Virginia Rises to Second Place After Day Two

PONTE VEDRA, Fla. – Behind its best collective round of the spring, Virginia men’s golf moved up to second place, seven strokes behind tournament leader Alabama on the second day of The Hayt. Junior Ben James fired a 6-under 66 to lead the charge for the Cavaliers.

UVA posted a 13-under 273 and leapfrogged both South Carolina and Duke to move into sole possession of second. It was UVA’s third lowest team score of the 2024-25 season and lowest since a 272 at the Hamptons Intercollegiate (Oct. 7-8, 2024). Virginia holds a two-shot advantage on ACC foe Duke and is one of six teams under par for the tournament.

After an even par 72 in round one, James matched his best round of the season with a 66. He carded seven birdies on the day and played bogey-free for the first 16 holes. James is currently tied for fourth on the individual leaderboard, four strokes behind North Carolina’s David Ford for the overall lead. James has posted a 66 three times this season and now has 48 career rounds in the 60s.

Paul Chang (69), Bryan Lee (70), Josh Duangmanee (70) and Maxi Puregger (70) were among the five Cavaliers were under par on Sunday. For the tournament, Lee is tied for seventh, one stroke behind James. Puregger, who is competing as an individual, equaled his best round as a collegian. He carded an eagle on the par-5 fourth hole.

The final round at Sawgrass Country Club will be played on Monday (March 10) with UVA tee times beginning at 9:10 a.m. Live scoring can be found on scoreboard.clippd.com.

Team Results After Round 2

Individual Results After Round 2