The weekend did provide one silver lining. The Cavalier faithful will not have to wait long to see James — the Connecticut wunderkind who signed on with Virginia four years ago and thus changed the trajectory of the Cavalier program — play again.
As the ACC and NCAA tournaments draw near, No. 2 Virginia continues to showcase a level of depth, precision and morale that signals a team reaching a new echelon. With consistent lineups and multiple players capable of carding exceptional lows, this team has all the pieces to go the distance.
The end result may not be what the No. 2-ranked team in the nation hoped — and certainly not ideal after a second consecutive sixth-place finish. However, the Cavaliers still have ample time to build off the elite tsunami of a round they displayed Wednesday, especially given their proven dominance all season long.
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.
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 Cavaliers now look ahead to a journey to Las Vegas, Nev. this upcoming weekend for the Southern Highlands Invitational hosted by UNLV — an event packed with top competition and the potential for major ranking implications if the Cavaliers were to turn in an uncharacteristic performance.
It was a stark contrast to last year's showing, where the team's lone highlight was a memorable hole-in-one. This time, Virginia dominated from wire to wire, shattering personal bests and rewriting the record books.
As a program coming off its first ACC title and NCAA runner-up finish, the Cavaliers’ approach to their mid-season break matters.
The East Lake Cup brought four of golf’s powerhouse programs together for a one-day individual stroke play event, followed by two days of team match play.
Virginia dominated the whole way in a large field.
Forgive Dr. Bob Rotella, the renowned sports psychologist, if the phone call has escaped his memory.
"For the first time ever" became the season's refrain.
Virginia made history, and then some more, before falling in the final.
Chang led wire-to-wire.
"We were dead," Sargent said. "We were beat."
