Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate: 19-under final round propels Virginia to a win
Virginia Men's Golf Team (Virginia Athletics Photo)
It was a fine Sunday indeed for the Virginia Cavaliers, as they ended their fall golf season on a high note.
The Cavaliers shot a final round 19-under to come from behind and win the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate at the Golf Club of Georgia in Alpharetta, Ga. Virginia's final-round score was two strokes off the school record of 21-under, set twice in program history.
Virginia's final-round score was two strokes off the school record of 21-under, set twice in program history.
Virginia entered the final round in fourth place and eleven shots behind tournament leader East Tennessee State, which shot 1-over during the final day. The host school Georgia Tech placed second at 19-under.
After leading for the first two rounds of the tournament, ETSU finished in third place at 16-under. Washington finished in fourth place at 15-under, and Duke finished in fifth place at 12-under.
In the individual competition,
Omar Morales of UCLA and
Algot Kleen of ETSU tied for the medalist honors at 11-under. Kleen was the leader in the first two rounds and shot a final round 2-under 70, while Morales shot a final round 3-under 69.
Conor Gough of Charlotte and
Mahanth Chirravuri of Pepperdine finished T3 at 9-under, two shots back of the winners.
Pacing the winners,
Ben James, the 2023 NCAA Freshman of the Year, led Virginia during the final 18 holes by shooting 7-under 65. He finished tied for fifth with a season-best score of 8-under 208.
Mats Ege of ETSU also finished T5.
It marked the 13th top-10 finish during James' career. His round featured eight birdies and a single bogey. He opened the day with three consecutive birdies to get things rolling for the Cavaliers.
Also helping Virginia to the win was
Paul Chang, who matched his career-best score by shooting 5-under 211 to tie for ninth place along with
Bryan Lee.
It was Chang’s best place-finish as a Cavalier since joining the program this fall after playing for the UVA club golf team his first two years on Grounds. Chang shot 1-under 71 on Sunday, while Lee posted a score of 4-under 68.
ABOUT THE Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate
The United States Collegiate Championship,
hosted by Georgia Tech, annually brings 15 of
the nation's top college teams to The Golf Club
of Georgia for a three-day, 54-hole
tournament
that has been called "the Masters of college
golf.” Started in 2006, the USCC offers PGA
Tour-type, championship conditions for the
nation's finest college players, including a
personal caddie for all three rounds. Long
pants
are required and galleries are able to walk in
the
fairways behind the players, similar to the
Walker Cup. The USCC crowns a Team
Champion
and Individual Champion and honors them on
the
perpetual mahogany, gold and crystal USCC
Trophy, which sits in The Golf Club of Georgia
lobby.
View Complete Tournament Information