they held off Big 10 rival Ohio State for a seven-shot victory in the Westbrook Invitational, which wrapped up Monday at the Westbrook Village Golf Club in Peoria, Ariz.

   Nebraska put together solid rounds of 2-under 286 and 8-under 280 over the 6,248-yard, par-72 Westbrook Village layout in Sunday’s double round to take an eight-shot lead over Ohio State and Denver, out of the Summit League, going into Monday’s final round.

   Nebraska’s strong finish gave it a 21-under 843 total. Ohio State also had a nice finish, carding a 12-under 276 that left the Buckeyes seven shots behind Nebraska in second place with a 14-under 850 total. The victory enabled the Cornhuskers to move up 10 spots in the latest Golfstat rankings from No. 49 to No. 39. Ohio State maintained its spot inside the Golfstat top 25 at No. 24 after its runnerup finish at Westbrook Village.

   There were seven Big Ten teams in the field for the Westbrook Invitational, including host Wisconsin, and Nebraska beat all of them. Sutherland would appear to have the Cornhuskers on a path that would get them into an NCAA regional field in early May.

   Ohio State, which had opened with rounds of 2-under 286 and even-par 288, was led by individual co-medalist Caley McGinty, a redshirt junior from England and No. 26 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). It was McGinty’s first individual title as a Buckeye.

   McGinty’s college career started at Kent State under current Ohio State head coach Lisa Strom, the 1994 PIAA champion at Lansdale Catholic. McGinty got off to a great start at Kent State in the ill-fated 2019-’20 season that was halted by the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic.

   McGinty had another outstanding season at Kent State, helping the Golden Flashes reach the NCAA Championship in 2021 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., but then transferred to Oklahoma State to play under Greg Robertson, who had been the head coach at Kent State when McGinty was recruited to play there.

   When McGinty entered the transfer portal during the midseason pause in the 2021-’22 season, Robertson removed her from the Cowgirls’ lineup. Pretty sure Robertson had let it be known that if one of his players entered the transfer portal, she would no longer be part of the team.

   Strom, who returned to her alma mater as the head coach before the 2021-’22 season, was more than happy to add McGinty to a pretty strong Ohio State lineup. Pretty sure I spotted Strom watching one of McGinty’s matches during last summer’s Curtis Cup Match at Merion Golf Club’s historic East Course, where McGinty played on the Great Britain & Ireland side.

   McGinty closed with a 5-under 67 to get a share of the individual title with Denver’s Alyson Bean, a graduate student from Murrieta, Calif., each landing on 9-under 207.

   McGinty had opened with a pair of 2-under 70s in Sunday’s double round, which gave her a share of the lead going into Monday’s final round at 4-under.

   Bean had followed up a 3-under 69 in the opening round with a 1-over 73 in Sunday afternoon’s second round. But she closed with a flourish, carding a sizzling 7-under 65, the best individual round of the tournament, to get a share of first place with McGinty. It was the first collegiate individual victory for Bean.

   Bean’s strong showing led Denver to a third-place finish in the team standings, four shots behind Ohio State with a 10-under 854. The reigning three-time Summit League champion Pioneers recorded a pair of 1-under 287s in Sunday’s double round to share second place with Ohio State before finishing up with a solid 8-under 280.

   Somehow, Denver fell three spots in the latest Golfstat rankings from No. 44 to No. 47 following a pretty strong showing in the Westbrook Invitational.

   Kansas, out of the tough Big 12, was another five shots behind Denver in fourth place with a 5-under 859 total as the Jayhawks bounced back from an opening round of 6-over 294 with a 2-under 286 in Sunday afternoon’s second round before closing with a solid 9-under 279, a single-round program record. Kansas moved up a spot in the Golfstat rankings from No. 53 to No. 52 in the aftermath of the Westbrook Invitational.

   Another program record fell at Rutgers as the Red Knights were the third highest finisher among the Big Ten contingent, finishing two shots behind Kansas in fifth place with a 3-under 861 that was four shots better than their previous best total in a 54-hole event.

   After opening with a 5-over 293, Rutgers matched par in Sunday afternoon’s second round before closing with an 8-under 280, just one shot off the program record for a single round. The solid showing by the Red Knights moved them up from No. 110 to No. 105 in the Golfstat rankings.

   Another Big Ten entry, Minnesota, shared sixth place with another Big 12 representative, Oklahoma, and the Mountain West Conference’s UNLV, each landing on 2-under 862, a shot behind Rutgers.

   Minnesota bounced back from an opening round of 8-over 296 with an 8-under 280 in Sunday’s second round before finishing up with a 2-under 286. The Golden Gophers improved two spots from No. 59 to No. 57 in the Golfstat rankings following their trip to Westbrook Village.

   Oklahoma struggled in Sunday’s double round adding a 5-over 293 in the afternoon to its opening-round 294 before the Sooners went off with a 13-under 275 in Monday’s final round that was the best team round of the tournament. Oklahoma dropped four spots in the Golfstat rankings from No. 52 to No. 56 in the aftermath of the Westbrook Invitational.

   UNLV bounced back from an opening round of 8-under 296 with back-to-back 5-under 283s in the final two rounds. The Runnin’ Rebels maintained their No. 54 ranking with their tie for sixth place in the Westbrook Invitational.

   Reigning Colonial Athletic Association champion College of Charleston finished alone in ninth place with a 4-over 868 total as the Cougars added a 1-over 289 in Sunday afternoon’s second round to their opening-round 291 before matching par in the final round with a 288. College of  Charleston fell from No. 36 in the Golfstat rankings to No. 46 following their ninth-place finish in the Westbrook Invitational.

   Penn State, another Big Ten entry, rounded out the top 10 in the 14-team field as the Nittany Lions closed with their best round of the tournament, a 1-under 287, to finish three shots behind College of Charleston with a 7-over 871 total.

   Penn State just couldn’t get it going in Sunday’s double round, adding a 5-over 283 in the afternoon to their opening-round 291. The Nittany Lions remained their No. 73 ranking following the Westbrook Invtational.

   Leading the way for Nebraska was Kelli Ann Strand, a freshman from Chassis, Idaho who finished alone in fifth place, just two shots behind the co-medalists Bean and McGinty with a 7-under 209 total. Strand had a share of the individual lead heading into the final round after adding a 3-under 69 to her opening-round 71. Strand closed with a second straight 69.

   Backing up Strand for the Cornhuskers was Miu Takahashi from Japan, who finished in a trio tied for eighth place with a 4-under 212 total. Takahashi registered a pair of 1-under 71s in Sunday’s double round before closing with a 2-under 70.

   Nebraska’s veteran stalwart Megan Whittaker, a graduate student from Elkhorn, Neb., matched par with a 72 in the final round to end up among the group tied for 11^th place at 3-under 213 total. Whittaker had added a 71 in Sunday afternoon’s second round to her opening round of 2-under 70.

   The low Cornhusker in Monday’s final round was Michaela Vavrova, a junior from Slovakia who delivered a sparkling 6-under 66 as she climbed the leaderboard to finish in the group tied for 20^th place with an even-par 216 total. Vavrova had struggled in the opening round with a 76 and added a 2-over 74 in Sunday afternoon’s second round.

   Rounding out the Nebraska lineup was Lindsey Thiele, a junior from Wahoo, Neb. who finished among the group tied for 25^th place with a 1-over 217 as she sandwiched a counting 3-under 69 in Sunday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 2-over 74s.

   Another valuable addition to the Ohio State lineup has been Kary Hollenbaugh, a freshman from New Albany, Ohio who matched the 5-under 67 carded by her teammate McGinty in the final round to finish in a tie for third place with Kansas’ Jordan Rothman, a sophomore from South Africa, at 8-under 208, just a shot behind the co-medalists McGinty and Bean.

   Hollenbaugh, coming off a solid 11^th-place finish in a loaded field at the Therese Hession Regional Challenge, had opened with a 2-under 70 before adding a 71 in Sunday afternoon’s second round.

   Rothman also closed with a solid 5-under 67 to lead the way for the Jayhawks. Rothman had opened with a 3-under 69 before matching par in Sunday afternoon’s second round with a 72.

   Minnesota accounted for the next two spots in the individual standings behind Nebraska’s Strand as Luisamariana Mesones, a freshman from Peru, finished in sixth place with a 6-under 210 total and Emma Carpenter, a senior from DeKalb, Ill., was a shot behind her teammate in seventh place with a 5-under 211 total.

   Mesones and Carpenter were both among the group tied for the lead at 4-under following Sunday’s double round as Mesones added a 5-under 67 in the second round to her opening round of 1-over 73 and Carpenter added a 71 in the second round to her opening round of 2-under 69. Mesones closed with a 2-under 70 while Carpenter finished up with a 1-under 71.

   Joining Nebraska’s Takahashi in the trio tied for eighth place at 4-under were Rutgers’ Leigha Devine, a senior from Windsor, Colo., and UNLV graduate student Veronica Joels, a home girl from Las Vegas.

   After opening with a 1-over 73, Devine added a 1-under 71 in Sunday afternoon’s second round before closing with a solid 4-under 68. After opening with a 2-under 70, Joels recorded back-to-back 71s in the final two rounds.

   Mathilde Delavallade, a senior from France, has been Penn State’s best player all season and she led the way for the Nittany Lions at Westbrook Village as she finished in a tie for 17^th place with a 2-under 214 total. Delavallade added a 1-over 73 in Sunday afternoon’s second round to her opening-round 71 before closing with a 2-under 70.

   Backing up Delavallade for Penn State was Sarah Willis, a fifth-year player from Eaton, Ohio who finished in the group tied for 29^th place with a 2-over 218 total. Willis got off to a good start with a 1-under 71 in the opening round, added a 2-over 74 in Sunday afternoon’s second round and finished up with a 73.

   Isha Dhruva, a senior from Katy, Texas, landed in the group tied for 33^rd place with a 3-over 219 total as she had her best round of the tournament, a 1-under 71, in Sunday afternoon’s second round after she had opened with a 3-over 75. Dhruva finished up with a 73.

   Redshirt senior Taylor Waller, a scholastic standout at Canon-McMillan, had her best round, a 1-under 71, in Monday’s final round as she finished among the group tied for 49^th place with a 6-over 222 total. Waller had added a 3-over 75 in Sunday afternoon’s second round to her opening-round 76.

   Rounding out the Penn State lineup was Drew Nienhaus, a sophomore from St. Louis, Mo. who finished alone in 70^th place with a 229 total. After opening with a 2-over 74, Nienhaus recorded a pair of 77s in the final two rounds.

   Sophomore Michelle Cox, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier during an outstanding scholastic career at Emmaus, competed as an individual for Penn State at Westbrook Village and finished in the group tied for 58^th place with a 7-over 223 total. After opening with a 1-over 73, Cox added back-to-back 75s in the final two rounds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sherwood helps No. 1 Vanderbilt edge Georgia Tech by a shot to take team title in Watersound Invitational

   Vanderbilt entered this week’s Watersound Invitational at No. 1 in the latest Golfstat rankings and claimed its third straight team title, but Georgia Tech made the Commodores work for it.

   Reigning Southeastern Conference champion Vanderbilt has been on a epic roll dating back to February of last year. The victory in the Watersound was its 10^th team crown in that time frame, including wins in the SEC Championship and the NCAA Palm Beach Regional last spring and in the East Lake Cup that punctuated the fall portion of the wraparound 2022-2023 season.

   The Commodores reached the semifinals of last spring’s NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. before falling to eventual national champion Texas. The goals for this spring is obvious: Get back to Grayhawk, get into the match-play bracket and win two more matches.

   Georgia Tech, the runnerup to Wake Forest in last spring’s Atlantic Coast Conference Championship, staged a furious rally in Tuesday’s final round of the Watersound at the Shark’s Tooth Golf Club in Panama City Beach, Fla.

   But Vanderbilt’s Cole Sherwood, a junior from Austin, Texas and No. 9 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), drained a 25-foot putt for an eagle on the 17^th hole and converted another 25-footer, this one for par, at the last to help the Commodores hold on for a dramatic one-shot victory over Georgia Tech.

   Vanderbilt had taken an eight-shot lead over the Yellow Jackets into Tuesday’s final round, but Georgia Tech, behind a scintillating 9-under 63 over the 7,246-yard, par-72 Shark’s Tooth layout by Ross Steelman, a senior from Columbia, Mo. and No. 23 in the WAGR, put together a remarkable 21-under 267 to finish with a 37-under 827 total.

   Georgia Tech improved from No. 12 to No. 8 in the Golfstat rankings in the aftermath of the Watersound.

   Sherwood’s heroics enabled Vanderbilt to finish with a 14-under 274 that gave the Commodores a 38-under 826 total.

   Vanderbilt had opened with a 9-under 279 and added its best round of the tournament, a 15-under 273, in Monday’s second round.

   Vanderbilt was led by reigning NCAA individual champion Gordon Sargent, a sophomore from Birmingham, Ala. who recently ascended to No. 1 in the WAGR. After opening with a 71, Sargent ripped off rounds of 6-under 66 and 7-under 65 to finish in a tie for second place in the individual standings with Georgia Tech’s Christo Lamprecht, a junior from South Africa and No. 24 in the WAGR, each landing on 13-under 203.

The individual crown went to Florida State’s Frederik Kjettrup, a junior from Denmark and No. 40 in the WAGR whose final round of 7-under 65 gave him an 18-under 198 total that was five shots clear of Sargent and Lamprecht.

   Kjettrup had opened with a 6-under 66 and added a 67 in Monday’s second round. His 18-under total was one better than the program record of 17-under that had been established by Carl DiCesare in 19 and 67, 56 years ago.

   Georgia Tech had matched Vanderbilt’s opening-round 279 and added a 7-under 281 in Monday’s second round to set the stage for its final-round fireworks.

   It wasn’t a bad 2021-’22 season for Georgia Tech, but they have pretty high standards at the alma mater of Bobby Jones. The Yellow Jackets shared team honors with Oklahoma State as a two seed in the Columbus Regional, but never got in contention for a spot in the match-play bracket in the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk.

   Lambprecht opened with a 69 before adding a sizzling 7-under 65 in Monday’s second and finishing up with another 69 to get his share of second place with Sargent at 13-under.

   Florida State, one of Georgia Tech’s ACC rivals, was another 13 shots behind the Yellow Jackets in third place with a 24-under 840 total.

   The Seminoles, riding the hot hand of Kjettrup, added a 7-under 281 in Monday’s second round to their opening-round 284 before closing with a 13-under 275 total. Its showing at Shark’s Tooth, which hosted the ACC Championship last spring, enabled Florida State to move up a spot in the Golfstat rankings from No. 11 to No. 10.

   Florida State was the runnerup to Vanderbilt in last spring’s Palm Beach Regional, but never really got it going in the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk.

   Alabama, an SEC rival of Vanderbilt’s, finished a shot behind Florida State in fourth place with a 23-under 841 total as the Crimson Tide closed with a solid 14-under 284 total. Alabama, ranked 17^th before and after the Watersound, had opened with a 6-under 282 before adding a 285 in Monday’s second round.

   It was another 16 shots back to another SEC entry, Mississippi State, in fifth place with a 7-under 857 total.

   The Bulldogs, who moved up two spots in the Golfstat rankings from No. 24 to No. 22 following the Watersound, bounced back from an opening round of 2-over 290 with a 5-under 283 in Monday’s second round before closing with a 4-under 284.

   Another ACC entry, Notre Dame, and perennial Big 12 power Oklahoma State finished three shots behind Mississippi State in a tie for sixth place in the 11-team field, each landing on 4-under 860.

   The Fighting Irish, who moved up three spots in the Golfstat rankings from No. 36 to No. 33 following the Watersound, matched par in Monday’s second round with a 288 after opening with a 289 and closed with their best round of the tournament, a 5-under 283.

   Oklahoma State has been a national championship contender for the last few years, falling to Big 12 rival Texas, 3-2, in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship last spring at Grayhawk. The Cowboys dropped two spots in the Golfstat rankings from No. 16 to No. 18 in the aftermath of the Watersound. Maybe it’s a rebuilding year in Stillwater, but ignore the Cowboys at your peril

   Oklahoma State struggled a little in the first two rounds at Shark’s Tooth, adding a 1-over 289 in Monday’s second round to its opening-round 292, but the Cowboys got it going in Tuesday’s final round with a 9-under 279.

   Sherwood’s clutch finish gave Vanderbilt two finishers among the top four as he ended up in a tie for fourth place with Florida State’s Michael Mays, a sophomore from Winter Park, Fla. who was competing as an individual, each landing on 12-under 204, a shot behind Sargent and Lamprecht.

   Sherwood had opened with a 5-under 67 and added a 68 in Monday’s second round before converting those two huge putts to close out a 3-under 69.

   Matthew Riedel, a senior from Houston, finished alone in eighth place for Vanderbilt as he added a 3-under 69 in Monday’s second round to his opening-round 70 before closing with a clutch 4-under 68.

   Vanderbilt’s veteran head coach, Scott Limbaugh, got a chance to see a couple of his younger guys compete under pressure and he couldn’t have been all that disappointed.

   Wells Williams, a freshman from West Point, Miss., finished in the group tied for 14^th place with a 4-under 212 total as he sandwiched a 2-under 70 in Monday’s second round with a pair of 1-under 71s.

   Jackson Von Paris, a sophomore from Pinehurst, N.C., opened with a 1-under 71 and matched par in the second round with a 72 before he closed with a 3-over 75 to finish among the group tied for 34^th place with a 2-over 218 total.

   Reid Davenport, a fifth-year player from Austin, Texas and No. 34 in the WAGR, competed as an individual and the veteran Commodore finished in the group tied for 18^th place with a 3-under 213 total. Davenport matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a 1-over 73 in Monday’s second round before finishing up with a solid 4-under 68.

   Sargent, Sherwood and Davenport were all in the starting lineup for Vanderbilt in its semifinal loss to Texas at Grayhawk last spring.

   Florida State’s Mays probably earned himself some consideration for a spot in the starting lineup for the Seminoles in their next outing as he opened with a 5-under 67, added a 68 in Monday’s second round and closed with a 69 to join Sherwood in the tie for fourth place at 12-under.

   Alabama was led by Thomas Ponder, a senior from Dothan, Ala. who finished a shot behind Sherwood and Mays in sixth place with an 11-under 205 total. Ponder, who represented the Crimson Tide as an individual in the NCAA Bryan Regional last spring, sandwiched a 71 in Monday’s second round with a pair of sparkling 5-under 67s.

   The brilliant closing 63 fired by Georgia Tech’s Steelman left him a shot behind Ponder in seventh place with a 10-under 206 total. Steelman had opened with a 1-under 71 before matching par in Monday’s second round with a 72.

   Two of Ponder’s teammates, Canon Claycomb, a senior from Bowling Green, Ky. and No. 65 in the WAGR, and Nick Dunlap, the freshman phenom from Huntsville, Ala. and No. 64 in the WAGR, headed a group of four players tied for ninth place at 7-under 209, two shots behind Vanderbilt’s Riedel, who was alone in eighth.

   Claycomb, who joined Ponder representing Alabama as an individual in the Bryan Regional last spring, matched par in the opening round with a 72 and then came on strong with a 3-under 69 in Monday’s second round and a closing 68.

   Dunlap, winner of the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2021 at the Country Club of North Carolina and a semifinalist in the same event last summer at Bandon Dunes, sandwiched a 71 in Monday’s second round with a pair of 3-under 69s.

It would seem unlikely that Alabama would be left out of the dance when the team berths to the NCAA Regional are announced this spring.

   Hiroshi Tai, a freshman from Singapore, gave Georgia Tech a third finisher inside the top 10 as he joined the quartet at 7-under. After opening with a 68, Tai struggled a little in Monday’s second round with a 2-over 74 before bouncing back with a solid 4-under 68 in the final round.

   Rounding out the foursome at 7-under was Florida State’s Brett Roberts, the individual champion in last spring’s Palm Beach Regional. Roberts was just two shots behind his teammate Kjettrup going into the final round after he added a 5-under 67 in Monday’s second round to his opening-round 68 before falling back in the final round with a 2-over 74.

   Notre Dame senior Palmer Jackson, winner of the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a senior at Franklin Regional in 2018, sandwiched a 1-over 73 in Monday’s second round with a pair of 2-under 70s as he finished in the group tied for 18^th place with a 3-under 213 total.

   Jackson, No. 44 in the WAGR, was part of a group that included Vanderbilt’s Sargent and Sherwood and Georgia Tech’s Steelman that participated in a practice session at golf courses in the Jupiter, Fla. area in December for candidates for the U.S. team that will compete in the Walker Cup Match in September at the Old Course at St. Andrews, you know the Home of Golf, the Road Hole, the Swilcan Bridge and all that.

   Notre Dame freshman Calen Sanderson, the 2020 PIAA Class AAA champion as a junior at Holy Ghost Prep, competed as an individual and finished in a tie for 57^th place with a 12-over 228 total. Sanderson was consistent, recording three straight 4-over 76s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lindblad, Tejedo help LSU go wire to wire while taking team crown in Moon Invitational

   If you’re a Southeastern Conference team, there is no greater consolation prize in a season that does not end in an NCAA crown than a conference championship.

   Three of the four semifinalists in the match-play bracket of the SEC Championship at the Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Ala. last spring were among the top four finishers in this week’s Moon Golf Invitational, which wrapped up Tuesday at Suntree Country Club’s Classic Course in Melbourne, Fla.

   Last spring’s SEC champion, LSU, went wire to wire to capture the team crown in the Moon with a 30-under-par 834 total. The Bayou Tigers moved up three spots in the latest Golfstat rankings from No. 9 to No. 6 with their third tournament victory of the wraparound 2022-2023.

    LSU was led by reigning individual SEC champion Ingrid Lindblad, a senior from Sweden and No. 2 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), and Carla Tejedo, a junior from Spain, both of whom finished among a group of five players tied for fifth place in the individual standings at 8-under 208 over Suntree’s 6,362-yard, par-72 Classic Course layout.

   The Bayou Tigers took control of the team chase from the outset as they backed up an opening round of 12-under 276 with a 14-under 274, the best team round of the tournament, in Monday’s second round. LSU’s final round of 4-under 284 was more than good enough to hold off Big Ten power Northwestern by nine shots for the team crown.

   The spring portion of Northwestern’s season is off to a great start as the Wildcats were ranked No. 37 going into their spring opener at the UCF Challenge, where they finished in third place, and moved all the way up to No. 19 in the wake of their runnerup finish in the Moon.

   Northwestern added an 8-under 280 in Monday’s second round to their opening-round 281 before closing with a 6-under 282.

   Florida, which lost to LSU in the SEC final at Greystone last spring, was another three shots behind Northwestern in third place with an 18-under 846 total. The Gators, who improved from No. 34 to No. 26 in the Golfstat rankings with their showing in the Moon, opened with a 7-under 281 and added a 283 in Monday’s second round before finishing up with a 282.

   Auburn, which fell to Florida in the SEC semifinals at Greystone last spring, finished another three shots behind the Gators in the Moon with a 15-under 849 total. After opening with a 7-under 281, the Tigers took it a little lower in Monday’s second round with a 10-under 278 that made them LSU’s closest pursuer going into Tuesday’s final round.

   Auburn, which moved up a couple of spots in the Golfstat rankings from No. 17 to No. 15 in the aftermath of the Moon, struggled a little in the final round with a 2-over 290.

   It was Auburn, however, that made the deepest run of the four SEC semifinalists in the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., reaching the semifinals before falling to eventual national champion Stanford.

   LSU advanced to Grayhawk by finishing in a tie for second place with the host Cardinal in the NCAA Stanford Regional, but never got it going in the NCAA Championship. Lindblad, however, finished in a tie for third place in the individual standings.

   Florida’s postseason ran out of steam in the Albuquerque Regional, where the Gators failed to advance as a two seed.

   Michigan State, one of Northwestern’s Big Ten rivals, finished a shot behind Auburn in fifth place in the Moon with a 14-under 850 total as the Spartans closed with the best round of the day in Tuesday’s final round with a 12-under 276. Michigan State, which moved up a couple of spots in the Golfstat rankings from No. 41 to No. 39 in the aftermath of the Moon, had opened with a 3-under 285 before adding a 1-over 289 in Monday’s second round.

   Michigan State’s final-round surge was sparked by Leila Raines, a junior from Galena, Ohio who fired a sizzling 7-under 65 that put her in a playoff with Augusta’s Mirabel Ting, a freshman from Malaysia, for the individual title, each landing on 13-under 203. Raines had recorded back-to-back 3-under 69s in the first two rounds and her 203 total matched the program record for a 54-hole tournament.

   Ting dropped a 54-foot putt on the second hole of the playoff to claim the individual crown.

   Clemson, out of the Atlantic Coast Conference, finished four shots behind Michigan State in sixth place with a 10-under 854 total. The ACC’s Tigers – lot of Tigers roaming around in Melbourne this week – opened with a solid 9-under 279 and matched par in Monday’s second round with a 288 before closing with a 1-under 287.

   Clemson also got a little bump in the rankings, moving up from No. 37 to No. 33 with its performance in the Moon.

   The four teams that finished in a tie for seventh place in the 17-team field at 9-under 855 – the SEC’s Arkansas and Vanderbilt, reigning Big Ten champion Michigan and Central Florida, out of the American Athletic Conference – all fell, at least a little in the Golfstat rankings in the aftermath of pretty solid showings in the Moon.

   Arkansas, which fell from No. 25 to No. 31, added a 4-under 284 in Monday’s second round to its opening-round 285 before closing with a 2-under 286.

   After opening with a 6-under 282, Vanderbilt, which slipped a spot from No. 19 to No. 20, added a 286 in Monday’s second round before finishing up with a 1-under 287.

   Michigan, which fell a spot from No. 33 to No. 34, added a solid 10-under 278 in Monday’s second round to its opening-round 286 before slipping back a little in the final round with a 3-over 291.

   UCF, which fell from No. 21 to No. 25, got off to a good start with a 10-under 278 and added a 284 in Monday’s second round before falling back in the final round with a 6-over 294.

   LSU’s Tejedo had the individual lead going into Tuesday’s final round after adding a 68 in Monday’s second round to her sizzling opening round of 6-under 66 with Lindblad part of a group of four players tied for second place, a shot behind her teammate, after Lindblad added a 5-under 67 in Monday’s second round to her opening-round 68.

   Tejedo struggled to a 2-over 74 in the final round while Lindblad, the low amateur in last spring’s U.S. Women’s Open at the Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C., closed with a 1-over 73 as they finished among a group of five players tied for fifth place at 8-under 208.

   Backing up the top two for the Bayou Tigers were Latanna Stone, a senior from Riverview, Fla. and No. 35 in the Women’s WAGR, and Aina Donegan, a sophomore from Ireland, both of whom landed in the group tied for 13^th place at 5-under 211.

   Stone and Lindblad both contended for the title in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship before ending up in a tie for second place behind California teen Anna Davis. Stone was a member of the U.S. team that defeated Great Britain & Ireland, 15.5-4.5 at Merion Golf Club’s historic East Course last summer.

   To sum up Lindblad’s spring of  2022, she finished in a tie for second place in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, won the SEC individual title, finished in a tie for third in the NCAA Championship’s individual chase and was low amateur at the U.S. Women’s Open. How good is that?

   After matching par in the opening round with a 72 at Suntree’s Classic Course, Stone carded a 71 in Monday’s second round before closing with her best round of the tournament, a 4-under 68.

   Donegan also matched par in the opening round before adding a 3-under 69 in Monday’s second round and closing with a 70.

   Rounding out the LSU lineup was Edit Hertzman, a freshman from Sweden who recorded back-to-back 2-under 70s in the first two rounds, both counters for the Bayou Tigers, before closing with a 1-over 73 to finish among the group tied for 23^rd place with a 3-under 213 total.

   Augusta’s Ting trailed LSU’s Tejedo by a shot going into the final round after adding a 5-under 67 in Monday’s second round to her opening-round 68. Another 68 in the final round enabled Ting to match Raines’ 13-under 203 total. When she holed out her 54-foot bomb on the second hole of the playoff, Ting had made her college debut a winning one.

   Florida State’s Lottie Woad, a freshman from England and No. 31 in the Women’s WAGR, finished alone in third place in the individual standings, three shots behind the top two with a 6-under 210 total. Woad had opened with a sparkling 6-under 66 and added a 69 in Monday’s second round before finishing up with a 1-under 71.

   Woad’s country woman and cross-state rival, Florida’s Annabell Fuller, No. 51 in the Women’s WAGR, finished a shot behind Woad in fourth place with a 9-under 207 total. Fuller matched Woad’s 66-69 start before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Fuller represented Great Britain & Ireland for the third time in last summer’s Curtis Cup Match at Merion.

   Fuller’s Florida teammate Jackie Lucena, a senior from Chico, Calif., Northwestern’s Lauryn Nguyen, a sophomore from Seattle, Wash. and Arkansas’ Kajal Mistry, a junior from South Africa, joined LSU’s Lindblad and Tejedo, in the group tied for fifth place at 8-under 208.

   After opening with a 3-under 69, Lucena added a 1-over 73 in Monday’s second round before finishing with a flourish, a sparkling 6-under 66.

   Nguyen sandwiched an even-par 72 in Monday’s second round with a pair of 4-under 68s. After opening with a 70, Mistry carded a pair of 3-under 69s in the final two rounds.

   Nguyen’s Northwestern teammate, Dianna Lee, a freshman from San Diego, gave the Wildcats another finisher inside the top 10 as she ended up in a tie for 10^th place with Auburn’s Casey Weidenfeld, a redshirt freshman from Pembroke Pines, Fla., and Michigan’s Hailey Borja, a senior from Lake Forest, Calif., each landing on 6-under 210.

   After opening with a 1-over 73, Lee posted a 70 in Monday’s second round before contributing a 5-under 67 to Northwestern’s strong final round.

   Weidenfeld matched par in the opening round with a 72 before registering a solid 4-under 68 in Monday’s second round and closing with a 70. Borja was under par in each round, adding a 3-under 69 to her opening-round 71 and finishing up with a 70.

   Vanderbilt sophomore Natasha Kiel, the New Hope native who was a standout at George School before finishing her scholastic career at the Montverde Academy in Florida, got off to a great start for the Commodores with a 3-under 69 in the opening round.

   Kiel struggled a little in the second round with a 6-over 78 before matching par in the final round with a 72 to finish in the group tied for 57^th place with a 3-over 219 total.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tough spring opener for Temple as USC Aiken captures team crown at Wexford Intercollegiate

   It’s never easy for teams in the northern tier to shake off the rust and come out firing when they open the spring portion of the wraparound college season with a trip to warmer climes.

   Having said that, I suspect Temple head coach Brian Quinn left Hilton Head Island, S.C. a little disappointed after the Owls finished in a tie for 17^th place with Presbyterian in the 18-team field that gathered for the Wexford Intercollegiate, which wrapped up Monday at the Wexford Plantation’s signature Arnold Palmer Course.

   A lot of the teams in the Wexford, hosted by Francis Marion, are from places where they can get out and play a lot more than a team from Philadelphia can. We’ve had a fairly mild winter in southeastern Pennsylvania, but even though the Carolinas aren’t all that far away, they can keep their golf courses in a little more playable condition than is possible here.

   Temple always seems to be at its best in the fall when guys have been playing competitive golf all summer and the college season is just an extension of the prime playing days of the year.

   Temple opened the spring portion of the wraparound 2021-2022 season at the Wexford Intercollegiate with an eighth-place finish. It was not as good a start a year later.

   The goal at Temple is simple: Get as high a finish in the tough American Athletic Conference Championship as possible. Last spring the Owls finished eighth at the Southern Hills Plantation Course in Brooksville, Fla. This spring’s AAC Championship will be held from April 21 to 23 at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla.

   There’s work to do for the Owls between now and then.

   Temple got off to a tough start with a 24-over-par 312 over the 6,913, par-72 Wexford Plantation layout in the first round of a double round Monday. The Owls were much better in Monday afternoon’s second round with a 7-over 295, but couldn’t build on their momentum as they closed with a 319 in Tuesday’s final round for a 62-over 926 total.

   The scores were generally pretty high for the entire field in Tuesday’s final round, which probably means the wind was blowing on Hilton Head Island. You have to start the spring sometime and Temple can learn its lessons from Wexford and keep moving on toward the AAC Championship.

   Graham Chase, a junior from Charlotte, N.C., was Temple’s top finisher as he finished among the group tied for 24^th place with an 8-over 224 total.

   Chase, coming off a strong fall during which he posted three top-10 finishes, continued his solid play as he carded a pair of 2-over 74s in Monday’s double round before closing with a 76.

   The Wexford Intercollegiate team crown went to Division II South Carolina Aiken with a lineup that included sophomore Karl Frisk, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Spring Grove.

   After opening with a 5-over 293, the Pacers added a solid 1-over 289 in Monday afternoon’s second round that left them five shots behind tournament host Francis Marion going into Tuesday’s final round.

   South Carolina Aiken closed with a 9-over 297 in Tuesday’s tough conditions and pulled out a five-shot victory over Dayton, out of the Atlantic 10, with a 15-over 829 total.

   Dayton carded its second straight 7-over 295 in Tuesday’s final round after opening with a 294 as the Flyers finished in second place with a 20-over 884 total.

   USC Aiken was led by Leo Bono, a senior from Switzerland who closed with a 2-under 70 that earned him a share of second place in the individual standings with a 2-under 214 total, two shots behind individual champion Grant Sellers, a fifth-year player at Francis Marion from McBee, S.C.

   Bono had opened with a 2-under 70 before adding a 2-over 74 in Monday afternoon’s second round.

   Defending champion Francis Marion, a Southland Conference representative, fell back into a tie for third place with Patriot League entry Richmond, as the Patriots struggled to a final round of 17-over 305 to end up with a 22-over 886 total, two shots behind Dayton.

   Francis Marion had opened with a 9-over 297, but, behind Sellers’ sparkling 5-under 67, the Patriots surged to the lead with a 4-under 284 in Monday afternoon’s second round, matching the low team round of the tournament.

   Sellers had matched par in the opening round with a 72 and took control of the individual chase with his 67 in Monday afternoon’s second round. He closed with a solid 1-over 73 to claim the individual crown with a 4-under 212 total for his first career victory.

   Richmond had the lead after opening with a solid 2-under 286, but the Spiders carded back-to-back 12-over 300s in the final two rounds to join Francis Marion in the tie for third place at 886.

   Richmond was led by Cole Ekert, a sophomore from Chatham, N.C. who got a share of runnerup honors along with USC Aiken’s Bono with a 2-under 214 total. Ekert opened with a 4-under 68, one of only a handful of sub-70 rounds recorded in Monday morning’s first round. He added a 2-over 74 in Monday afternoon’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Samford, another Southland Conference entry, finished a shot behind Francis Marion and Richmond in fifth place with an 887 total. After opening with a solid 3-over 291, the Bulldogs added a 299 in Monday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 8-over 297.

   East Carolina, one of Temple’s AAC rivals, matched the best team round of the tournament with its final round of 284 as the Pirates climbed the leaderboard to finish in sixth place, four shots behind Samford with a 27-over 891 total. East Carolina had opened with an 11-over 299 before adding a 308 in Monday afternoon’s second round.

   Backing up Bono for USC Aiken was Erik Olin, a sophomore from Sweden who finished among the group of six players tied for eighth place at 3-over 219. Olin sandwiched a solid 3-under 69 in Monday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 3-over 75s.

   Jonah Winter gave USC Aiken a third player inside the top 20 as he finished in the group tied for 18^th place with a 5-over 221 total. Winter recorded a pair of 2-over 74s in Monday’s double round and closed with a solid 1-over 73.

   Oscar Abrahamsson, a junior from Sweden, matched par in Monday afternoon’s second round after opening with a 2-over 74 before struggling a little in the final round with an 80 as he landed in the group tied for 28^th place with a 10-over 226 total for the Pacers.

   Frisk, the Spring Grove product, rounded out the USC Aiken lineup as he finished in a tie for 64^th place with a 234 total. Frisk opened with a 3-over 75 and struggled a little with an 80 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a counting 79 for the Pacers.

   Only individual champion Sellers and co-runnersup Bono and Ekert finished under par for the tournament.

   Mercer’s Tobias Jonsson finished two shots behind Bono and Ekert in fourth place in the individual standings with an even-par 216 total. Jonsson was only a shot behind Sellers following Monday’s double round as he opened with a 3-under 69 and added a 1-under 71 in the afternoon. Jonsson backed off with a final round of 4-over 76.

   Drew Carlin, a freshman from Ashburn, Va., gave Richmond a second finisher in the top five as he landed in a tie for fifth place with Samford’s Andrew Sullivan, a senior from Louisville, Ky., and Radford’s Bryce Corbett, a junior from Gainesville, Va., each ending up with a 2-over 218 total, two shots behind Jonsson.

   Carlin matched par in both tours of the Wexford Plantation layout in Monday’s double round with a pair of 72s before closing with a 2-over 74.

   Sullivan sandwiched a 4-over 76 in Monday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 1-under 71s. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Corbett carded a pair of 1-over 73s in the final two rounds.

   Backing up Chase for Temple were senior Conor McGrath, an Academy of the New Church product, and sophomore Joey Morganti, a Havertown resident who starred scholastically at St. Joseph’s Prep, both of whom were among the group tied for 51^st place at 15-over 231.

   McGrath, winner of the BMW Philadelphia Amateur in 2021 at Cedarbrook Country Club, has been Temple’s best player for the last couple seasons. After opening with a 6-over 78 at Wexford Plantation, McGrath matched par in Monday afternoon’s second round with a 72 before struggling in Tuesday’s final round with an 81.

   Morganti, a product of the junior program at Llanerch Country Club, opened with a solid 3-over 75 and added a 77 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 79.

   Rounding out the Temple lineup were Ethan Whitney, a sophomore from Westminster, Mass., and Andres Aranguren, a redshirt sophomore from San Juan, Puerto Rico, both of whom ended up tied for 86^th place at 244.

   Whitney rebounded from an opening-round 85 with a 4-over 76 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with an 83. Like Whitney, Aranguren struggled in the first and final rounds, opening with an 86 and closing with an 85, but put together a solid 1-over 73 in Monday afternoon’s second round.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gross surges on back nine to claim victory in AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Colton Woods

   If you haven’t figured out that Downingtown West junior Nick Gross is one of the best young players in the country, the kid issued another reminder Monday deep in the heart of Texas.

   Entering Monday’s final round of the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Simplify Boys Championship at Colton Woods at The Club of Colton Woods’ Fazio Championship Course in The Woodlands, Texas in a tie for sixth place, but only three shots out of the lead, Gross littered eight birdies throughout his scorecard in a sizzling 6-under-par 66 that gave him a two-shot victory over many of the best junior golfers in America.

   It was the first AJGA victory in two years for Gross, although he was the runnerup in the Simplify Boys Championship a year ago. But competing in the country’s premier junior golf circuit clearly set Gross up for a sensational summer of 2022.

   Gross had strong showings in the two premier national junior events not associated with the AJGA, reaching the second round of match play in the U.S. Junior Amateur at the Bandon Dunes Resort on the rugged Oregon coastline and then finishing in third place in the Boys Junior PGA Championship at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in suburban Chicago.

   All of which turned out to be prelude for Gross’ startling run to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur at Ridgewood Country Club, the A.W. Tillinghast gem in Paramus, N.J., a week before his 16^th birthday.

   Gross came home and teed it up in the District One Class AAA Championship at Turtle Creek Golf Course in October, capturing his second individual district crown with a breathtaking 8-under 64 in the final round at the Turtle and leading the Whippets to the first district team crown in the program’s history.

   Gross hit the wall a little in a third-place finish in the PIAA Class AAA Championship at Penn State’s White Course in defense of the state crown he had won at the Heritage Hills Golf Resort in 2021.

   He contended throughout AJGA’s premier event, the Rolex Tournament of Champions the week of Thanksgiving at TPC San Antonio’s Canyons Course before struggling a little in the final round and finishing in 10^th place.

   Gross, who announced last fall that he has made a verbal commitment to join the program at Southeastern Conference power Alabama in the summer of 2024, was back in Texas for a Presidents Day weekend event, one of longest-running tournaments on the AJGA schedule.

   I’m sure Gross has made the most of his chances to get out and play and practice on simulators. We’ve had a mild winter in southeastern Pennsylvania, but sneaking out for a quick round at his home course of Kennett Square Golf & Country Club isn’t quite the same as teeing it up against a field of the top junior players in the country.

   Gross carded a 2-under 70 over the 7,322-yard, par-72 Fazio Championship Course at Carlton Woods in Saturday’s opening round. A solid 3-under 69 in Sunday’s second round left him at 5-under, three shots behind co-leaders Bryan Kim of Brookeville, Md., who plans to join the program at Atlantic Coast Conference power Duke this summer, and Preston Stout of Richardson, Texas, who is headed for Big 12 power Oklahoma State this summer.

   Kim had opened with a 5-under 67 before adding a 69 in Sunday’s second round to get it to 8-under going into Monday’s final round. Stout had opened with a 71, but surged to a share of the 36-hole lead on the strength of a 7-under 65 in Sunday’s second round, the best individual round of the tournament.

   Turned out Gross, who came to Carlton Woods at No. 4 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, was just lurking.

   He opened the final round with back-to-back birdies at the second and third holes and, after a bogey at five, went back-to-back again with birdies at seven and eight. A bogey at the ninth hole left Gross at 7-under for the tournament.

   Gross then proceeded to pull away on the back nine. Birdies at the 11^th and 13^th holes got him to 9-under and then Gross went back-to-back one last time with birdies at 16 and 17 for a 66 that enabled him to finish with an 11-under 205 total.

   “I had good vibes coming in, but to be able to pull it out this year is pretty special,” Gross told the AJGA website. “It’s my first AJGA win in 14 months, so pretty proud of that.

   “There’s a lot of talent out here, so when you do win, it’s special because you know how tough it is to do. So, I’m really happy and really proud.”

   Gross’ closest pursuer turned out to be Ethan Fang, a University of California recruit from Plano, Texas. Fang carded a third straight 3-under 69 to finish in second place with a 9-under 208 total, two shots behind Gross. Fang was tied for the lead with Gross when Fang reached 9-under, with a birdie at the 11^th hole, but he was unable to match Gross’ two late birdies.

   Stout matched par in the final round with a 72 to finish in a tie for third place with Ethan Gao, a Stanford recruit from Alpharetta, Ga., and Boston Bracken of Saint George, Utah who plans to join the program at one of Stanford’s Pac-12 rivals, Arizona State, in the summer of 2024, as all three landed on 8-under 208, a shot behind Fang.

   Gao had added a 3-under 69 in Sunday’s second round to his opening-round 71 before closing with a 4-under 68. Bracken closed with his second straight 3-under 69 after opening with a 70.

   Kim struggled a little in the final round, closing with a 2-over 74, to finish in a tie for sixth place with Nicolas Dominguez Alvarez of Winter Garden, Fla. via Mexico, each ending up at 6-under 210.

   Dominguez Alvarez, who will join the program at Missouri in the SEC later this summer, sandwiched a 4-under 68 in Sunday’s second round with a pair of 1-under 71s.

   Rocco Salvitti, a four-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Pittsburgh Central Catholic, finished alone in 65^th place with an 11-over 227 total. Salvitti, who will join the program at rising ACC power Notre Dame this summer, opened with a 4-over 76, added his best round of the weekend, a 2-over 74, in Sunday’s second round and finished up with a 77.

 

 

 

Oregon springs back into action by overtaking Stanford to claim team crown in Therese Hession Regional Challenge

   The Pac-12 has always been one of the best conferences in women’s college golf.

   Makes sense. Lots of warm weather where women can play year round. Stanford, the L.A. schools, Southern California and UCLA, Arizona and Arizona State, even Washington have all produced their share of national champions and standout individuals.

   Another player arrived on the scene in the Pac-12 in the last couple of years, particularly last year when Oregon won the first conference crown in program history and made it all the way to the Final Match in the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. before falling, 3-2, to perennial Pac-12 power Stanford.

   The awakening of the sleeping giant can be traced back to the 2018 hiring of Derek Radley, who had been an associate head coach for 2017-2018 national champion Arizona, as the head coach at Oregon.

   I have to believe Radley’s chief lieutenant, Monica Vaughn, has had a little something to do with the rapid ascension of the Ducks as well.

   Vaughn isn’t all that far removed from the college game herself as she was the individual national champion while leading Arizona State to the team crown in the 2016-’17 season in some brutally cold spring weather at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill.

   Not sure if Vaughn, an Oregon native from Reedsport, ever had her sights set on a pro career, but she has settled in nicely with the Oregon program. Have to think she’ll be on a few short lists if any head coaching jobs come open in the next couple of years.

   When Oregon rallied in the final round to overtake Stanford for the team crown in the Therese Hession Regional Challenge, presented by Northrop Grumann, which wrapped up Tuesday at the Palos Verdes Golf Club in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., it was the seventh tournament win for the Ducks under Radley, all of them coming since the spring of 2021.

   Stanford has been sitting atop the Golfstat rankings ever since Rose Zhang arrived on campus in the fall of 2021 and the Cardinal’s victory over Oregon in the Final Match at Grayhawk last spring validated their status as the best team in Division I women’s golf.

   But Oregon, which moved up from No. 5 to No. 3 in the Golfstat rankings in the wake of its Therese Hession Regional Challenge victory, has never been far behind these last two seasons.

   The Ducks made the most of their home-course advantage to take the title in the Pac-12 Championship last spring at Eugene Country Club. After claiming the team title in the NCAA Albuquerque Regional, Oregon was second behind Stanford in the four rounds of qualifying for match play at Grayhawk.

   Don’t think Stanford was all that surprised to see the Ducks waiting for it in the Final Match.

   The event at Palos Verdes was known as the Northrop Grumann Regional Challenge before this year and has become one of the premier tournaments on the women’s college golf scene, a harbinger of what is to come in the spring sprint to the postseason.

   Ohio State has always been the host and the event was renamed for the longtime Buckeyes head coach. Hession became the director of golf for the men’s and women’s programs at Ohio State in 2018 after 27 years as the head coach of the women’s team. She retired last year.

   Hession was succeeded by Lisa Strom, the 1994 PIAA champion at Lansdale Catholic who starred at Ohio State under Hession and played on the LPGA Tour.

   Stanford was without two of its stars at Palos Verdes as 2021 NCAA individual champion Rachel Heck, a junior from Memphis, Tenn. and No. 12 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), and Brooke Seay, a senior from San Diego and No. 38 in the Women’s WAGR, did not tee it up.

   The Stanford website cited injuries for their absences, which is more than you usually get out of a college website, but it’s not like there’s an injury report for women’s college golf. Hopefully, it’s nothing serious because they are two players who would be unquestioned No. 1 players on a lot of Division I rosters.

   Stanford, of course, still has Zhang, the unquestioned No. 1 player in the Women’s WAGR, for what, three years now. The sophomore from Irvine, Calif. was the individual champion for the eighth time in her 15^th career college start, including the NCAA individual crown she won at Grayhawk last spring. Zhang cruised to a three-shot victory with a 6-under-par 207 total over the 6,017-yard, par-71 Palos Verdes layout.

   But with Heck and Seay sitting this one out, the team title was there for the taking and Oregon seized the day.

   Trailing Stanford by eight shots and in a tie for fourth place entering Tuesday’s final round, Oregon, behind a 3-under 68 from junior Ashleigh Park, another Irvine, Calif. kid who transferred to Eugene from Texas, and a 2-under 69 from individual runnerup Ching-Tzu Chen, a senior from Taiwan, the Ducks ripped off a 4-under 280, the low team round for the week, to blow past the rest of the field.

   Oregon had opened with a 4-over 288 and added a 6-over 290 in Monday’s second round. The strong finish by the Ducks left them with a 6-over 858 total.

   Cold-weather gear was very much in evidence from the still photos I saw from Palos Verdes, so there was a late-winter chill in the air by Southern California standards.

   The top-ranked Cardinal had opened with a 2-over 286 and matched par in Monday’s second round with a 284 to take a two-shot lead over Mountain West Conference power San Jose State into the final round.

   But Stanford struggled a little in the final round, closing with a 9-over 293 and settling for runnerup honors, five shots behind Oregon with an 11-over 863 total.

   Zhang was Zhang, carding a pair of 3-under 68s in the first two rounds to take a two-shot lead over Texas’ Sophie Guo, a senior from Orlando, Fla., and San Jose State’s Lucia Lopez-Ortega, a sophomore from Spain, into Tuesday’s final round.

   Zhang matched par in the final round with a 71 to end up at 6-under, three shots clear of the trio of Oregon’s Chen, Texas’ Guo and Baylor’s Silje Ohma, a freshman from Norway.

   Another Pac-12 power, Southern California, and Baylor, out of the Big 12, finished a shot behind Stanford in a tie for third place, each landing on 12-over 864.

   The Trojans, who improved from No. 23 to No. 15 in the Golfstat rankings off their showing in the Therese Hession, opened with a 6-over 290 and added back-to-back 3-over 287s in a solid showing.

   The Bears, who moved into the Golfstat top 10 at No. 10 after entering the Therese Hession at No. 18, had the lead following an opening round of 2-under 282. But Baylor struggled a little in Monday’s second round with a 297 before finishing up with a solid 1-over 285.

   San Jose State finished four shots behind Southern Cal and Baylor in fifth place with a 16-over 868 total, moving up from No. 7 to No. 4 in the Golfstat rankings. If there was a bigger surprise than Oregon’s postseason run a year ago, it just might have been the spring the Spartans had as they won the team crown in the Ann Arbor Regional and reached the match-play bracket in the NCAA Championship before falling to the Ducks, 4-1, in the quarterfinals at Grayhawk.

   San Jose State was just two shots behind Stanford going into the final round after posting back-to-back 2-over 286s in the first two rounds. The Spartans struggled a little in the final round with a 12-over 296, but it seems pretty clear that they mean business again this spring.

   It was a pretty nice showing for Strom’s host Buckeyes as the Big Ten power finished three shots behind San Jose State in sixth place in the elite field of 16 teams with a 19-over 871 total. After opening with a solid 2-over 286, Ohio State added an 8-over 292 in Monday’s second round before finishing up with a 293.

   The Buckeyes’ strong showing in the event renamed to honor the best coach in the history of the program enabled them to move into the Golfstat top 25 at No. 24 after entering the Therese Hession at No. 35.

   Chen opened with a 3-under 68, slipped back a little with a 2-over 73 in Monday’s second round, but finished strong with her 2-under 69 to get a share of second place with a 3-under 210 total and lead Oregon to the team crown.

   Backing up Chen for the Ducks was Briana Chacon, a senior from Whittier, Calif. and No. 79 in the Women’s WAGR who finished in the group tied for 20^th place with a 5-over 218 total. Chacon carded back-to-back 1-over 72s in the first two rounds before closing with a 3-over 74.

   Oregon has a really nice addition plucked from the junior college ranks in Minori Nagano, a junior from Japan who finished among the group tied for 27^th place with a 7-over 220 total.

   Nagano, who was the junior college national champion in 2021 and 2022 while leading Seminole State to the team crown in both years, struggled a little in the opening round with a 5-over 76. But she matched par in the second round with a 71 and contributed a steady 2-over 73 in the final round.

   Junior Cynthia Lu, part of Oregon’s Taiwan Connection along with Chen and No. 29 in the Women’s WAGR, finished among the group tied for 31^st place with an 8-over 221 total. After struggling to a 6-over 77 in the opening round, Lu bounced back with a 74 in Monday’s second round before closing with a crucial 2-under 70.

   Rounding out the Oregon lineup was Park, who finished in the group tied for 37^th place with a 9-over 222 total. A veteran of Texas’ run to the NCAA Championship quarterfinals as a freshman in 2021, Park opened with a solid 1-over 72 at Palos Verdes, but then struggled mightily to an 82 in Monday’s second round.

   But Park put that round in the rear-view mirror and was the low Duck in Tuesday’s final round with an extremely clutch 3-under 68.

   Texas’ Guo was just two shots behind Zhang in the individual chase after carding back-to-back 2-under 69s in the first two rounds before closing with a 1-over 72 to finish among the trio tied for second place at 3-under 210.

   Ohma sparked the fast start for Baylor as she fired the best individual round of the week, a 5-under 66, in the opening round to grab the individual lead. She added a 2-over 73 in Monday’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 71 to join Guo and Oregon’s Chen for a share of runnerup honors.

   Three players who I had a chance to watch in last summer’s 42^nd Curtis Cup Match at Merion Golf Club’s historic East Course in the Ardmore section of Haverford Township, Kentucky’s Jensen Castle, a senior from West Columbia, S.C. and No. 24 in the Women’s WAGR, Stanford’s Megha Ganne, a freshman from Holmdel, N.J. and No. 57 in the Women’s WAGR, and Florida’s Annabell Fuller, a senior from Florida and No. 54 in the Women’s WAGR, were among a group of six players tied for fifth place at even-par 213.

   After opening with a 2-over 73, Castle, winner of the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Westchester Country Club in Rye, N.Y. in 2021, matched par in Monday’s second round with a 71 before closing with a solid 2-under 69.

   Ganne, one of the top freshmen in the country, posted back-to-back 1-under 70s before finishing up with a 2-over 73.

   Fuller, a member of the Great Britain & Ireland team at Merion, matched Ganne’s splits with a pair of 1-under 70s in the first two rounds and a 2-over 73 in the final round.

   Ganne’s Stanford teammates, Zhang and Heck, were also on the winning U.S. side at Merion last year, as was Castle. That Curtis Cup was a tremendous opportunity for those of us who follow the women’s game to see the future of women’s golf up close in the wonderful setting that is Merion in June.

   There were two more players who teed it up in that Curtis Cup in the group of five players tied for 12^th place at 2-over 215, Team USA’s Amari Avery, a sophomore at Southern California from Riverside, Calif. and No. 8 in the Women’s WAGR, and GB&I’s Caley McGinty, a redshirt junior at Ohio State from England and No. 25 in the Women’s WAGR. Just so many talented players on those two teams.

   Rounding out the group of six players tied for fifth place at even-par were San Jose State’s Lopez-Ortega, Ohma’s Baylor teammate, Rosie Belsham, a junior from England, and Avery’s Southern California teammate Cindy Kou, a sophomore  from China.

   Lopez-Ortega was just two shots behind Zhang in the individual chase after recording back-to-back 2-under 69s in the first two rounds. She cooled off a little with a 4-over 75 in the final round.

   Belsham carded back-to-back 2-over 73s in the first two rounds before zooming up the leaderboard with a final round of 4-under 67. After opening with a 1-over 72, Kou registered a solid 3-under 68 in Monday’s second round before closing with a 2-over 73.

   McGinty’s Ohio State teammate, Kary Hollenbaugh, a freshman from New Albany, Ohio, finished alone in 11^th place with a 1-over 214 total. Hollenbaugh, who reached the semifinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship with her New Albany High teammate Anna Ritter last spring at the Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, opened with a solid 3-under 68 and added a 1-over 72 in Monday’s second round before closing with a 74.

   Nice to see Kaitlyn Lees, a graduate student at Georgetown who was a three-time Inter-Ac League champion during an outstanding scholastic career at Agnes Irwin, in the lineup for the Hoyas.

   Lees finished in the group tied for 67^th place with a 232 total as she struggled in Monday’s second round with an 83 after opening with a solid 3-over 74. She bounced back in the final round with a 4-over 75.

   Georgetown, out of the Big East, finished last of the 16 teams in the elite field, but there is no downside to playing that kind of competition and the Hoyas were steady, adding a 304 in Monday’s second round to their opening-round 303 before closing with a 302 for a 909 total.

   I lost track of Lees in a busy spring a year ago, but she and Esther Park, a product of the Charter School of Wilmington in Delaware, both finished in a tie for 10^th place to help Georgetown finish in second place behind Xavier in the Big East Championship at the Callaway Resort & Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga.