Hoos Open NCAA Championships as No. 7 Seed
CARLSBAD, Calif. – The Virginia men’s golf team is the No. 7 seed for the NCAA Championships that begins Friday (May 24) at the Omni LaCosta Resort North Course in Carlsbad, Calif. The Cavaliers will tee off from the 10th hole at 12:55 p.m. PT while paired with Texas Tech and Oklahoma. UVA qualified for the NCAAs following a second-place finish at the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional.
Virginia is one of 30 teams competing for the national championship and the stroke play champion.
After three days (May 24-26) of stroke play, the field is reduced to 15 teams and the top nine individuals not on one of those teams for the fourth round (May 27) that will decide the individual champion. The top eight teams from stroke play advance to two days (May 28-29) of match play competition to determine the NCAA Champion.
During the second round, UVA, Texas Tech and Oklahoma will start at 7:35 a.m. PT from the first tee. The third round is repaired based on the team standings. It starts at 6:40 a.m. PT while Monday’s final round of stroke play starts at 10:30 a.m.
Virginia is one of seven ACC teams to advance to the NCAA Championships. The others are Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Wake Forest.
The Virginia Lineup
Name Year Hometown Stroke Avg.
George Duangmanee Jr. Fairfax, Va. 72.25
Josh Duangmanee Fr. Fairfax, Va. 72.14
Ben James So. Milford, Conn. 70.17
Bryan Lee So. Fairfax, Va. 70.79
Deven Patel Jr. Johns Creek, Ga. 71.18
Liam Powderly* Gr. Cockeysville, Md. 70.33
In the Rankings NCAA WAGR Coaches
Virginia 9 13
Ben James 25 5
Bryan Lee 42 52
Deven Patel 123 97
Coverage
Golf Channel will feature extensive coverage of the championship beginning Monday, May 27. Here is a full listing of the coverage with all times EST:
Monday, May 27 – 6:00-10:00 PM: Live coverage
Tuesday, May 28 – 6:00-10:00 PM: Live coverage match play
Wednesday, May 29 – 6:00-10:00 PM: Live coverage match play championship
Regional Recap
Virginia turned in its best NCAA Regional finish in program history to advance to the 2024 NCAA Championships. The Cavaliers shot 7-under 281 during the final round of the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional to finish second at 13-under 851. Bryan Lee led Virginia with an eighth-place finish at 4-under 212. Ben James finished ninth at 3-under 213 while Josh Duangmanee was 12th at 1-under 215. Deven Patel placed 15th place at 1-over 217 and George Duangmanee was 23rd at 219.
Big Ben
• Sophomore Ben James has been UVA’s No. 1 or No. 2 finish in all 10 of his tournament appearances this season
• James was one of 10 semifinalists for the 2024 Hogan Award
• James has been named to the 2024 U.S. Palmer Cup Team. He helped lead the American squad to victory last season.
• James did not play in the Cavaliers’ season-opening tournament at Valero Texas Collegiate after participating in the Walker Cup last summer
• James now has 17 top-10 finishes in 23 career collegiate events, that ties for the sixth most in program history.
NCAA History
The 2024 NCAA Championships marks the 19th time the Cavaliers have earned a bid to the national tournament. Last year UVA qualified for match play for the first time at the championship, falling to eventual NCAA champion Florida 3-2. UVA was seventh in stroke play behind the sixth-place finish of Ben James. That was the best showing by a Cavalier at the event since former Virginia golfer Dixon Brooke won the NCAA individual crown in 1940, the second year of the championship. The Cavaliers finished 15th that year.
Coaching Notes
• Bowen Sargent is in his 20th season at Virginia.
• This season Sargent directed the Cavaliers to their 16 consecutive NCAA Regional appearance.
• During his tenure, Sargent’s teams have won 26 tournaments
• This year the Cavaliers took top honors at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate.
• UVA was the runners up at the Puerto Rico Classic and the Linger Longer Invitational in addition to its NCAA Regional finish.
• Sargent was named the ACC Coach of the Year in 2010.
• He graduated from NC State in 1992 and was named to the All-ACC teams in 1990 and 1991.
Hoos Highlights
It has been an eventful year for the Cavalier men’s golf team. Heading into the NCAA Championships, here are some highlights:
• UVA picked up its 26th tournament victory under head coach Bowen Sargent when the Hoos captured the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate.
• In the win at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate, the Cavaliers made up an 11-shot deficit in the final round, shooting a tournament record 19-under 269 during the event’s final round.
• Sophomores Ben James and Bryan Lee were named to the 2024 All-ACC team. It was the second year-in-a-row James received the honor while Lee’s selection was the first of his career.
• Bryan Lee picked up his first career win, tying for medalist honors at the Puerto Rico Classic with Purdue’s Nels Surtani. Lee shot a career-best 9-under 63 during the final round and posted a career-best 54-hole score of 15-under 201. He started the final round of the event in 20th place.
• Deven Patel recorded his first career victory with medalist honors at the Hayt Collegiate at Sawgrass Country Club. He finished at 3-under 213 to better Duke’s Ethan Evans and Alabama’s Canon Claycomb by a single stroke.
• Virginia has had six different players post top-10 finishes this season. In addition to James, Patel and Lee, Paul Chang, Josh Duangmanee and Liam Powderly all had top-10 results this year. Playing in his final regular season event, and just the third tournament of his career, Powderly shot 2-under 211 at UVA’s Lewis Chitengwa Memorial to tie for 10th and lead the Cavaliers’ B-Team to a seventh-place finish in the 14-team event. He posted a final round score of 67.