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Virginia Golfers Open NCAA Regional Tied for Third
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Ann Arbor, MI – The No. 19 Virginia men’s golf team is tied for third place after the opening round of the NCAA Central Regional taking place at the University of Michigan Golf Course in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Cavaliers shot 3-over 287 on the par-71 course. TCU leads the field at 6-under 278. The 43rd-ranked Horned Frogs were the only team to shoot below par during the first round. Kent State, ranked No. 18, is in second place at 286. Kennesaw State is tied with UVa in third place.
Top-seeded USC is in sixth place at 289 and second-seeded Oregon is in fifth place, one shot behind the Cavaliers.
“It was a good start,” said Virginia coach Bowen Sargent. “We started off well and struggled a little in the middle of the round but they guys fought hard and got some strokes back at the end. The goal is to be in the top five so we can advance and that’s where we are right now. I hope we can say the same thing in 48 hours.”
Virginia was led by senior Bruce Woodall who posted a score of 2-under 69. He is tied for fifth place after the opening round. Woodall’s score equaled his low round for the season and stands as his best 18-hole effort in 10 rounds of postseason play.
Starting on the 10th tee, Woodall got off to a hot start, posting birdies on three of his first five holes. A double-bogey on the par-4 17th hole dropped him back to 1-under. He posted another bogey on No. 2 before finishing with birdies on holes six and nine.
“Bruce played really well. He has always been capable of doing that and it was nice to see him step it up today during a round where we really needed that kind of an effort,” Sargent said. “His round was the difference between us being tied for third and being in eighth or ninth place.”
Senior Ben Kohles and freshman Denny McCarthy each shot 71 to finish the day in 15th place. Freshman Ji Soo Park is 48th at 5-over 76 and sophomore Ben Rusch is in 56th place with a 77.
TCU’s Julien Brun, Baylor’s Joakim Mikkelsen and USC’s Anthony Paolucci share the opening round lead at 4-under 71.
The Cavaliers will tee off at 8:20 a.m. Friday to start their second round of the regional. The final 18 holes are scheduled for Saturday. The top five teams from the regional advance to the NCAA Championships May 29 to June 3 at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif.
NCAA Central Regional Championship
University of Michigan Golf Course
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Par-71, 6,723 yards
First Round Results
Team Results
1. TCU 278
2. Kent State 286
3. Kennesaw State 287
3. Virginia 287
5. Oregon 288
6. USC 288
7. Oklahoma State 290
7. NC State 290
9. Purdue 291
9. Notre Dame 291
11. Baylor 296
12. Ohio State 305
13. Navy 322
Individual Leaders
1. Julien Brun, TCU 67
1. Joakim Mikkelsen, Baylor 67
1. Anthony Paolucci, USC 67
4. Sebastian MacLean, Xavier 68
5. Albin Choi, NC State 69
5. Peder Hermansson, Kennesaw State 69
5. Bruce Woodall, Virginia 69
Virginia
5. Bruce Woodall 69
15. Ben Kohles 71
15. Denny McCarthy 71
48. Ji Soo Park 76
56. Ben Rusch 77