Virginia's men's golfers missed their initial attempt at a celebratory water dump onto their coach. The second time, they found their mark, unloading the entire cooler onto his head.
It took them two tries to drench their coach. It took them 72 years to win a conference title.
But for the first time in program history, Virginia men’s golf won the ACC Championship Monday. The Cavaliers defeated North Carolina 3-2 in the match play final, two days after winning the stroke play tournament for the first time ever. It is a monumental breakthrough for a program that has been on the cusp of triumph so many times over the event’s 72-year history.
The victory was especially sweet for Coach Bowen Sargent, who has served in the role for over two decades. He has taken the program to unprecedented success during his career, reaching 17 consecutive postseasons, ascending to the No. 1 national spot at various times and producing three current PGA Tour members.
Despite the relative highs of his tenure, Sargent and the team needed a championship to cement their place as one of the top programs in the nation. The Cavaliers were no stranger to reaching ACC match play, having done so in the two previous seasons. However, both times, they fell to the eventual champions. Now Sargent has finally achieved that goal.
“It was surreal,” Sargent said. “When they handed the trophy to me, I had a little tear in my eye. It’s been 72 years. We’ve never won one. It’s been 21 years since I’ve been here. It’s been a long time.”
This time, the Cavaliers finally broke through after an incredible five-day run. Virginia headed into the championship match following an exhausting battle Sunday with Clemson. During that round, the Cavaliers found themselves on the ropes. Senior Deven Patel, with the team’s championship hopes on the line, fell three holes behind with just four to play. The Tigers would have clinched the victory with a win, simply needing to win one hole or tie two of the final four to advance.
“We were dead,” Sargent said. “We were beat.”
However, Patel disagreed and went on to win the 15th and 16th holes to close the deficit to one. On the 17th, he stood over a 30-foot, right-to-left birdie putt, a putt he would normally look to just hit close and tap in for par. But Sunday was anything but a normal day, and Patel confidently struck the ball and watched it drop into the back of the cup, topped with a resounding fist pump.
The match was all square heading into the 18th. Patel’s opponent, Clemson senior Andrew Swanson, proceeded to hit a wayward tee shot and had to concede. Patel’s comeback was complete, and the Cavaliers' shot at the championship was still alive.
The final victory came thanks to Cavalier junior Bryan Lee, who battled for 21 holes against Clemson junior Lucas Augustsson. After Lee tied the match on 16 with a clutch birdie, the two remained all square throughout the next four holes. On the third playoff hole, Augustsson missed his bogey putt and conceded the hole and match to Lee, clinching Virginia’s trip to the championship.
The final match did not prove to be any easier than the previous one. Virginia and North Carolina played a tight match from start to finish. Three matchups required all 18 holes to decide, including the final pairing between Lee and Tar Heel senior Maxwell Ford.
Senior Paul Chang got the ball rolling, literally and figuratively, for the Cavaliers, claiming the first points of the match against freshman Sihan Sandhu, 2&1. Patel followed with a victory of his own, converting on long putts throughout and never trailing. The score eventually sat at 2-2, with all eyes on Lee and Ford in the deciding match.
Heading into the 14th, Lee sat two holes down and was running out of time. Needing to create an opportunity, he launched a drive for the green on a short par 4. It was a good shot but came up slightly short, leaving him with a chip from just off the fringe. Lee opted for a bump-and-run, and the shot was perfect. He landed it roughly 10 feet onto the green and watched it trickle the rest of the way toward the hole, where it eventually dropped.
That won Lee the hole and gave him all the momentum, and he went on to win the next two holes as well, taking the lead going into the 17th. Ford could not muster the same heroics, and after a missed putt on the 18th, the match was over. Lee had pulled it off, and the Cavaliers were champions.
“These are the things we work on in our program,” Sargent said. “Being tough in tough situations. And it's good to see them come through."
Virginia will aim to carry that resilience into the NCAA Championships, which begin with regionals May 12-14. The Cavaliers lost in the match play quarterfinals last season to eventual champion Auburn. They are looking for another chance at a deep run.
They showed their resilience Monday, first on the course and then in the celebratory shower. They are hoping to do so again in the coming weeks.
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