Both Virginia golf teams are back in action this weekend, with the men heading to Johnson City, Tenn. for the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate and the women traveling south to Chapel Hill, N.C. for the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational. This weekend will mark the third stint of competition for both squads in their respective fall seasons.
The No. 15 men will come in as the tournament favorite at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate, holding the highest ranking of the 15 teams competing. The Cavaliers will look to reclaim a title they won two years ago, when they topped archrival Virginia Tech by a single stroke for first place. Among the competition this weekend will be East Tennessee State, the tournament host, as well as the Hokies and fellow conference rival Louisville.
The men look to continue a strong start to the year, having recorded top-five team finishes in their first two tournaments. This includes finishing tied for first with Vanderbilt at the DICK’S Sporting Goods Challenge Cup in late September, where the Cavaliers ultimately lost to the Commodores in a playoff.
Despite his team’s hot start, coach Bowen Sargent emphasized Virginia’s room for improvement as well as the need for the team to stay grounded in its approach.
“We can always get better,” Sargent said. “We found that out first tourney, having Illinois beat us by 30-some strokes. We are trying to take it one day at a time. Just like golf: one shot at a time.”
Sargent also pointed to this weekend’s tournament as a good chance to build momentum heading into the U.S. Collegiate Championships, one of college golf’s premier events that takes place next weekend in Alpharetta, Ga.
For the 12th-ranked women’s team, the Tar Heel Invitational marks a second-straight tournament against a stacked field. Among the 18 teams competing this weekend, 13 are ranked in the top 50 of the latest Golfweek poll, including seventh-ranked Duke, the tournament’s defending champion. The Cavaliers are coming off a fourth-place finish at the Mason Rudolph Championship in Nashville three weeks ago.
Leading the way for Virginia will be senior Lauren Coughlin, who posted a second-place individual finish at the Mason Rudolph Championship, where she set a new 54-hole program record with an 11-under 205, edging the 10-under 206 shot by former teammate Briana Mao at last year’s ACC Championships.
Coughlin said her performance in Nashville has brought a newfound confidence to her game. She also stressed the need for constant improvement and expressed excitement for this weekend’s competition.
“I just trying to keep getting better every day,” the Chesapeake native said. “It’s definitely a confidence booster that I can contend with some of the better players and teams in country. This is going to be one of the tougher tournaments. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Both squads tee off Friday and wrap up Sunday.
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