Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. saw some excellent weather this past weekend, and Sawgrass Country Club, located less than a mile from the eastern coast of the Sunshine State, saw some solid golf during The Hayt tournament from some of the nation’s top teams, including No. 4 Texas, No. 8 North Carolina, and No. 9 Virginia. The Cavaliers, against tough competition, finished fifth in the tournament and scored even par.
It was a performance atypical for the Cavaliers this season. In their past three tournaments, their best golf came in the final round. Just last week, at the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas, the team scored six-under in the third round after posting scores of nine-over and seven-over in the first two rounds, allowing them to climb from fifth to fourth place. For all Cavaliers, save junior Ben James, their best individual score came in the third round.
This habit of finishing strong has been key to the team’s success this season — there is a reason they are ranked ninth in the country. Virginia will likely be happy with placing fifth out of 15 in Ponte Vedra, but it is worth noting that a weak third round cost the team in the end, dropping it three spots from second place.
Virginia’s first round of the tournament went relatively well. The Cavaliers were tied for third with South Carolina after scoring a two-under 286, and three Cavaliers scored either even or under par. Junior Bryan Lee stood at sixth place after shooting a three-under 69.
The second round represented an improvement, as well as one of the better rounds the team has played all season — a 13-under 273 put the Cavaliers in second place, and James, shooting a six-under 66, joined Lee in the top 10. All Cavaliers save for senior Deven Patel shot under par. Patel still did well for himself, shooting a one-under 73.
Virginia, after two rounds, found itself seven strokes out of first place. No. 18 Alabama, at 22-under, held a formidable, but not insurmountable, lead. In fact, the Crimson Tide ended up slipping in the third round, shooting a rough 16-over 304, meaning the Cavaliers would only have needed to shoot eight-over on the day to win first place at the tournament.
But the Cavaliers’ momentum ended there. They shot a 15-over 303 in the final round, only one stroke better than Alabama’s own disastrous outing. That was the team’s second worst score in a single round this season. The cushion of the first two rounds, though, ensured the Cavaliers still placed fifth in the tournament.
Lee and James were far and away the team’s best performers. Lee was a bright spot on the weekend, rebounding from a brutal season-worst outing in Vegas last week by placing sixth with an admirable four-under 212. He was consistent throughout, shooting a 69 and a 70 in the first two rounds and a team-best 73 in the third. James had a solid if unsteady performance, starting strong with a 72 and a brilliant 66 before ending with a 76. He finished the tournament tied for 11th with a two-under 214.
Senior Paul Chang, similarly to his performance last week, underperformed but had moments of brilliance. He got off to a slow start with a 76 but rebounded with a 69 before ending with a 74. Chang ended the tournament tied for 33rd with a three-over 219.
Sophomore Josh Duangmanee got off to a hot start and seemed poised to rebound from his rough outing last week, shooting a 71 and a 70 in the first two rounds, but he ultimately followed the team’s trend and faltered in the end with a brutal 80. He finished tied for 43rd with a five-over 221, a decent but disappointing score given his strong start. Fellow sophomore Maxi Peregger, who competed independently, shot a 77, a 70 and a 75 to finish with a six-over 222, tied for 49th overall.
Patel had a solid outing last week. Yet he did not repeat that this past weekend, shooting a 74, a 73, and then an 80 to finish tied for 64th with an 11-over 227. Patel’s performance is a microcosm of his team’s struggles — performing solidly round-to-round, while a difficult tightrope to walk, is the key.
Every player on this team puts out at least one decent round per tournament. What is going to make the difference come the NCAA Championships is whether those decent rounds can be turned into dominating ones, or whether a solid performance can be sustained over the course of an entire tournament. The Cavaliers will continue their season on Mar. 24 with a trip to Williamsburg, Va. at the Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate.
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