All it takes is one round. One round of precise, explosive golf can provide the momentum needed to survive and advance. The Cavaliers were not going to beat No. 18 Stanford after the first 18 holes. But they didn’t have to.
No. 2 Virginia has suffered its fair share of first-round droughts throughout the season, but rarely have the Cavaliers let those struggles define how they finish. By the first 18 holes of the 54-hole stroke play portion of the ACC Championship set in Panama City, Fla., Virginia was tied for eighth place, carding three over par. Only the top eight teams advance to match play.
Granted, it was only the first round, and the Cavaliers reminded everyone of just that on day two. Virginia shot a 10 under par — a complete 180 from the team-wide struggles Thursday.
The Cavaliers advanced six positions on the leaderboard, powered by No. 26-ranked individual and senior Bryan Lee’s turnaround in particular. Lee recorded a rare misfire in the first 18, carding a five over par Thursday. However, the veteran who earned top-10 finishes in all of Virginia’s fall tournaments jumped 36 spots on the individual leaderboard Friday with a bogey-free four-under performance of 68.
After a high-powered effort Friday, Virginia plateaued on the final 18 holes of stroke play Saturday. The Cavaliers repeated their first-round finish of third over par to finish four under par overall. Throughout the final round, though, most top-ranking teams after Friday were unable to convert, besides Duke squeezing into the top eight and No. 21 Georgia Tech jumping three positions to tie for third place.
To inch past the Yellow Jackets and No. 9 North Carolina by two strokes, Virginia withheld its second-place spot for match play. Ultimately, the Cavaliers did most of their team scoring in bulk to fend off their competitors just enough and control their own destiny for the remainder of the tournament. The 54-hole stretch wasn’t always pretty, but Virginia stayed within striking distance and secured a spot in the top eight with relative ease.
The Cavaliers’ most consistent contributor lived up to his title throughout stroke play. No. 2-ranked senior Ben James tied for fifth individually at Shark’s Tooth Golf Course, recording six under par with a 70, 68 and 72 for each round, respectively. This scorecard was James’ third ACC Tournament top-five finish in the four conference championships he has competed in.
Besides James, No. 8-ranked individual and graduate student Paul Chang finished even overall to tie for 20th to add his ninth top-20 finish of the season. Freshman Michael Lee tied for 22nd after finishing his final two rounds even at par, ending two over par overall. Despite Bryan Lee struggling in the first and third rounds of stroke play, he rode his second round high to finish three over par and tie for 30th. Junior Josh Duangmanee rounded out the Cavaliers’ lineup, contributing a six over par overall.
Stanford won ACC stroke play handily. After digging a 10-stroke lead thanks to firing a ridiculous 13-under-par opening round, the Cardinal continued playing its one-man game all alone. To make matters worse for every other team, Stanford followed up the 13 under par with a 10-under-par round Friday. The Cardinal finished at 20 under par with a 16-stroke lead and will receive the No. 1 seed for match play.
Three players took home individual medalist honors in stroke play, tying for eight under par. Stanford’s Edan Cui, Duke’s Ethan Evans and California’s Ziqin Zhou shared the win.
The ACC Tournament will roar on for two more days as the remaining teams go head-to-head in match play. Virginia earned the No. 2 seed and will face No. 7 seed Louisville in the quarterfinals Sunday, April 26, at 9:20 a.m. The winner will advance and play either No. 3 seed Clemson or No. 6 seed North Carolina in the semifinal later on Sunday at approximately 2:30 p.m.
The final round of match play — where the ACC champion is determined — is set for Monday, April 27, at 10 a.m. The semifinal and final rounds will be broadcast on ACCNX.
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