Coming off a fifth place finish in the General Hackler Championship, the Virginia men’s golf team finished ninth at the Linger Longer Invitational at the Great Waters Golf Course in Eatonton, Ga. The No. 40 Cavaliers carded a 21-over 885.
Virginia’s lineup for the weekend consisted of freshman Deven Patel, sophomore George Duangmanee, junior Pietro Bovari and seniors Jimmie Massie and Sam Jung.
The first round Sunday saw the Cavaliers shoot a 13-over 301 to place in 11th. Three players — Patel, Bovari and Jung — shot 3-over 75, with Duangmanee right behind them at 4-over 76. At the end of the first day of competition, the Cavaliers were 22 shots behind the leaders Vanderbilt, with a tough road ahead for the team to try and place highly.
Things turned around on Monday morning when an 11-shot improvement boosted the team up to ninth place. Bovari led the 2-over 290 performance by shooting a 2-under 70 second round. Both Duangmanee and Patel carded 1-under 71. Following the first two rounds, the Cavaliers posted a total of 15-over 591. Vanderbilt and Georgia led the tournament tied at 20-under 556.
The team returned to the course Tuesday morning and ultimately shot a 6-over 294. Patel led the way for the Cavaliers during the final round by shooting 6-under 66. His previous rounds ended with scores of 3-over 75 and 1-under 71. However, the final round saw him sink six birdies and an eagle to produce the lowest single-round score by a Virginia golfer this season. Patel finished the tournament at 4-under 212, good for a career-best in just his fourth outing as a collegiate player.
Patel finished tied for 13th alongside golfers from Charlotte and ACC-rival Clemson. Bovari came in at 33rd with a three-day total of 3-over 219. Duangmanee was 53rd, Massie was 77th and Jung was 79th. The Cavaliers also had sophomore Chris Fosdick compete as an individual. He finished at 10-over 226 and placed 57th.
Ultimately, No. 7 Georgia took the tournament with a final of 28-under 836. Clemson senior Jacob Bridgeman finished first in the individual competition after shooting 16-under 200. The Invitational housed relatively strong competition, with Virginia facing off against five top-25 opponents, but the challenge will help to prepare it for the rest of the season.
Virginia will travel next to Nashville, Tenn. to compete in the Mason Rudolph Championships April 1 to 3 at Vanderbilt Legends Club.
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