UVA Golfers Open ACC Championship Play Friday

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April 21, 2016

Charlottesville, Va. — The No. 24 Virginia men’s golf team will play in the 63rd annual Atlantic Coast Conference Championships April 22-24 at the Old North State Club at Uwharrie Point in New London, N.C. This marks the 15th consecutive year the tournament has been contested at the Old North State Club. The 54-hole event will start at 8:30 a.m. each morning.

The 12-team field includes six teams ranked in the top 25 of the current Golfstat standings. That group includes No. 7 Florida State, No. 11 Wake Forest, No. 12 Clemson, No. 20 Duke, No. 24 Virginia, and No. 25 North Carolina. Virginia is paired with the Duke and North Carolina during Friday’s opening round. Those teams are set to tee off between 10:30 a.m. and 11:10 a.m. Virginia’s lineup includes junior Derek Bard (New Hartford, N.Y.), freshman Ashton Poole (Charlotte, N.C.), junior Jimmy Stanger (Tampa, Fla.), sophomore Danny Walker (Bradenton, Fla.) and freshman Thomas Walsh (High Point, N.C.).

Bard leads the Cavaliers with a 71.17 stroke average and is ranked No. 35 by Golfstat and No. 31 by Golfweek. Last year, Bard finished 25th at the ACCs, shooting 1-over 217. Walker is the only other Cavalier to play in last year’s event. He was 52nd at 14-over 230.

The 2016 tournament marks the 31st time overall that the league championship will be held at the Old North State Country Club. Wake Forest leads all schools with 18 league titles and 22 individual champions. Georgia Tech, which has won 14 outright ACC Championships, including the 2014 and 2015 events, and shared two more, has produced 11 individual medalists. North Carolina is third with 11 titles (10 outright), followed by Clemson with nine (eight outright).

Virginia has never won the event, but was the runner-up in 1958, 1996, 2010 and 2012. Pete Arend won the individual title in1955 and Ben Rusch claimed the 2012 individual championship.

The tournament will be carried live on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app beginning at 3 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday. There is no charge for admission.

ACC Men’s Golf Championship – First Round Pairings
8:30 – 9:10 a.m. = Boston College, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech
9:30 – 10:10 a.m. = Louisville, Georgia Tech, NC State
10:30 – 11:10 a.m. = North Carolina, Virginia, Duke
11:30 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. = Clemson, Wake Forest, Florida State

Commonwealth Clash
The ACC Championships will also signify the men’s golf matchup between Virginia and Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth Clash, sponsored by Virginia529, the official college savings plan of University of Virginia Athletics. In the sport of men’s golf, there is one point at stake in the Virginia529 Commonwealth Clash, the point rivalry series between the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. The school that finishes higher in the final standings of the ACC men’s golf championship will earn the point. Virginia leads the 2015-16 Commonwealth Clash, 10 to 5. Learn more about Virginia529 and this new competition at thecommonwealthclash.com.