The UVA men’s golf team used a strong finish during its back nine Sunday to claim the 28th annual Carpet Capital Collegiate in Dalton, Ga. The Cavaliers shot 8-under 280 during the final round for a 54-hole total of 31-under 833. UVA finished six strokes ahead of Auburn, the tournament’s defending champion.
Virginia’s 54-hole total broke the event’s scoring record by eight shots. Alabama posted the previous low team total with a 23-under 841 in 2006.
Senior All-American Derek Bard (New Hartford, N.Y.) led UVA by tying for second at 10-under 206. Bard shot 3-under 69 during the final round. He opened the tournament with scores of 70 and 67.
Bard played his front nine on Sunday at 1-over par and then posted five birdies and one bogey over his final nine holes.
The back nine is where UVA pulled away from Auburn to earn the win. The five Cavaliers combined to shoot 9-under par on their final nine holes. Three players – Thomas Walsh, Jimmy Stanger and Danny Walker, all made eagle on the par-5, 12th hole.
“It was a great way to start the year winning one of the most elite fields in college golf,” said UVA coach Bowen Sargent. “For our guys to shoot 12 of 15 rounds at par or better and to set the tournament record is so impressive.”
The field for this year’s tournament included six teams ranked in the Golf Coaches Association of America’s preseason top-25 poll. There were more than a dozen players competing who are ranked in the top 100 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
“I am very pleased for all five guys as we played so well from top to bottom,” Sargent said. “I have to congratulate Derek on his great play, and to Thomas and Jimmy, as well. But it was first year Luke Schaap who really stepped up and made the difference for us during the week.”
Walsh (High Point, N.C.) placed sixth at 8-under 208. It was his best collegiate finish and his 54-hole total was a career low. Stanger (Tampa, Fla.) and Schaap (Potomac, Md.) tied for 11th place at 6-under 210. Walker (Bradenton, Fla.) was 42nd at 220. Walsh and Stanger matched Bard’s final round score, shooting 3-under 69. Schaap and Walker both finished the final round with scores of 1-over 73.
The runner-up finish by Bard marked the 15th time he has turned in a top-10 showing during his career. Georgia Tech’s Luke Schniederjans, competing as an individual, took medalist honors at 11-under 205.
The win was the 17th for Sargent during his 13-year tenure at Virginia.
The Cavaliers return to action Sept. 19-20 when they travel to Toledo, Ohio, for the Inverness Intercollegiate.
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