SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The No. 16 Virginia men’s golf team makes its first appearance at the NCAA Golf Championships since 2017 when the 30-team tournament gets underway Friday at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. The Cavaliers will tee off from the 10th tee at 12:25 p.m. MST while paired with Alabama and Texas A&M. Virginia qualified for the NCAAs following a third-place finish at the NCAA Las Vegas Regional.
After three days (May 26-28) of stroke play, the field is reduced to 15 teams and the top nine individuals not on one of those teams for the fourth round (May 29) that will decide the individual champion. The top eight teams from stroke play advance to two days (May 30-32) of match play competition to determine the NCAA Champion.
During the second round, UVA, Alabama and Texas A&M will start at 7:05 a.m. MST from the 1st tee. The third round is repaired based on the team standings. It starts at 6:10 a.m. MST while Monday’s final round of stroke play starts at 10 a.m. MST.
Virginia is one of five ACC teams to advance to the NCAA Championships. Also qualifying were Duke, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Florida State.
The Virginia Lineup
Name Year Hometown Stroke Avg.
Pietro Bovari Sr. Milano, Italy 71.60
George Duangmanee Jr. Fairfax, Va. 72.56
Ben James Fr. Milford, Conn. 69.00
Jaron Leasure Jr. Nashville, Tenn. 72.44
Bryan Lee Fr. Fairfax, Va. 72.00
Deven Patel So. Johns Creek, Ga. 72.40
In the Rankings Golfstat Golfweek
Virginia 16th 17th
Ben James 7th 4th
Pietro Bovari 153rd 156th
Regional Recap
Virginia was third at the Las Vegas Regional site shooting 49-under 815 at Bear’s Best Las Vegas. That was the best regional score in program history. The Cavaliers’ finish was also a program best. Freshman Ben James shared co-medalist honors at 20-under 196. It was his fifth first-place finish of the season. His score matched the school record he set in his collegiate debut at the Streamsong Invitational. James shot 65 in the first (along with fellow first-year Bryan Lee) and third rounds to set UVA 18-hole scoring marks for a regional. Deven Patel posted his best collegiate tourney score, shooting 11-under 205 to place 14th. Bryan Lee…
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