CARLSBAD, Calif. – The ninth-ranked Virginia men’s golf team is the co-leader at the NCAA Championships after Friday’s opening round of play. The Cavaliers and Arizona both shot 2-over 290 at the Omni La Costa Resort’s North Course to share the top spot on the leaderboard.
Senior George Duangmanee (Fairfax, Va.) led UVA with a score of 1-under 71. Starting on the 10th tee, he posted 15 pars while picking up birdies on holes 18 and one. His suffered one bogey on the 16th hole. Duangmanee, one of just 12 players to shoot under par, finished the round tied for eighth place.
“Playing out of the fairway was a big part of it, being able to put some spin on it with the firm greens,” Duangmanee said. “It also made the difference today just trying to hit the fairways. Also being able to judge the bounces into the greens, like when you are going down wind.”
Duangmanee’s younger brother Josh, a freshman, shot even par 72 and finished the round in 13th place. His round featured five birdies and five bogeys. Cavalier All-American Ben James shot 1-over 73 to stand in 25th place. His score included a one-stroke penalty due to a pace of play penalty. Deven Patel posted UVA’s final counting score, shooting 2-over 74 and is in 41st place. Bryan Lee’s shot 75 and is in 63rd position.
“Obviously they played well,” said Virginia head coach Bowen Sargent of his team. “We talked about it last night and this morning. The start that we had, (holes) 12-16 were some of the hardest holes on the course. We knew we were going to struggle and get some back on the backside. We got to 6-over early and then fought back and played awesome on the front nine. It should be softer tomorrow as in the mornings here, the wind doesn’t blow as much.
“We’ll need to put the ball in the fairway, get it around the hole and take the chances when you get them. The par fives are critical and on the short holes, you have to play well. Everyone talks about it being a second shot golf course, but if you are not in the fairway, it’s hard to attack on the second shot. We have a great driving team, and as long as we continue to do that we will be in a great position.”
UVA will play its second round Saturday morning starting at 7:35 a.m. from the first tee. Following Sunday’s third round, the field will be cut to 15 teams for the final round of stroke play. The top eight teams from stroke play advance to the match play portion of the championships. Last season…
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