May 26, 2016

The No. 23 Virginia men’s golf team opens play at the NCAA Championships Friday, May 26 at the par-70, 7,014-yard Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore. The Cavaliers tee off starting at 7:55 a.m. PT from the 10th tee and are paired with No. 22 San Diego State and No. 26 Baylor. Those same schools will play the second round starting from the 1st tee at 1:15 p.m. Saturday.

All 30 teams and six individuals will complete 54 holes of stroke play (Friday-Sunday). Following three rounds of competition, the top 15 teams, along with the top nine individuals not on an advancing team, will advance for one additional day (Monday) of stroke play to determine the eight-team field for match play. The NCAA individual champion will be determined after 72 holes of stroke play.

The top eight teams after 72 holes of stroke play will be placed into a bracket for the match play portion of the tournament, which takes place Tuesday (quarterfinals and semifinals) and Wednesday (finals).

UVa advanced to the NCAA Championships after finishing fifth at the NCAA Regional site in Franklin, Tenn. It marks the 16th time the Cavaliers have advanced to the NCAA Championships. In its last NCAA appearance, UVa placed 18th last year at the Concession Club in Bradenton, Fla. Former Cavalier All-American Denny McCarthy topped UVA with a 29th place finish at 5-over 293.

Virginia golfer Dixon Brooke won the NCAA individual crown in 1940, the second year of the championship.

Virginia’s lineup features the same five golfers who competed at the NCAA Regional site. Juniors Derek Bard (New Hartford, N.Y.) and Jimmy Stanger (Tampa, Fla.) along with sophomore Danny Walker (Bradenton, Fla.) and freshmen Ashton Poole (Charlotte, N.C.) and Thomas Walsh (High Point, N.C.).

Bard and Stanger, who were named to this year’s All-ACC team, lead the Cavaliers in stroke average. Bard is first on the team at 71.22 while Stanger is second at 71.71. They have combined to be UVa’s top finisher in eight of 12 tournaments this season. Stanger’s birdie putt on the final hole of the NCAA Regional provided the margin to give the Cavaliers the final berth from that site for this year’s championship.

The Cavaliers are one of five ACC teams that advanced to the NCAA Championships. Also making it through from a regional site were Clemson, Louisville, Florida State and Wake Forest.

The remaining teams in the field include: Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, California, Florida, Georgia, Houston, Illinois, Kentucky, LSU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Purdue, San Diego State, South Carolina, Stanford, South Florida, Texas, TCU, UAB, USC and Vanderbilt.

In 2015, LSU defeated USC 4-1 in the final round of match play competition to win its fifth national title. SMU’s Bryson DeChambeau claimed the 72-hole individual title at 8-under 280.

The Golf Channel will provide extensive live coverage starting Monday.
May 30 Final Round, Individual Stroke Play ââ’¬” 7-10 p.m. ET
May 31 Quarterfinals, Match Play ââ’¬” 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. ET
May 31 Semifinals, Match Play ââ’¬” 6:30-10 p.m. ET
June 1 Finals, Match Play ââ’¬” 6-10 p.m. ET

Live scoring of the NCAA Championships is online at NCAA.com.