No. 1 UVA Staves off No. 2 Auburn to Win in Vegas

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Top-ranked Virginia won its fourth tournament of the season, edging No. 2 Auburn by one stroke for the team victory at the Southern Highlands Collegiate. The Cavaliers have notched four victories this season, the most since setting the single-season school record of five in 2016-17.

The Cavaliers combined to shoot and even-par, 288 in the final round and finished 15-under for the tournament. No. 1 UVA (-15), No. 2 Auburn (-14), No. 12 Illinois (-4) and No. 4 Texas (-1) were the only four teams to finish the 54-hole competition under par.

Junior Josh Duangmanee shot a bogey-free, 69 (-3) in the final round which was only bested only by Christiaan Maas (Texas), Jackson Koivun (Auburn) and Johnnie Clark (New Mexico) for the lowest rounds of the day. Duangmanee finished alone in second place behind Maas who claimed medalist honors with a 10-under, 206. After an opening round 72 on Sunday, Duangmanee climbed 24 spots on the leaderboard after a second-round 67. 

 

 

 

 

 

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Senior Ben James collected another top five finish thanks to an even-par 72 on Tuesday. He finished tied for fifth with Trey Marrion (Illinois) at 5-under (211). James, the No. 1 ranked player on PGATourU, has finished in the top five in all five starts this season.

Paul Chang entered Tuesday as the 36-hole leader with a one-stroke advantage on Maas but carded a 76 on his final 18 holes. He tied for 11^th, his fourth top 20 finish in five starts this year. Bryan Lee and Maxi Puregger had rounded out the four countable scores with a 74 and 73 respectively. Lee had a team-best four birdies on the day, with three coming in his last six holes.

UP NEXT

Virginia will head south to Ponte Vedra, Fla. for The Hayt hosted by the University of North Florida. The 54-hole event will take place at Sawgrass Country Club with first round action slated Saturday (March 7).

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• Virginia has won four tournaments in season three times - 2016-17 (5); 1994-95 (4); 2025-26 (4)
• The Cavaliers have won 32 tournaments under the direction of Tony Markel Family Men’s Golf Head Coach Bowen Sargent (2005-present).
• The Cavaliers are 2-0-1 against second-ranked Auburn this season. The two teams tied for second place at the Invitational at the Honors Course on Sept. 16. UVA eliminated the Tigers last season in the quarterfinals of match play at NCAA Championships.

 

 

 

 

 

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