Following a second-place team finish at the Calusa Cup, the Cavaliers held a homecoming tournament this week — the Lewis Chitengwa Memorial at Birdwood Golf Club. Boasting a strong field, including four teams in the top 25 nationwide, the event promised action across three rounds over the span of two days.
For all the success that Virginia found later in the event, the Cavaliers’ first round was relatively inconspicuous. Graduate student Paul Chang and senior Ben James led the way with scores of 66 and 68, respectively, while junior Josh Duangmanee and freshman Michael Lee lingered around par with a 71 and a 72.
A triple bogey at the par-four third kept junior Bryan Lee just out of the running for a spot in the team scores. Sophomore Maxi Puregger proved to be another bright spot in the opening round, compiling a bogey-free front nine and nabbing an eagle on the par-five 15th to place himself in a tie for seventh out of one of Virginia’s three independent spots.
The Cavaliers found themselves in fourth, trailing leaders Florida State by nine strokes heading into the afternoon round.
James wasted no time making a statement in round two, firing a bogey-free, five-under 30 on the front with an eagle on the sixth. Chang found his groove as James began to come back to Earth on the back nine, carding four birdies between holes 12 and 16.
James’ 65 would be the low round of the afternoon, and Chang’s second 66 of the day granted him a place alone atop the individual leaderboard. Lee did well to recover from his first round with a 66 in the afternoon, helping to propel the Cavaliers into pole position with a four-stroke cushion heading into Tuesday’s final round.
Chang continued to wreak havoc from the jump. He recaptured the solo lead on the second after James and Ben Steinemann of SMU had both birdied the same hole the group prior. He proceeded to get up and down after leaving his approach shot short of the green on the fourth hole, then sank a putt for birdie on the par-four fifth, a sweeping dog-leg to the right over water.
A birdie on the eighth and a missed putt for par on the ninth left Chang at a steady two-under on the front. James followed a similar trajectory with a birdie on the second after a brilliant approach, a fairway wood struck to within 10 feet to a back pin location.
A bogey on the fourth seemed enough to strip his momentum, but a long drive and an impressive chip on the sixth hole left him with a manageable birdie putt that he proceeded to convert.
Two birdies on 12 and 13 signified a potential move for the lead, but a mercurial finish to his round left James visibly frustrated, tossing a ball into the water lining the left side of the green after missing a putt for par. James would finish five strokes back of the lead, good for a tie for fourth place individually.
In a repeat of the round prior, Chang once again capitalized on the back nine, getting up and down for birdie on the 10th hole and sticking his ball to three feet on the par-three 11th. A third consecutive birdie at hole 12 positioned him well for a run at the individual title.
Unrelenting was the Mustangs’ David Sides. The pair traded blows, with the SMU senior doing Chang one better with four straight birdies to start the back nine. As the round came to a close, however, both men struggled to find any points of separation. The grudge match would get its just conclusion, co-medalist honors for both players.
For Chang, it is his second straight individual title after winning the Calusa Cup last week. The graduate student, a one-time Virginia club player, has vaulted himself into the ranks of the nation’s best this year and his performance will prove vital to the Cavaliers’ national championship hopes in the coming weeks.
Coach Bowen Sargent and his squad will venture to Shark’s Tooth Golf Club in Panama City, Fla., for the ACC Championships next Thursday. Virginia holds a current nationwide rank of No. 2 with the potential to reach the top spot upon their fifth team victory of the year. The win at Birdwood marks the first time the Cavaliers have reached that win total since the 2015-16 campaign.
The semifinal and final matches will be aired on ACC Network.
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