Historic Success Fuels Hoos’ Hunger for More

By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — For the University of Virginia men’s golf team, the postseason began April 24 in Bowling Green, Ky. It ended more than a month later in Carlsbad, Calif., where UVA capped the greatest season in program history with a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships.

“We gave it a good fight,” Virginia’s Bryan Lee said.

Before reaching unprecedented heights at the NCAA tournament, the Wahoos did the same at the ACC Championships in Bowling Green. After winning the stroke-play competition at ACCs for the first time—they finished eight shots ahead of second-place North Carolina—the Hoos were among the eight teams that advanced to match play at The Club at Old Stone.

The change in format didn’t slow UVA’s momentum. The Cavaliers defeated Georgia Tech 3-0 in the quarterfinals, Clemson 3-2 in the semifinals, and UNC 3-2 in the final to secure their first title in a tournament that dates back to 1954.

Next up for Virginia was the NCAA regional in Reno, Nev. Led by Paul Chang, the Hoos finished second to advance to the NCAA Championships for the third straight season. Chang, a former member of the club team at UVA, shot 206 for 54 holes (68-68-70) to become only the second player in program history to win the individual title at an NCAA regional.

The Cavaliers left for Reno early last month. They didn’t return home for 21 days, and when they did they carried with them a trophy commemorating their historic feat.

“It was a long trip,” head coach Bowen Sargent said, “but a good one.”

After wrapping things up in Reno, the team had traveled to Southern California. Carlsbad is about 35 miles north of San Diego on the Pacific coast, and the NCAAs were held at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa.

The tournament started with 30 teams. Each played 54 holes of stroke play—one round on three consecutive days—after which the field was trimmed to 15.

After the first round, the Cavaliers were tied for 25^th place. They finished each of the next two rounds in 11^th, however, and then moved up to seventh on the final day of stroke play. The top eight teams advanced to match play, and UVA was back in familiar territory.

Virginia is the only program in the country to have reached match play in each of the past three seasons. Until this year, though, the Hoos had never celebrated a victory in that round.

In 2023, Florida edged UVA in the quarterfinals and went on to win the NCAA title. In 2024, Virginia fell in the quarterfinals again, this time to Auburn, which went on to be crowned NCAA champion.

In Carlsbad, the Cavaliers avenged both of those defeats. They edged the Tigers 3-2 in the quarterfinals and defeated the Gators 3-1 in the semifinals.

“I think there might been a little bit more of an edge,” Lee said, “just because we had lost to both of those teams in previous years.”

Virginia’s win over Florida set up a showdown with Oklahoma State, one of the sport’s blue bloods. In a match carried on the Golf Channel, the Cowboys prevailed 3-1 to secure their 12^th NCAA title.

“They outlasted us,” Lee said. “I don’t think we lost it; they just beat us that day.”

As disappointing as the NCAA final was for the Cavaliers, they can take pride in all they accomplished this season, their 21^st under Sargent.

“I think there were a lot of positives that come with it,” Lee said. “It stinks to not get the job done, but there were a lot of program firsts this year, with ACCs and obviously this now. There was a lot to appreciate, a lot to be excited for going into the future.”

Reflecting on the stage on which he and his teammates played against Oklahoma State, Lee said, “you start to realize, wow, this is the pinnacle of college golf here. It was a very cool thing to experience, an opportunity that not many people get. And so I was very, very grateful at the end of it, regardless of the outcome.”

Before the team left its hotel and headed to the airport Thursday morning for its flight back to the East Coast, Sargent met with his team.

“I was super worried about them and how they were going to respond [after the loss to Oklahoma State],” he said, but Sargent need not have been concerned.

“Man, they were excited,” he said, “and then it kind of hit me that, hey, this is OK. I just told them they had a hell of a year. You win ACCs and get to the final day of college golf. There’s only two teams that can say that, and we were one of them.”

Of the players who represented the Cavaliers during the postseason, only Deven Patel is out of eligibility. Virginia’s lineup in match play at NCAAs consisted of Chang, Lee, Ben James, Josh Duangmanee and Maxi Puregger, and all plan to return in 2025-26.

James, who won all three of his matches in Carlsbad, is a three-time first-team All-American. He and Lee qualified Monday for this year’s U.S. Open, as did former UVA golfer George Duangmanee, Josh’s older brother.

“There’s only more to look forward to, because we’ve got so many guys we can count on,” Lee said. “Hopefully we’ll get better and we’re contending again.”

Two recruits will join the program this summer: Alex Wells, who’s from England; and Michael Lee, Bryan’s younger brother.

In 2023, when James and Bryan Lee were freshmen, the NCAA Championships were held at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. Many of Sargent’s coaching peers told him not to expect much that year, given the inexperience of his team and the challenges presented by the course at Grayhawk Golf Club, but the Hoos exceeded expectations in reaching match play.

The tournament moved to Carlsbad last season, and Virginia again distinguished itself in the 30-team field.

“I think there is a progression in sports for most teams and most people,” Sargent said. “You can say we’ve paid our dues, if you want. We lost to Florida two years ago, the eventual national champions, and then we lose to Auburn [in 2024], and then oddly enough we draw them in the first- and the second-round matches this year.

“I do think we benefited from that, and I think our experience this year at the ACC championship, going through match play and winning some matches and ultimately winning the tournament, all of that helps. It’s just part of maturation, it’s part of the process. Very few teams are able to do it from the jump. I hope it leads us to bigger and better things next year.”

The NCAA Championships are a special event, said Sargent, who added that the average fan may not realize the caliber of golf played in the postseason.

“In that tournament, there will be 30 guys that play on the PGA Tour, and you’re dealing with the best of the best,” Sargent said. “The level of play is just unbelievable, and I wish more people could see it.

“The Scottie Schefflers, the Jordan Spieths, the Tiger Woodses, they all did this, and this generation will be the next Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth.”

To receive Jeff White’s articles by email, click the appropriate box in this link to subscribe.