The start of No. 1 Virginia’s spring golf season has been nothing short of spectacular, with the Cavaliers capturing two victories in their first two tournaments since winter’s intermission came to a close.
Returning to the East Coast following a win in Las Vegas, Nev., at the Southern Highlands Collegiate, the Cavaliers journeyed to Ponte Vedra, Fla., this past weekend for The Hayt, a tournament with a field composed of numerous college golf titans. Given the string of performances Virginia has put together across the last year, there was no doubt it belonged amongst the likes of Auburn, North Carolina, Texas Tech, Duke and Alabama.
The Cavaliers showed it during the event’s opening round, firing a 12-under team round to put themselves firmly in second place behind a 14-under effort from LSU. Both senior Ben James and junior Josh Duangmanee — the No. 3 and No. 10 individual players in the country per Scoreboard — shot 67, with James accumulating five birdies in a bogey-free front nine and Duangmanee contributing a highlight eagle on the eighth.
Graduate student Paul Chang and senior Bryan Lee also turned in positive performances, both shooting one under. Freshman Michael Lee and sophomore Maxi Puregger — who played as an individual for the event — weren’t far behind with a 74 and 73, respectively.
Sunday’s round proved an entirely different story for Virginia. By the conclusion of the second day, James was the only Cavalier with an under-par card, shooting a steadfast two-under with four birdies.
Another run-of-the-mill round for Chang saw him post a 73 with a fatal double-bogey on hole 15. The Lee brothers didn’t offer nearly enough in the way of contribution, with Bryan shooting a five-over 77 and Michael carding a 78.
Perhaps the most shocking result came courtesy of Duangmanee, who had been playing like a man possessed in recent months. A seven-over 79 erased all of the progress he made in the first day of play and then some. Puregger was even more sluggish, compiling a nightmare 82 with nine bogeys and a double on the final hole, putting himself well and truly out of contention for a high individual finish.
To the Cavaliers’ credit, they did not go quietly come day three. Duangmanee was resurgent in his final round, shooting a 65 with a five-birdie, bogey-free back nine. It was the best individual score of the tournament across the entire field.
Chang finally broke through with a four-under performance, posting birdies on the final three holes to solidify a top-20 finish. The ever-consistent James entered the clubhouse with another two-under card, enough to put him in a tie for fourth place individually.
Puregger and the Lee brothers continued to struggle, all scoring over par and preventing the Cavaliers from making an even larger jump in the standings. Virginia finished a measly sixth, even after the five-position ascent commanded by Duangmanee and Chang.
As of Tuesday, the Cavaliers still find themselves atop the national rankings as they approach another West Coast event Monday, the Pauma Valley Invitational hosted by Loyola Marymount. Coach Bowen Sargent and his men will look to right the ship as the ACC Championships continue to draw closer and closer.
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