No. 1 Virginia traveled west to compete in the Southern Highlands Collegiate hosted by UNLV in Las Vegas, Nev., Sunday to challenge a swarm of ranked opponents.
The top-ranked Cavaliers established their dominance early in their fourth team win this season, the most since the program record of five in 2016-17. Fueled by an 11-under first round courtesy of graduate student Paul Chang’s 66 — featuring eight birdies to match his career low — Virginia was in prime position heading into the next two rounds on a five-shot lead.
On day two, the Cavaliers added a four-stroke advantage to their lead as Chang continued to pace the individual leaderboard at seven-under par after 36 holes. The junior and No.10-ranked individual Josh Duangmanee was red-hot Monday, jumping 24 ranks on the individual leaderboard after a streak of four birdies on his final seven holes of the round to finish with a 67.
As the Cavaliers were boosted mightily by Chang and Duangmanee filling up two of the top-three individual positions, No. 2 Auburn was edging its way toward the lead. The Tigers were only two strokes behind Virginia after a seven-under par day to contribute to a 13-under par overall score.
The nation’s top two teams were on an island after Monday’s round, as the next lowest score was Washington’s two-under par.
In the third and final round Tuesday, the Cavaliers warded off the Tigers just enough to come out with a win. Virginia finished at 15-under par, shooting an even 288 on the day, while Auburn only improved to 14-under in the final round.
Duangmanee once again led the effort with a crisp, bogey-free round of three-under par. He ended with a second-place finish behind senior Christiaan Maas of Texas. Maas finished with 10-under, only two strokes clear of Duangmanee and three ahead of the sophomore and No. 2-ranked Jackson Koivun of Auburn.
Similar to Monday’s round, Virginia only won by one stroke ahead of Auburn’s 14-under par, but the closest teams behind the Tigers were No. 12 Illinois at four-under par and No. 4 Texas at one-under par. The other 11 teams did not finish below par in the collegiate.
What Virginia lacked in firepower beyond the first round, it made up for in consistency throughout the 54-hole clash. The senior and No. 3-ranked individual, Ben James, finished in the top five, which he has notched in all five of his starts this season. Perhaps most impressively, he did so without relying on a single eye-catching round. James posted his best round Sunday at four-under, followed by two solid rounds Monday and Tuesday, which not only reinforced his own individual standing but also the team’s successful campaign in holding off Auburn.
The senior and No. 12-ranked individual Bryan Lee also carded a team-high with four birdies Tuesday, including three in his final six holes. Chang finished tied for 11th on the individual leaderboard after his hot start simmered, finishing with a three-under par overall. Sophomore Maxi Puregger rounded out the scoring in the final round with a 73 to total Virginia’s 288 for the day.
Competing against a slate of eight ranked opponents at Southern Highlands Golf Club, three of which comprise the top-five programs in the country, No. 1 Virginia did more than justify its ranking — it reinforced its status as a legitimate title contender. The steadiness across Virginia’s lineup, both individually and collectively, along with the sheer propensity to dominate in any given round, leaves the Cavaliers firmly in the driver’s seat as their spring schedule intensifies and tournament stakes rise.
Virginia is in action again next week for another 54-hole contest at Ponte Vedra, Fla., for The Hayt hosted by the University of North Florida. The tournament will be held at Sawgrass Country Club Saturday, March 7.
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