Men’s Golf: Wake Forest prevails over Cavaliers in ACC match play semifinal

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The No. 16 Virginia men’s golf team advanced to the match play portion of the ACC Championships for the first time after finishing tied for third place in stroke play on Sunday. During their semifinal match with second-seed Wake Forest, the Cavaliers lost 3-0-2

Georgia Tech and Duke faced off in the other semifinal match. The match plays finals take place Monday at the Golf Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst, N.C.

Wake Forest picked up wins when Mark Power defeated George Duangmanee 2&1, Scotty Kennon topped Ben James 5&4 and ACC medalist Michael Brennan beat Deven Patel 6&5. UVA’s Pietro Bovari and WFU’s Boyd Owens were tied after 18 holes. The Cavaliers’ Bryan James and the Deacons’ Andrew McLauchlan were also tied after 18 holes.

Sunday also marked the end of stroke play at the tournament after play was suspended Saturday due to inclement weather. The Yellow Jackets shot 26-under 838 to finish first in stroke play while Wake Forest was second at 10-under 854. UVA and the Blue Devils tied for third at 4-under 860. The Cavaliers shot 4-under 284 during their final round, the second-best score of the day.

Wake Forest’s Brennan claimed medalist honors with a birdie on the third playoff hole to beat Georgia Tech’s Hiroshi Tai. Both players finished stroke play at 9-under 207.

UVA was led by James who tied for third place at 7-under 209. The freshman had a final-round score of 3-under 69. His finished marked the ninth time in 11 tournaments this season he has posted a top-four finish.

Lee, also a freshman, and Duangmanee were UVA’s next two highest finishers. They tied for 23rd position at 2-over 218. Both players posted final round scores of 1-over 73. Bovari had a 69 on Sunday to move up to 34th place at 4-over 220 and Fosdick rounded out the Cavaliers’ scoring at 226.

The ACC Championships also determined the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash point in the all-sports competition between Virginia and Virginia Tech. UVA picked up the point by virtue of Virginia Tech finishing in 12th place. The win also allowed Virginia to clinch the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash for the 2022-23 sporting year. The Cavaliers now lead the standings 11-8 with only two points (men’s and women’s outdoor track and field) to be contested.

UVA will await its site assignment for the NCAA Regionals that take place May 15-17 at six different sites. The selections will be announced by the NCAA on May 3 at 1 p.m. on GOLF Channel.

Regional play will take place May 15-17 at six regional sites, with a total of 450 student-athletes competing. Three regional sites will have 13 teams and 10 individuals and three will have 14 teams and five individuals. The top five teams (30 teams total) and the low individual not on an advancing team (six individuals total) from each regional site will advance to play in the championships at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., taking place May 26-31.

Regional Sites:
Auburn, Alabama – Auburn University Club (Auburn, host)
Salem, South Carolina – The Cliffs at Keowee Falls (Clemson, host)
Bath, Michigan – Eagle Eye Golf Club, (Michigan State, host)
Las Vegas, Nevada – Bear’s Best Las Vegas (UNLV, host)
Norman, Oklahoma – Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club (Oklahoma, host)
Morgan Hill, California – The Institute Golf Club (San Jose State, host)

ACC Match Play Semifinals
Wake Forest defeated Virginia, 3-0-2
Mark Power (WFU) def. George Duangmanee (UVA), 2&1
Scotty Kennon (WFU) def. Ben James (UVA), 5&4
Pietro Bovari (UVA) tied WFU’s Boyd Owens (WFU)
Michael Brennan (WFU) def. Deven Patel (UVA), 6&5
Bryan James (UVA) tied Andrew McLauchlan (WFU)

ACC Championships
Golf Club of North Carolina
Pinehurst, N.C.
Par 72, 7,301 yards
Stroke Play Results

Team Results
1. Georgia Tech — 274-289-275-838
2. Wake Forest — 275-290-289-854
3. Virginia — 281-295-284-860
3. Duke — 282-291-287-860
5. Florida State — 284-288-290-862
6. North Carolina — 290-288-288-866
6. Louisville — 287-290-289-866
8. NC State — 287-295-289-871
9. Clemson — 292-297-287-876
10. Notre Dame — 292-293-292-877
11. Boston College — 300-292-286-878
12. Virginia Tech — 296-298-302-896 

Individual Leaders
1. Michael Brennan, Wake Forest* — 66-69-72-207
1. Hiroshi Tai, Georgia Tech — 67-72-68-207
3. Ben James, Virginia — 68-72-69-209
3. Connor Howe, Georgia Tech — 71-72-66-209
3. Luke Sample, Duke — 70-72-67-209
* Won Playoff 

Virginia Results
3. Ben James — 68-72-69-209
23. Bryan Lee — 70-75-73-218
23. George Duangmanee — 70-75-73-218
34. Pietro Bovari — 73-78-69-220
49. Chris Fosdick — 75-73-78-226