Just a day after Virginia captured a resounding 15-stroke victory at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate, the Cavaliers voyaged an hour south to take part in an event on hallowed ground at East Lake in Atlanta, home of the PGA Tour’s annual Tour Championship. The East Lake Cup brought four of golf’s perennial powerhouse programs together for a one-day individual stroke play event, followed by two days of team match play.
For the Cavaliers, a squad previously uninitiated with this high-profile event, it was not long before they made their presence felt in an opening day truncated to nine holes by weather. Four of the five Virginia players in the field made birdie on the par-5 first, with a 136-yard approach struck to within five feet on the fifth hole giving freshman Michael Lee a share of the lead.
After two quick-fire birdies, senior Ben James made a bogey on the par-4 fourth that proved to be all the difference, as Lee finished his round bogey-free to capture the individual title at 3-under par. Graduate student Paul Chang came in a tie for fourth place at one-under par, while senior Bryan Lee and junior Josh Duangmanee found themselves in ninth at even par and 15th at one-over, respectively. The overall performance earned Virginia the top seed in the match-play semifinal Tuesday, a matchup against last-place Arizona State.
Lee was infallible on day two, going five-under through his first six holes and six-under overall to head back to the clubhouse early with a 7&6 thrashing of the Sun Devils’ Michael Mjaaseth.
“Michael, getting out there early and making eight birdies in the first group and getting that point, it was unbelievable,” Coach Bowen Sargent said Tuesday. “As a coach, you always want that first guy to get out there and secure a point, and I think it makes it easier for the other four.”
What was a quiet match on the front nine between Duangmanee and Arizona State’s Peer Wernicke closed with chaos. A double bogey on 16 and a bogey on 17 spelled disaster for Duangmanee, as Wernicke made a birdie on the par-five 18th to seal a point for the Sun Devils.
This ended up being the only sign of life the Cavaliers had to contend with, as a strong back-nine finish from senior Bryan Lee salvaged a tie out of what looked to be a comprehensive defeat. A five-under day from Chang and a bogey-free card courtesy of James resulted in 4 & 2 and 4 & 3 wins, respectively, ushering the Cavaliers into the final with a chance to take down the Florida Gators for a statement win in Georgia.
With the final day came rain — and loads of it — tacked on to a bitter cold that resulted in absolutely miserable conditions for the championship clash. Adorned in rain gear with umbrellas looming overhead, the Cavaliers tested their mettle against a formidable Florida squad.
It is often the case in college golf that rousing individual performances come with their fair share of setbacks, and Michael Lee became acquainted with this fact on Wednesday. Matched up against Luke Poulter, son of long-time PGA Tour and Ryder Cup competitor Ian, an early one-up lead quickly dissipated with a string of three birdies in five holes for Poulter. The front nine proved to be an insurmountable point of separation, with Lee unable to recover while Poulter consistently made par down the stretch en route to a 4&3 victory.
An early birdie for Florida’s Matthew Kress meant a near-instantaneous one-down deficit for Duangmanee. Birdies were in his future — five of them, to be exact — as he catapulted to a three-hole lead by the 10th. A streak of three consecutive bogeys made things too close for comfort, but a steadfast one-under passage of play for the last five holes sealed a two-up result.
Chang took advantage of some early miscues from his opponent, Zack Swanwick, to take an early one-up lead. By the eighth hole, the score had inverted, and Chang found himself down but easily within striking distance. Birdies were in short supply for him, however, and he was unable to accumulate enough scoring opportunities to challenge Swanwick as he made the decisive birdie on the 17th for the victory.
The situation began to look dire for Virginia, with stalwart James down four holes through 13 in a must-win match. The paramount player in the PGA Tour U rankings was not going to let the Gators escape easily, though. He won the next four holes on the back of three birdies, with a chip-in on the 17th nearly bringing the match back to all square if it were not for an emphatic response putt from Bell that put him comfortably in the driver’s seat.
Regardless, James had a chance to win the eighteenth hole and extend the match. A strong approach into the final green gave him a makeable birdie putt, with Bell leaving his shot far short of the pin. James proceeded to make the putt and force Bell’s hand, a nervy putt that he slammed home with confidence in a win that secured the victory for the Gators.
For James, it was reminiscent of a clash with Bell just two years ago at the 2023 U.S. Amateur, where Bell eliminated Virginia’s top man on the nineteenth hole to advance to the semifinals. Safe to say, this is turning into a stirring rivalry that any Cavalier golf fan would like to see materialize again in a bid for James to avenge two devastating losses.
A win for Bryan Lee in his match did little to assuage the disappointment, as the Cavaliers went home empty-handed after a week of golf in potentially the worst conditions they will see all year.
For Virginia, it is the last event until the spring season begins Feb. 9, when they will venture to the Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. The Cavaliers enter the winter as the second-best team in the country via the most recent GCAA Coaches’ Poll. Come springtime, the ACC will be theirs to win as they angle for their first title in program history.
Read More
Field hockey’s 2025-26 season was about the journey, not the destination
By Eleanor Buchanan | YesterdayThe good news is that this young squad has the time and tenacity required to learn from this season’s mistakes.
Virginia women’s basketball has a new star, and she leads the way in a 76-50 victory
By Xander Tilock | Yesterday“Really proud of our players,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “I thought that was a great team win.”
Live tracker: The 2025-26 football offseason
By CD Sports Staff | YesterdayThis tracker will follow Virginia’s arrivals and departures.
