Monday, November 7, 2016

Stanford sends 6 players to compete at Silverado in the Gifford Championship

Teams and Stanford Players --- Click to enlarge

Stanford sends six players to compete in The Gifford hosted by UCLA and played at Silverado Resort's North Course in the Napa Valley, which hosted October's PGA TOUR Safeway Open.  A unique format combining stroke and match play will be used this year.

Stanford's team includes Maverick McNealy, Viraat Badhwar, Brandon Wu, Franklin Huang, Jeff Swegle and Isaiah Salinda.

The Gifford Collegiate, which in the past had featured 54 holes of stroke play, will be played under a new format this year. The eight-team field will play 36 holes of stroke play on Monday to seed into Tuesday and Wednesday's match play. Tuesday will feature the match play quarterfinals in the morning and the match play semifinals/consolation in the afternoon, followed by the Wednesday championship and consolation bracket matches. Each team will play three match-play contests.

Stroke Play Results:

The two rounds of stroke play ended with Stanford finishing 2nd to USC, 17 strokes behind in the 6 team field.  Stanford was led by Maverick McNealy's (67-69 136 3rd) 3rd place result followed by Franklin Huang (69-68 137 T4) tying for 4th, Brandon Wu (69-69 138 T6) tied for 6th, Viraat Badhwar (74-69 143 T18) tying for 18th, Isaiah Salinda (74-71 145 T25) and Jeff Swegle (77-71 148 T33) tying for 33rd.  

See the top three team and individual scoring results below --- click on image to enlarge.



Match Play Results:
Match 1 - Stanford was paired with the 7th seed South Florida in the first round of match play with the Cardinal winning a close math 3-2-1.  The individual match results are show below - click to enlarge.

Match 2 - Stanford went up against 6th seeded Washington and won 3-2-1 in the second round of match play.  Swegle and Salinda each won 6 & 5, Wu won 4 & 3, Badhwar won his final hole to tie his match and McNealy lost his final 3 holes to lose 1 down.  Full results of match 2 are shown below - click to enlarge.

Final Match - Stanford and USC battled to a tie in the finals with each team winning 2, tying 2 and losing 2 matches.  A tie breaker based on the holes won in each match of the finals was won by USC  with 7 versus Stanford with 6.  Badhwar and McNealy won, Swegle and Huang tied and Salinda and Wu lost.  Full results of the finals are shown below - click to enlarge.


Friday, October 21, 2016

Cardinal compete in the US Collegiate in Georgia against a top field

The field - click to enlarge


Stanford sends Maverick McNealy, Franklin Huang, Brandon Wu, Isaiah Salinda and Viraat Badhwar to compete against a top national field in the US Collegiate played at the Golf Club of Georgia outside Atlanta.  The event is hosted by Georgia Tech.

Salinda and Badhwar will be in their first event of the new season after sitting out the first tournament played at famed Colonial CC where the Cardinal tied for 6th and McNealy won individually for his record-tying 11th career collegiate win.

The strong field of 17 teams is shown above includes 6 of the nation's top 10 teams, Oklahoma State (2), Auburn (3), LSU (6), Virginia (7), Oklahoma (8) and Wake Forest (9).  Stanford comes in ranked 13th.

Final Results:
Temperature at the start of round 3 was 43 degrees, winds light (3mph). Forecast is for clear skies all day, high temperature 72 degrees around 4pm.

The Cardinal made a charge up the leaderboard with a final round 10-under 278 to finish tied for 3rd, only 1 stroke behind Texas and Virginia.  The team's 278 final round was second best of the tournament, only behind a 277 finishing round by Texas.


Final team results shown below - click to enlarge.




Stanford individual three round scoring below - click to enlarge.

Stanford's day included three rounds in the 60s led by Viraat Badhwar's excellent 68 featuring 4 birdies and no bogies, while Brandon Wu's 69 was also bogey free and Maverick McNealy also had a 69.  Franklin Huang finished with an even par 72 and Isiah Salinda had a 77.  

Wu (73-68-69 210 T4) finished tied for 4th, Bahwar (75-70-68 213) tied for 12th, Huang (70-74-72 216) tied for 19th, McNealy (75-74-69 218) tied for 29th and Salinda (80-77-77 234) tied for 82nd.


Round 3 scorecards are shown below - click to enlarge.



Round 2 Results:
Round 2 began in temperatures around 50 degrees and winds averaging 10 mph, gusting to 17. Forecast high today is 63 degrees with bright sunshine all day.

Stanford remained tied for 7th after round two but the scoring gap has narrowed to 5 shots behind leading Oklahoma in a tightly bunched field.

Sophomore Brandon Wu's fine 4-under 68 (73-68 141 T7) led the way on the day, followed by Viraat Badhwar's 70 (75-70 145 T18) while 74s were posted by Franklin Huang (70-74 144 T16) and Maverick McNealy (75-74 149 T52).  Isaiah Salinda's 77 (80-77 157 T77) completed the team scoring.

Below is the top 10 team leaderboard and Stanford scorecards - click on image to enlarge.


Round 1 Results:
Round 1 began with temperatures in the upper 50s and winds from the NW at 13 mph, gusting to 22. Forecast high is 65 degrees today, sunny all day.

Stanford tied for 7th after the first round a 5 over par 293.  Top team and Stanford scoring is shown below as Franklin Huang led Stanford with a fine 2-under par 70 putting him in a tie for 6th, Brandon Wu had 73, Maverick McNealy and Viraat Badhwar shot 75 and Isaiah Salinda an 80 to leave Stanford 10 strokes behind leading Oklahoma.  

The course was challenging as the low round was a single 67 turned in by Jimmy Stanger of Virginia.  


Round 1 scoring - click to enlarge


Cardinal compete in the US Collegiate in Georgia against a top field

The field - click to enlarge


Stanford sends Maverick McNealy, Franklin Huang, Brandon Wu, Isaiah Salinda and Viraat Badhwar to compete against a top national field in the US Collegiate played at the Golf Club of Georgia outside Atlanta.  The event is hosted by Georgia Tech.

Salinda and Badhwar will be in their first event of the new season after sitting out the first tournament played at famed Colonial CC where the Cardinal tied for 6th and McNealy won individually for his record-tying 11th career collegiate win.

The strong field of 17 teams is shown above includes 6 of the nation's top 10 teams, Oklahoma State (2), Auburn (3), LSU (6), Virginia (7), Oklahoma (8) and Wake Forest (9).  Stanford comes in ranked 13th.

Final Results:
Temperature at the start of round 3 was 43 degrees, winds light (3mph). Forecast is for clear skies all day, high temperature 72 degrees around 4pm.

The Cardinal made a charge up the leaderboard with a final round 10-under 278 to finish tied for 3rd, only 1 stroke behind Texas and Virginia.  The team's 278 final round was second best of the tournament, only behind a 277 finishing round by Texas.


Final team results shown below - click to enlarge.



Stanford individual three round scoring below - click to enlarge.

Stanford's day included three rounds in the 60s led by Viraat Badhwar's excellent 68 featuring 4 birdies and no bogies, while Brandon Wu's 69 was also bogey free and Maverick McNealy also had a 69.  Franklin Huang finished with an even par 72 and Isiah Salinda had a 77.  

Wu (73-68-69 210 T4) finished tied for 4th, Bahwar (75-70-68 213) tied for 12th, Huang (70-74-72 216) tied for 19th, McNealy (75-74-69 218) tied for 29th and Salinda (80-77-77 234) tied for 82nd.


Round 3 scorecards are shown below - click to enlarge.



Round 2 Results:
Round 2 began in temperatures around 50 degrees and winds averaging 10 mph, gusting to 17. Forecast high today is 63 degrees with bright sunshine all day.

Stanford remained tied for 7th after round two but the scoring gap has narrowed to 5 shots behind leading Oklahoma in a tightly bunched field.

Sophomore Brandon Wu's fine 4-under 68 (73-68 141 T7) led the way on the day, followed by Viraat Badhwar's 70 (75-70 145 T18) while 74s were posted by Franklin Huang (70-74 144 T16) and Maverick McNealy (75-74 149 T52).  Isaiah Salinda's 77 (80-77 157 T77) completed the team scoring.

Below is the top 10 team leaderboard and Stanford scorecards - click on image to enlarge.


Round 1 Results:
Round 1 began with temperatures in the upper 50s and winds from the NW at 13 mph, gusting to 22. Forecast high is 65 degrees today, sunny all day.

Stanford tied for 7th after the first round a 5 over par 293.  Top team and Stanford scoring is shown below as Franklin Huang led Stanford with a fine 2-under par 70 putting him in a tie for 6th, Brandon Wu had 73, Maverick McNealy and Viraat Badhwar shot 75 and Isaiah Salinda an 80 to leave Stanford 10 strokes behind leading Oklahoma.  

The course was challenging as the low round was a single 67 turned in by Jimmy Stanger of Virginia.  


Round 1 scoring - click to enlarge


Cardinal compete in the US Collegiate in Georgia against a top field

The field - click to enlarge


Stanford sends Maverick McNealy, Franklin Huang, Brandon Wu, Isaiah Salinda and Viraat Badhwar to compete against a top national field in the US Collegiate played at the Golf Club of Georgia outside Atlanta.  The event is hosted by Georgia Tech.

Salinda and Badhwar will be in their first event of the new season after sitting out the first tournament played at famed Colonial CC where the Cardinal tied for 6th and McNealy won individually for his record-tying 11th career collegiate win.

The strong field of 17 teams is shown above includes 6 of the nation's top 10 teams, Oklahoma State (2), Auburn (3), LSU (6), Virginia (7), Oklahoma (8) and Wake Forest (9).  Stanford comes in ranked 13th.

Round 1 Results:
Round 1 began with temperatures in the upper 50s and winds from the NW at 13 mph, gusting to 22. Forecast high is 65 degrees today, sunny all day.

Round 1 scoring is shown below as Franklin Huang led Stanford with a fine 2-under par 70 putting in a tie for 6th, Brandon Wu had 73, Maverick McNealy and Viraat Badhwar shot 75 and Isaiah Salinda an 80 to leave Stanford 10 strokes behind leading Oklahoma.  

The course was challenging as the low round was a single 67 turned in by Jimmy Stanger of Virginia.  


Round 1 scoring - click to enlarge


Cardinal compete in the US Collegiate in Georgia against a top field

The field - click to enlarge


Stanford sends Maverick McNealy, Franklin Huang, Brandon Wu, Isaiah Salinda and Viraat Badhwar to compete against a top national field in the US Collegiate played at the Golf Club of Georgia outside Atlanta.  Salinda and Badhwar will be in their first event of the new season after sitting out the first tournament played at famed Colonial CC where the Cardinal tied for 6th and McNealy won individually for his record-tying 11th career collegiate win.  The strong field of 17 teams is shown above.

Round 1 Results:
Round 1 began with temperatures in the upper 50s and winds from the NW at 13 mph, gusting to 22. Forecast high is 65 degrees today, sunny all day.

Round 1 scoring is shown below as Huang led Stanford with a 2-under par 70, Wu had 73, McNealy and Badhwar 75 and Salinda an 80 to leave Stanford 10 strokes behind leading Oklahoma.  

Round 1 scoring - click to enlarge


Thursday, September 29, 2016

2016-17 Season Opener at famed Colonial CC vs an elite field

Sanford's lineup and 15 team field



The 2016-17 season opener, the Nike Golf Collegiate Invitational is an instant classic being held at the famed par 70 Colonial Country Club, known as Hogan's Alley, including an elite field of 15 teams.  Leading the way for Stanford is the world's  top ranked amateur, Maverick McNealy, who starts his senior season after two consecutive All-American campaigns.  McNealy is joined by juniors Franklin Huang and Bradley Knox, sophomore Brandon Wu and freshman Henry Shimp.

Final Results:
It was an historic final round at famed Colonial CC for Maverick McNealy as he won his school record tying 11th college tournament on rounds of 68-66-68 202, beating the field by 2 shots with his 8-under par total.  His win ties Maverick with Tiger Woods and Patrick Rodgers for the most ever career wins by a Stanford men's golfer.  


Maverick's three scorecards are included below - click on image to enlarge.


Stanford finished tied for 6th with USC, 21 strokes behind Vanderbilt and one behind Oregon.  Franklin Huang tied for 28th on rounds of 70-72-74 216, Brandon Wu tied for 30th with his 72-74-71 217, Bradley Knox tied for 57th with 75-75-79 229 and Henry Shimp finished 73rd on rounds of 80-75-78 233.  


Click below to view the final team standings and round 3 scorecards for Stanford.


GoStanford.com wrote the following recap:
FORT WORTH, Texas – Maverick McNealy earned his 11th career victory Tuesday, matching the Stanford record shared by PGA Tour professionals Tiger Woods and Patrick Rodgers.

In his 2016-17 season debut at the Nike Collegiate Invitational, McNealy (68-66-68) was the only player with three consecutive rounds under par at Colonial Country Club, two shots better than Oregon’s Wyndham Clark. He helped the Cardinal tie for sixth with USC among the 15-team field.

“The Nike Collegiate Invitational was a great way to open the season,” said Conrad Ray, Stanford’s Knowles Family Director of Men’s Golf. “The guys learned a lot about their games on a championship track.

“Hats off to Maverick on his 11th individual win, which puts him up there with the all-time greats. Hopefully, there are more wins to come.”

McNealy, the world’s top-ranked amateur, earned the victory against a stacked field. Three of the teams who reached the semifinals of the 2016 NCAA Championships competed in the event, including defending national champion Oregon and runner-up Texas.

McNealy used 14 birdies against six bogeys for his 8-under 202. He was 2-under through 18 holes, and then went 4-under through his next 13, en route to posting a second-round 66. That score lifted him eight spots to share the individual lead heading into the final circuit.

In his final round, McNealy birdied four holes on the front nine while bogeying a pair. He finished with nine straight pars.

Stanford (+20) went 285-280-294 through 54 holes on the par-70 layout. Franklin Huang (70-72-74) tied for 28th, Brandon Wu (70-72-74) tied for 30th, Bradley Knox (75-72-79) tied for 57th and Henry Shimp (80-75-78) was 73rd in his collegiate debut.

The Cardinal resumes the fall portion of its season Oct. 21-23 at the United States Collegiate Championship in Alpharetta, Georgia. 


Round 2 Results:
Stanford posted a 4-over 284 total in round 2 and remained in 7th position, 18 strokes behind  Vanderbilt, on rounds of 285-284 569.  Vanderbilt at 9-under par 551 and Florida at 8-under 552 have separated themselves from the field, as third place Georgia is 3-over par at 563. 

Once again Maverick McNealy led the way with a tournament tying low round of 66 (68-66 134 T1) to tie for first individually at 6-under par.  Franklin Huang shot a 72 (70-72-142 T25), Brandon Wu shot a 74 (72-74 146 T44), Bradley Knox a 75 (75-75 150 T47) as did Henry Shimp (80-75 155 72nd).

Round 2 Team & Stanford scorecards can be found below.

Round 1 Results:
Stanford finished tied for 7th after the first round at 5 over par, 12 strokes behind the leader Oklahoma.  The Cardinal was led by Maverick McNealy's 2-under 68 that left him tied for 9th individually, 2 strokes behind the lead, in a round that included 5 birdies and 3 bogeys.  Franklin Huang followed with a 70, Brandon Wu with a 72, Bradley Knox with a 75 and Henry Shimp with an 80.


Team and Stanford scorecards can be found below - click to enlarge.

Round 2 scorecards and team scores
Round 1 scoring - click to enlarge

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Stanford enters the NCAA Championship at the #1 seed

30 teams compete for national title - click to enlarge

Stanford enters the national championship at Eugene, Oregon, as the #1 overall seed after winning its last three tournaments at the Western Intercollegiate, the Pac-12 Championship and the NCAA Tucson Regional.  Junior Maverick McNealy, 2nd ranked amateur and a 1st team All-American, is joined by senior team captain David Boote, sophomores Franklin Huang and Jeffrey Swegle and freshman Brandon Wu.

A total of 30 teams will play 3 rounds of stroke play to determine the top 15 teams who play a 4th round to set the field of 8 teams entering match play.  Match play will be conducted over two days to determine the national champion.

Round 3/Final Results (by gostanford.com):
The Stanford men’s golf team saw its season come to a close Sunday as it wrapped up the NCAA Championships in 28th place.

Stanford (292-294-298) was 18-over on the day and 44-over through 54 holes at the par-70 Eugene Country Club.

“It’s a team game, and we weren’t firing on all cylinders,” said Conrad Ray, Stanford’s Knowles Family Director of Men’s Golf. “We’ll have to go back and see why that was, and hopefully it will make us better in the future. It’s disappointing, considering that our guys are motivated to win and motivated to have high expectations.

“I’m proud of our team. We put in a lot of hard work and preparation throughout the season. Sometimes it’s the way the game goes. Sometimes you do all you can do and it doesn’t go your way. It’s not losing, it’s learning.”


The 2015-16 campaign for the Cardinal featured three team wins, including a third straight Pac-12 Conference title.

Ending his Stanford career was senior David Boote, who led the squad with a 50th-place showing at 6-over. Boote (69-73-74) closed his final back nine at 1-over.

Franklin Huang (75-75-72, +12), Maverick McNealy (76-71-76, +13), Brandon Wu (73-75-76, +14) and Jeffrey Swegle (75-76-76, +19) each finished outside of the top 100.

McNealy matched Boote’s 1-over back nine while Wu was even on the final half. Huang’s 1-under on the front was four shots better than the next Cardinal in line.

Fifteen teams remain in contention after the third round of stroke play. Led by Vanderbilt, the 15 teams to advance to the fourth and final round of stroke play include Texas, Southern California, LSU, host Oregon, Arkansas, Arizona State, California, Oklahoma State, Illinois, Kentucky, South Carolina, Florida, Louisville and Oklahoma.

The Commodores remain atop the leaderboard after shooting a 2-over 282 to sit at 5-over after three rounds. Matthias Schwab carded a 3-under 67 to lead Vanderbilt, while Carson Jacobs shot an even-par 70.

Sitting atop the individual leaderboard is Oregon’s Aaron Wise, as the sophomore posted the lowest round of the tournament so far, firing a 6-under 64.

Drama ensued near the end of Sunday’s round as a five-way tie for 14th came down to the wire. TCU, which had been above the cut line going into the final hole, fell out and needed a birdie from Paul Barjon on the 18th to jump Oklahoma and remain in the field. However, Barjon was only able to make par.

-- #GoStanford --


Round 2 Results:
The Cardinal struggled once again with a 14 over par 294 team total and is tied for 26th out of 30 teams, 11 stokes off the cut line to the top 15 teams after round 3 and 23 shots behind the leading Vanderbilt team.  It will likely take a below par (sub-280 total) third round to make the cut, something only one team (Oregon with a 277 total) has accomplished thus far.  The four other Pac-12 teams competing are faring well in 2nd (USC), 4th (host Oregon) and two tied for 9th (ASU & Cal).

Round 2 was a struggle to make birdies as the 5-man team managed only a total of 6 birdies and one eagle against 3 double bogeys and 22 bogeys.  David Boote is tied for 33rd on rounds of 69-73 142, Maverick McNealy is tied for 98th after rounds of 76-71 147, Brandon Wu is tied for 109th with his 73-75 148 total, Franklin Huang is tied for 128th with 75-75 150 and Jeffrey Swegle is tied for 131st with 75-76-151.

The team leaderboard and Stanford scoring is shown below:
Round 2 standings and Stanford scorecards - click to enlarge
Round 1 Results:
Stanford struggled to a 12-over par 292 team total and is tied for 24th ten strokes behind the leaders after round 1.  Only David Boote managed to shoot a good round of 1-under 69 (T7) despite starting 3 over on his first nine, only to recover with 4 birdies on his last six holes.  The other five players finished no higher than tied for 72nd showing how unusual a day this was for the top ranked Cardinal.

“I didn’t hit the ball great on the front nine,” Boote said. “On the back nine, my putter got hot, which was the main reason for the good finish to the round.”

Brandon Wu shot a 73 (T72), Franklin Huang, with no birdies, shot a a 75 (T103) as did Jeffrey Swegle despite 4 birdies that were offset by two double bogeys and five birdies.  Maverick McNealy struggled to a opening nine of 6-over 40 including two double bogeys and came home with an even par 2nd nine for a 76 total (T126).

Comments from Golf Week's coverage:




Stanford’s Maverick McNealy with volunteer assistant Matt Wilson during the NCAA Championship at Eugene Country Club. - (Golfweek/Tracy Wilcox)
Stanford’s Maverick McNealy with volunteer assistant Matt Wilson during the NCAA Championship at Eugene Country Club. - (Golfweek/Tracy Wilcox)

“It felt like the longest putt I made today was 4 feet,” said McNealy, who has been battling a little cold this week. “I struggled to see the line, hit a lot of good putts that just didn’t go in. It was really just one of those days where – I hate to complain – I couldn’t catch a break.”
McNealy called his round one of the best driving rounds of the season, but it just wasn’t his day – good drives found divots, approaches just caught ridges and rolled back down away from holes and several putts lipped out, including some during a post-round session on the practice green.
“Honestly, I think if I play that round five, six, seven times over, 3 over is the worst I shoot,” McNealy said. “Everyone always says that, but I feel like I played a lot better.”
The good news: McNealy has put together consecutive rounds over par just once this season, at The Prestige. He followed an opening 75 with 65 at the Querencia Cabo Collegiate, and then shot a closing 66 after a 75 at The Goodwin this spring.
McNealy’s score was thrown out Friday, but Stanford still shot 12 over (that included senior David Boote’s 69), which puts the Cardinal, ranked third by Golfweek, 10 shots off the pace at T-24. There is no reason to panic, though, because Stanford will get a morning tee time on Saturday.
Coaches and players agreed that scoring was a bit tougher as the day went on Thursday, as the winds picked up and the greens dried out.
“Between the greens getting a little bumpy and crusty, and the wind, it’s definitely a number of shots harder,” Stanford head coach Conrad Ray said.

Much work remains for the top ranked Cardinal squad.  Round 1 scorecards are shown below:
Round 1 scorecards - click to enlarge

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Stanford is the #1 seed in the NCAA Regional at Tucson, AZ

Live Scoring | The Gallery at Dove MountainNCAA Regionals

#1 seed Stanford is one of fourteen teams in the Tucson NCAA Regional competing for five spots in the NCAA Championship to be held at Eugene Country Club in Oregon May 27-June 1.

Representing Stanford are junior All-American Maverick McNealy, senior captain David Boote, sophomores Franklin Huang and Jeffrey Swegle and freshman Brandon Wu.  Oregon and California join Stanford at the Tucson regional from the Pac-12. Five other Pac-12 teams are competing in five other regionals around the country.
Teams & Stanford Players - click to enlarge
Final Results:
Stanford breezed to a 14 stroke regional win finishing 31 under par while being led by sophomore Franklin Huang's first career collegiate win.  Huang had rounds of 67-69-68  (12 under par 204 total 1st). Huang overcame a double bogey 7 on the 9th by firing 4 birdies for a 32 on his final nine for the win.  The team win was the third straight for a peaking Cardinal team as it heads into the NCAA Championship on a roll.
Final Team and Round 3 scorecards - click to enlarge
"I'm really excited that our team kept the momentum we have had over the past month," said Conrad Ray, Stanford's Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf. "Franklin was stellar this week along with many of his teammates who had chances to win today. The Gallery was very demanding, and doing well on a course like that creates confidence for what lies ahead at the NCAA Championships."

"I had the putter going throughout the week, and it was nice to be able to go out and play knowing the rest of the guys would put up a good number," said Huang.
Franklin Huang's winning 3 rounds - click to enlarge
Maverick McNealy closed with a 67 to finish in 2nd overall (68-71-67 206 2nd) while David Boote finished 8th on rounds of 69-72-71 (212 8th).  Jeffrey Swegle was the 4th top ten finisher after his final round 69 (72-72-69 213 T9) and Brandon Wu tied for 40th on rounds of 70-75-77 222 T40.

From the Pac-12, Oregon finished 2nd and California 4th to also move onto the NCAA Championship.

Round 2 Results:
Stanford expanded its lead after two rounds from 9 strokes to 15 strokes over 2nd place Oregon at 18-under par with a 4-under 284 team total after a first round 14-under par 274 total.

Once again leading the way is the individual leader, Franklin Huang, who fired a 2nd round 3-under 69 (67-69 136 1st), followed by Maverick McNealy in 4th overall after rounds of  68-71 139 4th.  Franklin leads the individual field by one shot.

David Boote is tied for 5th after rounds of 69-72 141 T5, Jeffrey Swegle is tied for 13th on rounds of 72-72 144 T13 and Brandon Wu is tied for 17th with rounds of 70-75 145 T17.

The cut-line sits 22 strokes behind Stanford at 4 over par with 5 teams within 5 strokes of California in what is likely to be a battle for the final qualifying spot.

Round 1 Results:
The Cardinal took a 9 stroke lead after round 1 with a 14 under par 274 total.  Franklin Huang led the way with a 5-under 67 (T2) in a round that included 7 birdies and two bogeys.  Maverick McNealy is tied for 4th after his 68 included 2 birdies, an eagle and no bogeys.  David Boote's 69 (T7) also featured no bogeys while Brandon Wu also finished in the top 10 with a 2-under 70.  Jeffrey Swegle is tied for 23 after an even par 72.

Friday, April 29, 2016

Pac-12 Championship being played in Salt Lake City, Utah

Teams and Stanford players - click to enlarge
Final Results:
Battling strong winds, the Cardinal breezed to their third straight Pac-12 title winning by 29 strokes over Cal on the strength of steady play by its deep team.  Stanford, with an 18 under par performance, was the only team to finish under par for the tournament.

“It was the toughest day we’ve had so far,” said Stanford coach Conrad Ray. “I was proud of our guys and they really hung in there. We actually had a slow start, the wind was blowing and it was chilly. We weathered the storm, so to speak. They hit solid shots and tried to mitigate big numbers.”
“It was a good battle with Cal and USC ... they’re awesome teams. This league is as strong as you will find in college golf, so to come out on top this week is a really big deal for us.”
The Cardinal had three players finish among the top 10, led by David Boote (Tied for No. 3, 7-under), Franklin Huang (No. 5, 5-under) and Maverick McNealy (No. 6, 3-under).
In crediting his team’s performance, Ray added, “You could go down the list. Franklin Huang just put in his second top 10 in a row, third top 15. He played great. David Boote, our senior captain, led us all week. Maverick McNealy made a few birdies there at the end to finish top 10. He’s been our horse all year and one of the top players in college golf, if not, the top player. All around, a huge team effort and really happy the way it came together.”
In individual scoring, Boote tied for 3rd (68-66-70-73 277 T3), Huang finished 5th (66-72-68-73 279 5th), McNealy was 6th (69-71-67-72 281 6th), Jeffrey Swegle tied for 11th (76-64-71 73 284 T11), Viraat Badhwar tied for 15th (74-68-70-75 287 T15) and Brandon Wu tied for 28th (75-67-75-75 292 T28).

Final team standings and Stanford 4th round scorecards are shown below.
Final team scores & Stanford 4th round scorecards - click to enlarge
Round 3 Results:
Stanford extended its 2nd round lead from 5 to 12 strokes over California and 31 strokes ahead of 3rd place USC as the team once again shot the low round of the day with a 7-under par 348 team score counting the low 5 of 6 players.  No other team broke par as Cal's 355 was the next best score.  Stanford at 1036 (29 under par) and Cal at 1048 (17 under par) are the only teams under par.

Solid play by Stanford's deep team of 6 players was on display once again led by a Franklin Huang's 3-under par 68, followed by Maverick McNealy's 69, David Boote and Viraat Badhwar's 70s and Jeffrey Swegle's even par 71.  Brandon Wu was the only Cardinal over par with 75 on the day.

“It’s a team effort for sure,” stated Stanford coach Conrad Ray. “I think we had five guys out of six that had par or better today. The set up was tough, the wind was blowing, and it was kind of chilly. I was proud of our guys and we just ground it out. Cal and USC are great teams, so we know that we have a lot of golf left to play tomorrow.”
“Franklin Huang was low for us at 3-under, which is a nice round of golf out there,” added Ray. “Guys were just solid today, not up and down on the rollercoaster with emotion. They just tried to hit good shoots and build a lead and tomorrow we will be ready to go again.”
On his 12-stroke lead heading into the final round, Ray responded, “I wish it was 20 against those two teams. Anything can happen, but I think our guys will focus on hitting good shots and controlling the things that we have control over."
Individual scoring thus far finds Boote tied for 2nd (68-66-70 204 T2), Huang in 5th (66-72-68 206 5th), McNealy tied for 8th (69-71-69 209 T8), Swegle tied for 12th (76-64-71 211 T12), Viraat Badhwar tied for 15th (74-68-70 212 T15) and Brandon Wu tied for 29th (75-67-75 217 T29).

With one round to go, team scoring and 3rd round scorecards are shown below.
3rd Round team and Stanford scoring - click to enlarge
Round 1 & 2 Results:
Day 1 of the Pac-12 Championship included 36 holes of play by Stanford's 6 players and found the Cardinal charging into the lead by 5 strokes over California on the strength of a brilliant 19 under par 336 total in the 2nd round, the low team round by 7 strokes thus far.

"This was a great start for the team in some very tough conditions," said Conrad Ray, Stanford's Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf. "I was proud of the guys and how they hung in there and managed their games and stayed away from the big numbers.

"We have a lot of golf left against a strong field on a tough course, but we're happy with how we got out of the blocks. All the guys made some great contributions today."

Morning temperatures that hovered in the low 40s and gusty winds greeted the Pac-12 golfers which made for some challenging play in the first round as only two teams were able to shoot par or better. Cal's KK Limbhaust shot 5-under to pace the Golden Bears to a first-round lead with a team score of 5-under, two shots better than Stanford.

As winds calmed and the temperatures warmed in the afternoon, Jeffrey Swegle posted the low round of the day with a 7-under 64 to lead the Cardinal surge in the second round. 


Round 2 was highlighted that career low 7-under 64 by sophomore Swegle, in a round that included 8 birdies and only one bogey.  Stanford's 6 players carded a stunning 32 birdies and 1 eagle in round 2 alone.  Stanford impressive depth was revealed as it had 7 of its 12 rounds played in the 60s as the next closest team had only 4 of its rounds in the 60s.

David Boote played brilliantly and is in 2nd place overall after rounds of 68-66 134, two strokes behind Limbhasut.  Franklin Huang is tied for 6th overall after his rounds of 66-72 138, followed by Swegle (76-64 140) and Maverick McNealy (69-71 140) who are tied for 12th.  Brandon Wu (75-67 143) and Viraat Badhwar (75-68 143) are tied for 20th.

"That was a big first round for Franklin. He's been really trending the right way and has had a couple of good weeks the last few tournaments," said Ray. "Franklin was our rock this morning, for sure. That first hour and a half it was about as tough as you are going to get.

"This afternoon we got some momentum going. Jeffrey Swegle really got hot at the end and birdied his last three, and then David Boote dropped in eagle on the last hole. It's fun to finish strong, but knowing there's a lot of golf left and the forecast isn't great, we have to show up tomorrow and take care of business."


Round one scorecards are shown below, followed by round 2 team and Stanford scoring.
Round 1 Stanford scorecards - click to enlarge
Round 2 Team results and Stanford scorecards - click to enlarge
Background - by gostanford.com
The Lowdown
* No. 4 Stanford seeks a third straight league title when it travels to The Country Club in Salt Lake City for the Pac-12 Conference Championships. The Cardinal could become the first program to win three consecutive Pac-12 crowns since Arizona State copped six from 1995-2000.

* The Cardinal is coming off a team win at the Western Intercollegiate, its lone win on the season, but has earned nine top-10 showings in 10 events. Stanford has five top-five finishes in 2015-16.

* Stanford is paced by the nation's top-ranked golfer (Golfstat and Golfweek individual ranking), junior Maverick McNealy (69.04 stroke average, four medalist honors). McNealy has won 10 times in his career and trails the school record of 11 victories shared by Tiger Woods and Patrick Rodgers.

* In 27 rounds, Maverick McNealy has posted a score in the 60s in 16 rounds. The average score for those 16 rounds was 66.6.

* David Boote (71.07) has seven top 25 finishes this season.

* Entering the Pac-12 Championships, Maverick McNealy's 69.04 season stroke average is the second-best in NCAA history. Wake Forest's Bill Haas set the benchmark (68.93) in 2003-04. At the conclusion of the 2014-15 season, McNealy's 69.05 average ranked second.

* There are 30 golfers in the Pac-12 with sub-73 averages, including Maverick McNealy (1st - 69.04), David Boote (7th - 71.07), Brandon Wu (17th - 72.21), Jeffrey Swegle (21st - 72.39) and Viraat Badhwar (26th - 72.67). Wu's mark is the second-best of any freshman.

* This will be the fourth straight Pac-12 Championship for senior David Boote and the third straight Pac-12 Championships for juniors Viraat Badhwar and Maverick McNealy.

* The Pac-12 is well represented with three players among the 10 semifinalists for the Ben Hogan Award -- Maverick McNealy, Arizona State's Jon Rahm, and Oregon's Aaron Wise. The most prestigious
award in men's college golf, The Ben Hogan Award is presented annually to the top men's NCAA Division I, II or III, NAIA or NJCAA college golfer taking into account all collegiate and amateur competitions during the past 12-month period.

* Three Pac-12 golfers will participate in the 2016 Palmer Cup. Stanford's Maverick McNealy and USC's Rico Hoey will represent the United States, while Stanford's David Boote (Wales) will represent the European squad. The annual Ryder Cup-style competition will be played June 24-26 at Formby (England) Golf Club.

The Format
* Seventy-two holes of stroke play golf over three days of competition shall decide the Pac-12 championships. The 36-hole day of competition will fall on the first day of the tournament. The championship will be played in groups of three to ensure competition is completed on time.

* In the event of a tie for the team championship, NCAA team tie-breaking procedures shall be followed to determine the champion. If there are three or more teams involved in a playoff, the shotgun format listed in the 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship Handbook shall be used. For a two team playoff holes will be holes 18, 10 and 11 played in a loop until a champion is determined. If a shotgun format is needed, holes 10, 11, 12, 16, 17 and 18 will be used.

* In the event of a tie for the individual championship, a sudden-death playoff shall be held immediately after the conclusion of the final round to determine the champion. If the tie is between members of the same team, the playoff shall be held at the discretion of that team's coach, who shall be allowed to determine whether a playoff shall be held. If a playoff is not held, the individuals shall be declared co-champions. In the case of a playoff, holes 18, 10 and 11 will be played in a loop until a champion is determined.

The Scoring
* The five players with the low scores on a team for any 18-hole round shall constitute the scoring members of the team for that round (6-count-5), and the team with the lowest total combined score for all rounds shall be the team champion.

The Course
* This marks the first year for the Pac-12 Championships to be held in Salt Lake City. The Country Club is one of the oldest clubs in the western United States. Founded in 1899, it has had a rich history of excellence. The Club is located on the southeast side of Salt Lake City in the foothills of the Wasatch mountain range just 10 minutes from downtown Salt Lake. The Country Club was the site of many PGA events over the years including the Utah State Golf Championships, the Utah State Amateur, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby's USO Charity golf tournament, and the 44th Western Open Championship. The Country Club played host to the Western Athletic Conference Championships in 1975.

The Last Pac-12 Championships
* Stanford successfully defended its Pac-12 title by posting a 14-stroke victory at the Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Pullman, Washington. The Cardinal trailed by 14 strokes heading into the fourth round, but were led by McNealy's course record-tying final round of 9-under 61 to cruise to victory. McNealy posted a Pac-12 Championship record four-round low score of 262 (18-under) to earn Pac-12 medalist honors with a 10-stroke victory. McNealy was named the Pac-12 Men's Golfer of the Year.

The History
* Stanford clinched the inaugural Pac-12 title in 1960 and has since won the conference championships in 1968, 1970, 1974, 1977, 1992, 1994, 2014 and 2015.

2015 * Palouse Ridge Golf Club (Pullman, Wash.)
2014 * The Gallery Golf Club (Marana, Ariz.)
1994 * Tucson National Golf Course (Tucson, Ariz.)
1992 * Trysting Tree Golf Course (Corvallis, Ore.)
1977 * Stanford Golf Course (Stanford, Calif.)
1974 * Stanford Golf Course (Stanford, Calif.)
1970 * Mira Vista Country Club (Richmond, Calif.)
1968 * Los Angeles Country Club (Los Angeles, Calif.)
1960 * Stanford Golf Course (Stanford, Calif.)

* Stanford holds claim to 22 individual league medalists, tied with USC for the conference lead. The Pac-12 champions to wear the cardinal and white include Pete Choate (1960, 1962), Sandy Adelman (1969), Mike Peck (1977, 1978), Jack Skilling (1980), Don Walsworth (1986), Christian Cevaer (1989, 1992), Tiger Woods (1996), Jim Seki (2002), Andrew Yun (2012), Patrick Rodgers (2014) and Maverick McNealy (2015).

* In 2015, Maverick McNealy's final round 61 at Palouse Ridge GC in Pullman, WA and in 1996, Tiger Woods' 61 at the par-72 Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach, California, were the second-lowest single round scores in the history of the Pac-12 Championships. Only Paul Casey's collegiate-record 60 in the 1999 league meet was lower. Woods fired a Pac-12 Championships record 11-under in his round.

Monday, April 11, 2016

8 players compete at the 70th Western Intercollegiate at famed Pasatiempo

Golfweek RecapAmateurgolf.com RecapTournament WebsiteLive Scoring | Pasatiempo GC
Stanford wins team & individual titles - click to enlarge

Stanford competitors - click to enlarge
Stanford sends 8 players to compete in the 70th annual Western Intercollegiate event held at famed Pasatiempo CC in Santa Cruz, California, about an hour's drive south of the Stanford campus.  World renowned architect Alistair McKenzie (Augusta National, Cypress Point are two of his best known works) designed this great course and lived on the signature 16th hole for many years later in his life.

Six players will play in pairs in this unique 14-team event hosted by San Jose State with the best five scores counting each day.  Maverick McNealy will pair up each round with Viraat Badhwar, David Boote with Jeffrey Swegle, and Franklin Huang with Brandon Wu.  Bradley Knox and Dominick Francks will compete as individuals.  Six Pac-12 teams are entered:  #1 ranked USC, #9 Stanford, Arizona, Arizona State, California and Oregon.

Final Results:
Stanford wins the 70th Western Intercollegiate by 10 strokes over top ranked USC led by another brilliant win by junior Maverick McNealy.  McNealy finished 16 under par on rounds of 66-64-64 194 to win by two strokes over Oregon's Aaron Wise.  McNealy's 194 tournament total not only breaks the Western Intercollegiate record by 5 strokes but also is the all-time low for  a Stanford player in any tournament.  Since 2007 the next lowest tournament score was by Patrick Rodgers at  The Goodwin in 2014 when Rodgers shot a 196 total.

“Of the 10 (wins), this was the toughest,” McNealy said. “I played lights out, and I still had my back against the wall.”

“It was a great team effort all the way around for the win,” said Conrad Ray, Stanford’s Knowles Family Director of Men’s Golf. “Maverick’s play was superb, and for him to break the scoring record of a tournament that has so much history and on a course that was so challenging is really a feather in his cap.

“Franklin Huang’s play as of late has been stellar and David Boote continues to post solid numbers as our senior leader. We are really looking forward to riding some of this momentum into the Pac-12 Conference Championships.”

Maverick's 2nd 64 included 5 birdies, an eagle and only 1 bogey.  It was his 4th win this season and 10th career win in the past two seasons, leaving Maverick only 1 win behind the all-time school record of 11 wins by Tiger Woods and Patrick Rodgers.  McNealy and Wise were named today to the 2016 Ben Hogan Award semifinal list.

Franklin Huang had a solid tournament finishing tied for 8th on rounds of 68-71-70 209 while David Boote tied for 12th with rounds of 74-66-70 210.  Brandon Wu tied for 28th with rounds of 70-74-72 216 while Viraat Badhwar (70-72-77 219) and Jeffrey Swegle (71-75-73 219) tied for 42nd.

Playing as individuals Bradley Knox tied for 49th on rounds of 75-72-74 221 and Dominic Francks tied for 65th with 78-71-77 226.

Next up is the Pac-12 Championship held in Utah April 29-May 2nd.

Final standings and 3rd round scorecards are shown below:
Final round scorecards and team standings - click to enlarge
Round 2 Results:
The Cardinal moved into 1st place after round 2, 3 strokes ahead of Oregon and 6 ahead of USC with the day's low round of 3-under par 347.  Once again Stanford was led by Maverick McNealy who fired a sparkling 6-under par 64, only 1 shot off the course record.  Maverick's round included 7 birdies and only 1 bogey.  Maverick is 2nd individually (66-64 130 2nd) only 1 stroke behind Aaron Wise of Oregon.

David Boote also had a special round of 66 on five birdies and a lone bogey as he is tied for 14th (74-66 140 T14).  Franklin Huang is tied for 8th (68-71 139 T8) after another solid round, while Viraat Badhwar is tied for 24th (70-72 142 T24).  Brandon Wu is tied for 40th (70-74 144 T40) and Jeffrey Swegle is tied for 47th (71-75 146 T47).  Playing as individuals Bradley Knox is tied for 56th (75-72 147 T56) and Dominic Francks is tied for 60th (78-71 149 T60).

Full team scores and Stanford 2nd round scorecards can be found below:
Round 2 scorecards and team scoring - click to enlarge
Round 1 Results:
Stanford finished the first round in 2nd place, 4 shots behind Oregon, with a 5-under par 345 team total.  The Cardinal was led by Maverick McNealy's 4-under 66, a round that included 5 birdies, an eagle and 3 bogies.  Three of McNealy's birdies came on three of the toughest holes, the par 3 third, the par 4 11th and the signature par 4 16th.  Maverick is 3 strokes behind the individual leader, Aaron Wise of Oregon who tied the course record with a 63.

Franklin Huang's 68 included 4 straight birdies on the holes 6 through 9.  Brandon Wu and Viraat Badhwar shot 70, Jeffrey Swegle a 71 and David Boote a 74.  Playing as individuals Bradley Knox had a 75 and Dominick Francks a 78.

Team standings and Stanford scorecards for round 1 are shown below.
Round 1 scoring - click to enlarge