UVA Finishes Program Best 10th at NCAA Championships

May 29, 2017

Sugar Grove, Ill. – The No. 18 Virginia men’s golf team finished the fourth round of the NCAA Championships in 10th place but failed to advance to the eight-team match play that will determine the national champion. Playing in conditions that included winds between 20 and 30 miles per hour, Virginia shot 19-over 307 during Monday’s final round of stroke play for a 72-hole total of 10-over 1162. The eight teams to qualify for match play were Vanderbilt (1139), Oklahoma (1151), Illinois (1154), Oklahoma State (1155), Oregon (1158), USC (1158), Baylor (1159) and UNLV (1159). LSU was ninth at 1161. UVA was led by senior Jimmy Stanger (Tampa, Fla.), who placed 11th overall at 2-under 286. He shot 5-over 77 during the final round. Sophomore Thomas Walsh (High Point, N.C.) was 28th at 4-over 290, senior Derek Bard (New Hartford, N.Y.) was 43rd at 294, junior Danny Walker (Bradenton, Fla.) was 51st at 296 and freshman Luke Schaap (Potomac, Md.) was 80th at 310. Bard, who made birdies on his final three holes, and Schaap had UVA’s best final round scores, shooting 4-over 76. Walker finished with a 78 while Walsh shot 80.

Only two teams âââہ¡¬ÃƒÆ’¢Ãƒ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å“ Vanderbilt (+5, 293) and Oregon (+5, 293) âââہ¡¬ÃƒÆ’¢Ãƒ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å“ avoided final round scores of double digits over par.

Virginia started the day tied for seventh but could not make a climb up the leaderboard. Every UVA played made at least bogey on their opening 10th hole and Walker was the only Cavalier to post a birdie over the first five holes on the back nine of Rich Harvest farms. His first birdie was a 100-foot putt from off the green on his second hole.

The Hoos four counting players made the turn at nine-over par. Walsh, who started the day tied for 10th, struggled to a 9-over for his first nine holes.

With the rest of the field also posting high numbers in the windy conditions, UVA remained near the cut line until Stanger and Walker both posted double bogey on the par-five seventh hole. Aside from Bard’s strong finish, no UVA player managed a birdie over the team’s final seven holes. UVA’s four counting players combined score was 12-over par over the final seven holes.

“We had a great opportunity with seven holes to go but unfortunately we didn’t capitalize,” said Virginia coach Bowen Sargent. Mississippi’s Braden Thornberry won the individual title at 11-under 277. UVA’s previous best NCAA Championship showing was 11th place in 1946 and 2010. Stanger’s showing was the fifth best by a Cavalier at the event. Virginia’s finish was the best among the five ACC schools that qualified for the championship.

“To have won four tournaments this year and have the best finish in the history of our program at NCAAs is a credit to the work and effort these young men put in over the course of the year,” Sargent said. “I’m saddened for our seniors Jimmy Stanger and Derek Bard that we did not reach our team goal of match play.

The tournament marked the end of the careers of Bard and Stanger, two of the most decorated players in UVA history. Bard earned All-American honors as a junior and was a three-time All-ACC pick. Stanger was a two-time All-ACC pick. Both players also excelled in the classroom and were named to the ACC All-Academic team multiple times. Bard and Stanger each won three collegiate tournaments during their career.

“I am very grateful to Jimmy and Derek for their leadership both on and off the golf course over the last four years,” Sargent said. “Both will walk away as All-Americans both academically and athletically. I could not be prouder of our two fourth years. I’m excited to see what their future holds. I think both will go on to have excellent professional careers and I will be their biggest supporter along the way.

“I hope my future has more players with the same leadership abilities. They’ve certainly set the bar for the future of this program by their work ethic, disciplined approach, and standard for success.”

NCAA Championships
Rich Harvest Farms
Sugar Grove, Ill.
Par 72, 7,300 yards
Fourth Round Results

Team Results 1. Vanderbilt      278-288-280-293-1139 2. Oklahoma        284-279-284-304-1151 3. Illinois        282-283-285-304-1154 4. Oklahoma State  282-287-283-303-1155 5. Oregon          294-282-289-293-1158 5. USC             284-283-280-311-1158 7. Baylor          288-280-287-304-1159 7. UNLV            283-279-285-312-1159Top 8 teams advance to Match Play 9. LSU             291-277-290-303-116110. Virginia        288-283-284-307-116211. Auburn          282-284-290-308-116412. Texas           293-283-283-307-116613. Pepperdine      289-293-287-311-118014. Florida State   289-285-286-321-118114. UCF             294-284-293-310-1181
Individual Leaders1. Braden Thornberry, Mississippi  66-71-69-71-2772. Mason Overstreet, Arkansas      70-68-72-71-2813. Matthias Schwab, Vanderbilt     67-70-70-75-2823. Scottie Scheffler, Texas        68-68-68-78-2823. Theo Humphrey, Vanderbilt       71-72-69-70-282
Virginia Results11. Jimmy Stanger      70-71-68-77-28628. Thomas Walsh       74-69-67-80-29043. Derek Bard         73-68-77-76-29451. Danny Walker       71-75-72-78-29680. Luke Schaap        75-81-78-76-310="https://virginiasports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://virginiasports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="http:>