UVa Golfers Earn Berth to NCAA Championships

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May 16, 2015

Rancho Sante Fe, Calif. – The No. 27 Virginia men’s golf team earned a berth to the NCAA Championships after finishing fifth at the NCAA Regional at The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Sante Fe, Calif. The Cavaliers shot 1-under 287 during Saturday’s final round to finish at 10-over 874. The top five teams from six regional sites advance to the NCAA Championships. UVa placed two shots ahead of sixth-place Wichita State.

Oklahoma, ranked No. 14, won the regional at 21-under 843. Also advancing from the site were No. 3 Arizona State (863), No. 10 Georgia Tech (869) and No. 34 Georgia (870). Virginia entered the three-day, 54-hole event as the No. 5 seed.

Senior All-American Denny McCarthy (Rockville, Md.) led UVa with a final-round 69 for a 54-hole total of 6-under 210. He finished fourth overall. McCarthy shot 3-under 69 during the final round and dropped in a five-foot birdie putt on his final hole as the Hoos held a slim one-shot advantage over Wichita State, which had already completed its round.

Sophomore Jimmy Stanger (Tampa, Fla.) was UVa’s number-two finisher, placing 25th at 5-over 221. He posted a final round score of 73. Playing ahead of McCarthy, he also birdied No. 18 to break a tie the Hoos were in at the time with Wichita State at 12-over. Classmate Derek Bard (New Hartford, N.Y.) was 29th at 222. He shot 75 during Saturday’s competition.

Senior Ji Soo Park (Clifton, Va.) had an up-and-down final round to finish in 49th position at 225. He shot 71 Saturday after playing his front nine at 5-under par. Park had two double bogeys, and a bogey to go with one birdie over his final nine holes. Junior Kyle Kochevar (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) placed 61st at 230. He finished with a 2-over 74.

Arizona State’s Jon Rahm, ranked No. 2 in the nation, took medalist honors at 10-under 206.

The 30-team NCAA Championships will take place May 29-June 3 at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla. This marks the 15th time the Cavaliers have advanced to the NCAA Championships. In its last NCAA appearance, UVa placed 22nd in 2012. Competing as an individual, McCarthy was sixth at last year’s tournament.

NCAA Regional
The Farms Golf Club
Rancho Sante Fe, Calif.
Par-72, 6,947 yards
Final Results

Team Results 1. Oklahoma              284-275-284-843 2. Arizona State         300-281-282-863 3. Georgia Tech          299-283-287-869 4. Georgia               307-278-285-870 5. Virginia              297-290-287-874 6. Wichita State         292-298-286-876 7. East Tennessee State  289-294-286-880 8. St. Mary's (CA)       295-298-297-882 9. New Mexico            303-292-289-88610. San Diego             297-295-291-88910. Idaho                 301-287-301-88912. Mississippi           314-305-290-89113. Eastern Kentucky      299-287-298-902
Individual Leaders1. Jon Rahm, Arizona State      73-64-69-2062. Max McGreevy, Oklahoma       70-69-69-2082. Michael Gellerman, Oklahoma  71-68-69-2084. Denny McCarthy, Virginia     72-69-69-210
Virginia Results 4. Denny McCarthy  72-69-69-21025. Jimmy Stanger   74-74-73-22129. Derek Bard      74-73-75-22249. Ji Soo Park     80-74-71-22561. Kyle Kochevar   77-79-74-230
2015 NCAA Field (Top five finishers by regional site)Noblesville, Ind.1. Illinois, 2. SMU, 3. UNLV, 4. UCLA, 5. Oregon
Chapel Hill, N.C.1. Charlotte, 2. Stanford, 3. Florida State, 4. Florida, 5. Clemson
New Haven, Conn.1. South Florida, 2. San Diego State, 3. Oklahoma State, 4. Vanderbilt, 5. LSU
Lubbock, Texas1. Texas, 2. Texas Tech, 3. Duke, 4. Auburn, 5. Houston
Bremerton, Wash.1. UAB, 2. South Carolina, 3. USC, 4. TCU & Washington="http:>="http:>="http:>="http:>="http:>="http:>