In any sport, the ability to respond positively to failure often serves as the litmus test for determining a team or individual’s level of success in crucial moments. Attitude is of the utmost importance, as one can either throw in the towel after suffering a frustrating setback or turn the disappointment into fuel that will spawn improvement. Right now, for the Virginia men’s golf team, the latter option is the only option.
Both this season and last season, Cavalier golfers have consistently displayed an uncanny knack for bouncing back from disappointment. Last season, after a mediocre seventh-place finish at the River Landing Intercollegiate and an underwhelming ninth-place finish at the ACC Championships, Virginia recovered to win its second consecutive Cavalier Classic. Then, two weeks later, the squad pulled off a stunning final-day rally to place 10th in the competitive 33-team East Regional Tournament. The strong finish gave the team the final berth in the NCAA Tournament, in which it finished 26th as the only unranked team in the field. It was the team’s first NCAA Tournament appearance with coach Bowen Sargent, now in his fifth season at Virginia.
In last week’s River Landing Intercollegiate, the No. 42 Cavaliers struggled during the first two rounds of play, compiling an 18-over total to tie for ninth place heading into the final round. Although they could not jump to the top of the leaderboard, they still put together an impressive final-round effort, posting four scores of 1-under 71 for the fourth best final round score of the tournament’s 15 teams and walk away with an eighth-place finish. With the ACC Championships this weekend, Saturday’s solid final round might be what Virginia needed to kickstart a successful postseason.
“I realized the importance of it heading into ACCs,” Sargent said. “I didn’t think we needed to be second-guessing ourselves and wondering where we were as a team. I didn’t think mentally we could have afforded a poor round. It was nice to see them bounce back and respond to what was definitely the worst round of golf we’ve played this semester.”
The ACC Championships will be held Friday through Sunday at the Old North State Club in New London, N.C., the site of the previous seven conference tournaments. Virginia, which has never won a conference title, finished ninth last year with an 868 total, 30 shots behind first-place Florida State. Seven teams enter the tournament ranked in the top 50, headed by No. 3 Clemson. The Cavaliers have finished ahead of every team except No. 10 Georgia Tech — which it has not faced — at least once in tournaments this spring, senior Conrad Von Borsig said.
“It’s obviously a tough conference,” Sargent said. “Going into it, regardless of what team you are, it’s hard to be overly confident heading into that thing in terms of just thinking about winning it, just because it is such a tough conference. But I know if our guys play the way they’re capable of playing, we will give ourselves a chance to win the tournament.”
Virginia’s weekend lineup will feature sophomore Will Collins, junior Kyle Stough, Von Borsig, and freshmen Bruce Woodall and Ben Kohles. Collins, who has racked up three top-five finishes in his last five outings, leads the team with a 72.62 stroke average this season. He was Virginia’s top finisher at last year’s ACC Championships, coming in 26th place with a 1-over 217 total. Heading into this year’s tournament, Collins — like the rest of his teammates — is not content to shoot for anything less than a victory.
“I don’t think anybody really goes anywhere in any competitive sport without expecting to win,” Collins said. “So that’s the mindset you have to have. All you can do is go out there, play hard, count ‘em up when you’re done and see what happens.”
Collins is not the only Cavalier hitting his stride this season. No player better embodies his team’s gritty character than Von Borsig, the team’s lone senior, who has demonstrated a great deal of resilience in bouncing back from a forgettable fall season. After playing in only one tournament in the fall, this spring he has put together four top-20 finishes, including two in the top 10. He also has shot three rounds with scores in the 60s.
“Since I’m graduating, I’ve had a real sense of urgency,” Von Borsig said. “When the semester started I really wanted to go out on a high note. I think I just kind of lost my focus last semester and wasn’t working as hard as I normally do. So when I got back to school in January, I tried to make my number one priority golf, and it worked really well. Hopefully it will all come together at ACCs.”
Von Borsig will not be the team’s only player going into the tournament with plenty of experience at Old North State Club. Woodall and Kohles, both from North Carolina, have competed in several tournaments at the course. Woodall enters the tournament playing particularly well after leading the team in scoring at last week’s River Landing Intercollegiate. He also finished in seventh place at the Rehoboth Beach Spring Invitational earlier in the week.
With experience and a strong collective mindset, Virginia might be poised to respond to adversity with a breakout performance.
“I think the team has improved dramatically,” Sargent said. “We had a very young team last year, and this team right now is much better than the team we had last year. We continue to improve each and every year I’ve been here, and I don’t plan on retreating.”
Read More
Lacrosse defenseman Cole Kastner announces transfer to Stanford basketball
By Michael Liebermann | 19 hours agoKastner is reviving a hoops career that has lain dormant since he graduated high school.
Virginia gets second Notre Dame rematch in a dynamic ACC Tournament bout Friday
By Michael Liebermann | YesterdayThe Cavaliers will get a shot at redemption against a vaunted ACC foe, in a game with serious postseason seeding implications.
Mel Josephson and women’s lacrosse prepare to take center stage
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoJosephson's ability to perform throughout a game's biggest moments is crucial for the Cavaliers.
