McCarthy Finishes Sixth at NCAA Championships

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May 26, 2014

Hutchinson, Kan. – Virginia junior golfer Denny McCarthy (Rockville, Md.) finished sixth at the NCAA Championships, the second best finish in the program’s history by an individual competitor. The championship was held at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan.

McCarthy shot even par 70 during the final round to finish at 4-under 206 over 54 holes. He shot 65 during the first round and 71 over his second 18 holes. McCarthy drained a 35-foot putt on his final hole to end his third round with a birdie.

This year’s individual championship was shorted to 54 holes due to weather delays during the first three days of the tournament. In addition to the individual competition, the top eight teams from the 30-team field advanced to the match play portion of the tournament after 54 holes.

McCarthy started his final round with back-to-back pars before bogeying the par-4 third hole. He used an eagle on the par-5 seventh hole to improve to 5-under and pull within one stroke of the tournament leaders. A pair of bogeys on the 12th and 15th holes kept him out of contention for the individual crown.

Georgia Tech’s Ollie Schniederjans and Stanford’s Cameron Wilson tied for first place in stroke play at 6-under 204. Wilson won on the third playoff hole to claim the individual title.

McCarthy became the fourth Cavalier to post a top-10 finish at the NCAAs. Dixon Brooke won the title in 1940, Lewis Chitengwa was seventh in 1996 and James Driscoll placed ninth in 2000.

McCarthy, ranked No. 16 in the latest Golfstat rankings, was one of six at-large individuals in the field who were not competing in the team competition. His finish was the best among that group. Last year he placed 22nd while also competing as an individual.