Sunday, May 25, 2014

Stanford loses a heart-breaker in the semi-finals of the national championship while Cameron Wilson wins individual title



The Cardinal rolled into the NCAA national championship event with the momentum of having won its last 4 tournaments and 5 of the last 6 events.  One of 7 Pac-12 teams competing, Stanford comes in as the #3 seed in a 30-team field behind only #1 Alabama and #2 Oklahoma State.

Stanford is led by two of the nation's top 5 players, Patrick Rodgers, the Ben Hogan Award winner after 6 season wins tied him with Tiger Woods for a Stanford career best 11 victories, and Cameron Wilson, Ben Hogan Award finalist after his 2 season wins and 10 top ten finishes in 11 events.

The NCAA Championship is being hosted by one of the nation's finest courses, the par 70, 6,941 yard Prairie Dunes GC in Hutchinson, Kansas.  Prairie Dunes, designed by Perry Maxwell, has hosted many top events including the US Women's Open and the US Senior Open.

After a number of weather delays due to rain and lightning, the unique tournament format has been changed with three rounds (not four) determining the individual champion and the 8 teams moving to match play.  The 8 teams in match play are seeded with #1 vs #8, #2 vs #7, etc.  Two matches are to be played on one day and the final match on the last day.

After playing brilliantly during the 3 rounds of stroke play and leading the field by 9 strokes and earning the #1 seed, the top 8 teams moved into match play.  Cameron Wilson ended up becoming the 3rd Stanford player to ever win the individual NCAA title (Tiger Woods and Sandy Tatum were the others to do so) with his 71-63-70 204 total.  David Boote finished with a flourish and finished tied for 2nd with rounds of 73-67-65 205.

Match Play - Semi-finals vs #4 seed Oklahoma State
Stanford's remarkable season ended in heart breaking fashion with a 3 & 2 loss to Oklahoma State in the semi-final match.  The televised match went back and forth with all matches tied at the turn except for Patrick Rodgers' match in which he was 1 down after 9 holes.  As late as the 15th hole Stanford was up in three matches and down in two matches.

Cameron Wilson's match ended first, as he came from being 1 down through 6 and rolling in a 30-foot par putt on #7 to keep from going 2 down to crush his opponent, Ian Davis, down the stretch to win 4 & 2.  Next came David Boote's match that was tied through 11 holes and had him 1 down after 14 before losing holes 15 & 16 led to a 3 & 2 defeat.

“Yesterday, I was excited to be in that position, and of course you wanted to win desperately, but I had to put the team on my back this afternoon and it was staring me in the face,” Wilson said. “If I didn’t win it was my last few holes in college golf."  Wilson completed a wonderful Stanford career with two match wins and the individual national title which was bittersweet in the end.

Stanford's excellent freshmen, Maverick McNealy and Viraat Badhwar, were matched against the two top players for OSU by season scoring averages, redshirt freshman Wyndham Clark and senior Talor Gooch in the matches that would determine the outcome.  Playing in the first group, Maverick's match went back and forth and was tied after 16 holes.  After a loss to a birdie on 17, Maverick squared the match at 18 with a solid par as they moved on to play extra holes.  The first two extra holes were parred by both players as Maverick made a clutch up and down from a bunker on the 2nd playoff hole finishing with a solid 5-foot putt.  The final par 4 hole found Maverick putting for birdie from 25 feet, about 10 feet inside Gooch's birdie putt as both hit the green in regulation.  The long, curling 35-foot putt by Gooch went in and Maverick's just missed and their match suddenly ended.

Next came Viraat's match against OSU's top player Clark.  After being tied after 10, Viraat lost the next 3 holes to move 3 down with 5 to play.  Viraat fought back to win the next two holes and after halving hole 16 he moved to the par 5 17th 1 down in what became the crucial match.  Clark reached the par 5 in two some 20 feet away and Viraat next hit a brilliant long-iron second shot that covered the flag, rolled by the cup and ended about 5 feet away.

Clark two-putted for birdie and Viraat aggressively slid his eagle putt by on the right and needed to make a 4 footer to keep the match alive which he did.  On to the par 4 18th hole where Clark played well hitting his 2nd shot to about 20 feet above the hole.  Viraat, needing birdie to extend the match, hit another brilliant second shot that landed about 2 feet from the flag and spun back to about 10 feet below the hole.  After Clark barely missed his birdie putt, Viraat solidly struck his key birdie putt but it slid by the hole to end his match and give OSU their winning 3rd point.  The brilliant season had finally ended.

Playing in the final group, Patrick Rodgers, was paired against fellow Walker Cupper Jordan Niebrugge who played in this year's Masters due to his win at the US Public Links last year.  Patrick played very well with a 2-under 33 at the turn, making several saving putts to move 2 up through 10.  The match was evened through 12 but Patrick regained his 2-up lead and closed out the win 2 & 1.  Patrick's final match of his storied Stanford career was a 4-under 66 total.

Stanford ended tied for 3rd as another #1 seed failed to win the national championship as match play proved fickle for the best teams since it began in 2009.  No doubt in medal play format Stanford would be this year's champion as it carried a 9 stroke lead after 3 rounds of play.  Still it was a season for the ages as Stanford won 6 times, won the stroke play portion of the finals and finished tied for 3rd, had 9 individual titles (6 by Patrick and 3 by Cameron), won the Pac-12 Championship for the first time in 20 years, saw their top two players break the single season scoring average record while Patrick won the Ben Hogan award as the nation's top player.

Semi-final scorecards can be found below:
Semi-final scorecards vs OSU - click to enlarge


Match Play - Quarterfinals vs #8 seed Illinois
Stanford ordered it's 5 players in traditional fashion except having red hot David Boote coming off his superb 65 leading off with Rodgers and Wilson anchoring the team while Illinois strategically reversed its order so it's top players were matched against Stanford's younger players.

Stanford wins a hard fought back and forth match 3 & 2 behind wins by Viraat Badhwar 1 up, Patrick Rodgers 3 & 2 and Cameron Wilson 1 up.

Match Play results are shown below:
Quarterfinals win vs Illinois 3 & 2 - click to enlarge
After trailing much of the match, Cameron birdied the par 5 17th hole and parred the final hole to clinch the match for the Cardinal.  Viraat's close match turned on the 16th when Viraat moved 1 up and he finished birdie-par to wrap up the win.  Patrick was 2-down early but turned up the heat on the back nine to post his solid match win.

Round 3 - Stanford wins stroke play & #1 seed.  Cameron Wilson wins NCAA individual Championship in playoff
Stanford wins the stroke play portion of the competition by 9 strokes behind solid play from all 5 players to claim the #1 seed heading into match play.  David Boote led the way on round 3 with a brilliant 65 as he moved to a tie for 3rd in the individual competition which was won by Cameron Wilson in a 3-hole playoff against Georgia Tech's Ollie Schiederjans.  Round 3 scorecards and Cameron Wilson's winning 3 round scorecards can be found below.
Wilson leads Nerd Nation to NCAA Individual title
The Cardinal will face the #8 seed Illinois team.  The top 8 qualifying teams with their player scoring is shown below:
Top 8 Finish in Stroke Play Competition


GoStanford.com released the following story about Cameron's win:
HUTCHINSON, Kansas – Cameron Wilson won the 2014 NCAA men’s golf individual title Monday, prevailing by sinking a decisive birdie putt on the third playoff hole. Wilson edged Georgia Tech’s Ollie Schniederjans to win the championship at Prairie Dunes Country Club.

Wilson joined Sandy Tatum (1942) and Tiger Woods (1996) as individual champions from Stanford.

Earlier in the team tournament, Wilson fired a 63 during the second round on Saturday. The 63 was the second-best NCAA score ever by a Cardinal golfer, trailing only Notah Begay’s 62 in the 1994 finale.

He had rounds of 71-70 in the first and third rounds for a three-round total of 204 on the par-70 course.

“I really didn’t stray from my plan that much, and I didn’t beat myself up,” Wilson said. “Then when we got to the playoff, I was just thinking how cool it was. The sun was setting and the fescue was everywhere. We had the American flags out, and I’ve known Ollie for a while. He’s a friend … It was a really cool scene.”

The title gives Wilson bookend wins for his senior season on The Farm, as he was victorious at the season-opening Fighting Illini Invitational in September. Wilson added a third win at the Western Intercollegiate in April, and the NCAA title gave Stanford an individual medalist in each of the last seven events.

Wilson birdied the par-5 17th and bogeyed 18 to put himself in the playoff. He and Schniederjans matched shots over the first two holes – 18 and 10 – of sudden death.

On the third extra hole, Wilson knocked his third shot to within 10 feet on the 17th and sank the birdie putt to claim the national championship.

“It’s incredible, so glad I made that putt, this is surreal,” Wilson told the Golf Channel moments after clinching the win. “I’ve got to mention my team first. I’ve got to say how proud I am of my guys so far.  There is a lot of golf left, but I am really happy for all of the guys.”

Wilson, the fifth-ranked amateur golfer in the world, will now turn his attention along with the Cardinal contingent on another trophy. Stanford will be matched up against Illinois in the quarterfinals of the match play portion of the tournament to determine the team champion. The teams tee off Tuesday morning at 7:50 a.m. (CT).

Golf Channel will begin its coverage of match play with Golf Central pregame coverage from 2 to 4 p.m. (CT), with Golf Channel coverage of semifinal match play from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday’s coverage will re-air on Tuesday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.

“I think we’re really fired up,” said Conrad Ray, Stanford’s Knowles Family Director of Men’s Golf. “I think to see the contributions across the board from all of our guys today in some really tough conditions, and the wind came up, we felt fortunate to have a good draw.

“We know that this is just the start of a lot more golf. It’s neat to see them all fired up and ready to go for the matches tomorrow.”
At 13-under through 36 holes, third-seeded Stanford (281-267-279) was 1-under on the day and nine shots clear of second-place Alabama and LSU.

David Boote (73-67-65) was in the zone throughout the final round with a 5-under 65. Boote tied for third at 5-under overall and ripped off three straight birdies before making the turn to go to 3-under. He nailed a 16-foot birdie putt on 16 and followed with a winding birdie conversion on 17.

Patrick Rodgers (67-68-73) entered the day in second at 5-under. He found himself at 1-under in his third round with back-to-back birdies on seven and eight. The back nine did not treat him as well and was plagued by four bogeys.

Rodgers, who ends his Stanford career knotted with Tiger Woods with 11 victories, placed in a tie for 15th. Rodgers had six wins on the season and tallied victories in five of six tournaments entering the NCAA Championships.

With the efforts of Wilson, Boote and Rodgers, Stanford had three players in top-20 for first time since 2007. That squad would go on to win the national title at Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, Va.

Maverick McNealy (73-69-72) was 1-under on the back and carded a 2-over 72 to tie for 55th. Fellow freshman Viraat Badhwar (70-76-72) was 10-over for the tournament and notched three birdies in his final round.

Round 3 Scorcards
Cameron Wilson's Winning 3 Rounds - click to enlarge



Rounds 1 & 2 - Stanford takes the lead
After several weather delays on the first day suspended play, most of the field including Stanford started play on day 2.  After a mediocre first round 281 score left the Cardinal in a tie for 13th place, Stanford vaulted into 1st place to lead by 4 strokes with a brilliant tournament best 267 score (13 under par) in round 2 led by an equally brilliant 63 by Cameron Wilson.

Cameron's 63 was the 2nd best score ever by a Stanford player in the NCAA championships, bested only by Notah Begay's 62 in 1994.  In fact in the history of Stanford men's golf, only three other rounds were ever shot lower than the 63, a 61 by Cameron and Tiger Woods and Notah's 62.  The 267 team total was the second best team round of the season, only 1 stroke behind Stanford's 266 score at The Goodwin played at Stanford's home course.  Cameron's round left him 7-under par and in the individual lead on rounds of 71-63 134.  Patrick Rodgers was in 2nd overall after his rounds of 67-68 135 and there were several tied for 3rd one stroke further back.

Gostanford.com provided the following reporting about Cameron's great round:

“I had some good looks at the beginning of the round that I didn’t make, but I felt good about my game and knew that I would have a chance to shoot a low score,” Wilson said. “The soft greens today really helped out everyone.”

They certainly helped Wilson and Rodgers, who combined for 15 birdies and one eagle.

Wilson pulled off the shot of the day on his second time playing the lengthy 534-yard par-4 11th. After his drive found a left-side fairway bunker, he cracked a blind 8-iron from 192 yards away that landed three inches past the hole and pulled back into the cup for an eagle.

“I think it went it in,” he said as he made his way out of the bunker and around the corner to view the green. The cheering gallery confirmed in glee.

Wilson later chipped in for birdie on 15 and buried a round-ending birdie on 18.


David Boote 2nd round 67 followed an opening 73 to leave him at even par and tied for 28th overall. Maverick McNealy's 2nd round of 69 came after an opening 73 to leave him tied for 54th.  Viraat's solid opening 70 was followed by a 76 in round two to leave him tied for 92nd.

Round 2 scorecards are included below:
Round 2 scorecards include Cameron's 63 - click to enlarge

Friday, May 16, 2014

Cardinal wins the NCAA Eugene Regional advancing to the NCAA Championship led by Patrick Rodgers' record-tying 11th career victory



Final Results
The Cardinal completes a wire-to-wire NCAA Regional win at the Eugene CC, its 6th of the year, to advance to the NCAA Championship at Prairie Dunes GC in Wichita, Kansas next week.  This win makes it 5 tournament wins in the team's last 6 events including 4 wins in a row.  Stanford beat Oregon by 1 shot, besting the Ducks who were playing on their home course.  Once again Patrick Rodgers (66-67-71 204 6-under) led the way winning his 6th title of the year and his record-tying 11th career win pulling even with Tiger Woods for that honor. Patrick was the only player in the field to finish under par as he won by 6 shots over Oregon's Thomas Lin.

A total of six Pac-12 teams advanced to the NCAA Championship from the six NCAA regionals with their regional finishes shown - top 5 teams advanced from each regional:  Stanford (1st), Oregon (2nd), Washington (2nd), Cal (T4), USC (T4), UCLA (5th).  ASU (6th) and Colorado (12th) failed to advance.

Final team scoring is shown below:
Final Team Leaderboard - click to enlarge
Final round scorecards are shown below:
Final round scorecards - click to enlarge
Cameron Wilson, one of 3 finalists with Patrick for the Ben Hogan Award which recognizes the nation's finest collegiate golfer, once again was a strong contributor with his rounds of 71-68-74 213 to tie for 5th individually.  Viraat Badhwar (70-73-73 216 T14) had a tie for 14th finish, David Boote (69-74-77 220 T22) tied for 22nd and Maverick McNealy (73-82-79 234 T64) tied for 64th.

Patrick Rodgers' winning scorecards are shown below:
Patrick Rodgers' winning scorecards - click to enlarge

Gostanford.com provided this final recap of the event --- See recap article with video
Patrick Rodgers won the NCAA Eugene Regional Championships in convincing fashion Saturday, and in doing so tied Tiger Woods’ Stanford record with 11 career victories. Rodgers’ effort also made it a daily double for the victorious Cardinal, as the team has produced a medalist in each of its six wins this season.

Despite shooting a final-round 15-over, its highest score to par since its first round of the season at the Fighting Illini Invitational on Sept. 13, Stanford held on to win its third NCAA Regional crown since 1996 by one stroke over host Oregon. The last NCAA Regional win for the Cardinal came in 2010.

The trip to the NCAA Championships is the seventh for Stanford in the last 10 seasons under Knowles Family Director of Men’s Golf Conrad Ray.

Stanford (276-282-295) was 13-over for the tournament. Oregon (+14) was second ahead of Oklahoma (+20), Houston (+35) and South Carolina (+40).

The low five teams will advance to the NCAA Championships, which will be contested May 23-28 at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kansas. Wichita State is the host institution.

Rodgers (66-67-71) was 1-over in his final round at Eugene Country Club to finish the 54-hole event at 6-under. He was the only player to finish in the red on the par-70 course, as Oregon's Thomas Lin was second at even-par.

Rodgers, the Pac-12 Conference champion, has won two straight and four of his last five outings. His only tournament without a win during that stretch was a runner-up finish to teammate Cameron Wilson at the Western Intercollegiate.

Wilson was third with a 3-over, including a 4-over 74 in his final circuit. It was the eighth straight top-10 showing for the Ben Hogan Award finalist.

Viraat Badhwar (70-73-73) placed in the top-20 for the second time in as many tournaments, checking in with a tie for 14th at 6-over. David Boote (69-74-77) tied for 22nd at 10-over.

Maverick McNealy (73-82-79) tied for 64th in his NCAA Regional Championships debut.


Round 2 Results
Stanford widened it's lead to 9 strokes over Oklahoma and 11 strokes over Oregon.  The Cardinal is 25 strokes ahead of those tied for 5th, the cutline to determine who advances to the NCAA Championship next week.

Patrick Rodgers continued his brilliant play as he widened his individual lead to 6 strokes on rounds of 66-67 133.  Cameron Wilson with rounds of 71-68 139 is one of those tied for 2nd overall.

“Our guys fought hard after another slow start on the first five or six holes,” said Conrad Ray, Stanford’s Knowles Family Director of Men’s Golf. “The hole locations and course setup were very demanding, as they should be at this time of year. We stuck to our game plan and we’re happy with how we played to the very end. There is one more day and a ton of golf left.”

The 2nd round team leaderboard is shown below:
Round 2 Team leaderboard - click to enlarge

David Boote (69-74 143) and Viraat Badhwar (70-73 143) are tied for 14th overall and Maverick McNealy struggled (73-82 155) and is 64th overall.

Round 2 scorecards are included below.
Round 2 scorecards - click to enlarge


Round 1 Results
The Cardinal took the first round lead by 4 shots over Oklahoma firing a 4-under 276 team total led by Patrick Rodgers' tournament leading 66, followed by David Boote's 69, Viraat Badhwar's 70, Cameron Wilson's 71 and Maverick McNealy's 73.  The team leaderboard is shown below after the first round:
Round 1 Team Leaderboard

The individual scorecards for Stanford's team are shown below:
Round 1 scorecards - click to enlarge
Gostanford.com posted the following comments about the first round.
EUGENE, Ore. – A barrage on the back nine of Eugene Country Club put the Stanford men’s golf team in the driver’s seat of the NCAA Eugene Regional Championships Thursday.

Stanford’s four scoring players combined to go 5-under after making the turn to give the Cardinal a 4-under 276 and four-stroke lead over second-place Oklahoma.

“We started a bit slow, but played the middle holes really well,” said Conrad Ray, the Knowles Family Director of Men’s Golf. ““The course was perfect and the greens were fast. Our guys need to understand that we need to stick to our game plan, and there is still a lot of golf left.”

The 13-team field continues the three-day event Friday with live results available at GoStanford.com. The low five teams will advance to the NCAA Championships.

Clubhouse leader Patrick Rodgers was 4-under with six birdies, four coming on the back nine. Rodgers was 1-under heading into the back and added birdies on 10, 12, 13 and 14. He bogeyed the par-4 17th and punched in a par on 18 for his 66.

David Boote is tied for sixth after a 69 on the par-70 course. Boote was 2-over through eight but stormed back with four back-nine birdies.

“Patrick did a nice job leading us today, and it was nice to see Boote turn in a red number,” Ray said.

Viraat Badhwar birdied three of the first five holes on the back nine to move to 2-under. A double bogey on 18 put him at even-par for a share of 11th. Cameron Wilson tied for 14th at 71.

Maverick McNealy was even on the back nine and signed a 73. 


NCAA Regional Background by Gostanford.com
The Lowdown
• No. 3 Stanford enters the NCAA Eugene Regional Championships as the top-seeded squad while seeking the third regional title in program history. Stanford won the title in 1996 and 2010.

• The regional bid is the 16th consecutive for the Cardinal, and Stanford has advanced to the NCAA Championships in six of the last nine seasons.

• Stanford enters the event as winners of three straight tournaments – and four of its last five – along with claiming the program’s first Pac-12 Conference title since 1994. Stanford’s only event without a win was a two-stroke setback to host UNLV at the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters (March 7-9).

• The Cardinal has won five times this season. In the last 17 seasons, only one team surpassed four wins (the 2007 national champion team had seven victories). In 10 tournaments on the season, Stanford has not finished lower than seventh and placed fifth or higher eight times.

• Stanford has won eight national titles and twice been the NCAA runner-up. The Cardinal will be playing for a chance at its first title since 2007.

The Course
• The event will be played at the par-70, 6,990-yard Eugene Country Club, one of six 54-hole regional tournaments conducted May 15-17.

The Field
• Top-seeded Stanford will be joined by Houston, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Baylor, Big South champion Liberty, host Oregon, Tennessee, North Florida, East Tennessee State, UT-Chattanooga, Missouri Valley champion Wichita State and Big Sky champion Northern Colorado.

Last Time at the NCAA Regional Championships – May 16-18, 2013
• Stanford finished seventh at the 2013 NCAA Columbus Regional Championships and failed to advance to the national finale.

• New Mexico won the team title at Ohio State’s Scarlet Course and Stanford was five shots behind fifth-place Texas Tech.

• Patrick Rodgers tied for 18th at 7-over 220.

One Team, Two Ben Hogan Award Finalists
• Cameron Wilson and Patrick Rodgers were named two of three finalists for the Ben Hogan Award, as announced May 7. Rodgers and Wilson are just the second teammates ever named finalists in the same season, joining Peter Uihlein and Kevin Tway of Oklahoma State (2011).

• Georgia Tech’s Ollie Schniederjans is the third finalist, and all three players rank among the top 10 in each of the four ranking systems (the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking, Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings and Golfstat Rankings).

• The trio will attend a black-tie banquet at Texas’ Colonial Country Club on May 18, prior to the start of the PGA Tour’s Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. The winner will be crowned at the banquet, which will be streamed online beginning at 6 p.m. (PT).

• Rodgers is a finalist for the second time in his collegiate career, having previously received an invitation to the Colonial Country Club as a freshman in 2012. The native of Avon, Ind., is the world’s top-ranked amateur golfer according to both the World Amateur Golf Ranking as well as the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking.

• Rodgers is the fourth player ever to earn two trips to Fort Worth as a finalist, joining Georgia’s Chris Kirk (2006, 2007), Oklahoma State’s Rickie Fowler (2008, 2009) and UCLA’s Patrick Cantlay (2011, 2012).

• Heading into the NCAA Regional, Rodgers has five collegiate victories to his credit in 2014 to pull within one of Tiger Woods’ all-time Stanford record for career wins (11). In his last five events, Rodgers has four wins and a runner-up finish. His victories came at the Erin Hills Invitational, The Goodwin, Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters, Prestige at PGA West and Pac-12 Championships.

• Rodgers, the Pac-12 Player of the Year, is currently ranked second in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings and third according to Golfstat. In 10 tournaments this year, he boasts eight top-10 finishes and a stroke average of 69.55. On the amateur circuit, he was a member of the winning United States Walker Cup and Palmer Cup teams last summer and finished with a 5-1-2 record.

• Wilson, who hails from Rowayton, Conn., is ranked second in the Golfstat rankings and fifth by Golfweek/Sagarin. He corralled his first two collegiate wins this season, opening the campaign with a victory at the Illini Invitational at Olympia Fields and then taking medalist honors at the Western Intercollegiate this spring. For the year, he placed among the top 15 in all 10 events, with six of those finishes in the top five.

• The first-team All-Pac-12 selection carded a season average of 69.81 and helped lead Stanford to its first conference title in two decades and a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA West Regional in Eugene, Ore. He was a finalist for the Byron Nelson Award, given to a graduating senior based upon golf and academic achievements as well as character. In addition, he finished first in the U.S. Palmer Cup rankings and will represent the country in June at Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey, England.

• 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 12-month period dating from the previous award’s banquet.

League’s Top Coach and Player
• Patrick Rodgers was named the Pac-12 Conference Men’s Golfer of the Year and Knowles Family Director of Men’s Golf Conrad Ray was tabbed Pac-12 Coach of the Year in a voting by the league’s head coaches on April 28.

• Rodgers is the fourth different Stanford golfer to earn Golfer of the Year honors, and the first since Rob Grube shared the award with Arizona State’s Alejandro Canizares in 2006. A semifinalist for the Hogan Award given annually to the nation’s top collegiate golfer, Rodgers has finished in the top five in six events this season and has placed outside the top 10 just twice in 10 events.

• Ray, in his 10th year as head coach, led Stanford to its eighth Pac-12 Championship and first since 1994. It’s the second time Ray earned league coach of the year honors, having also earned the distinction in 2007.

The Last Time Out
• For the first time in 20 years, Stanford hoisted the Pac-12 Conference Championship trophy.

• Taking a 21-stroke lead into the final round of the 72-hole event at The Gallery Golf Club, the third-ranked Cardinal put it in cruise control with a 2-under 1,438 (362-354-367-355) for the eighth title in program history and first since 1994. In fact, the 1994 title was won 20 years ago just 13 miles south at Tucson National Golf Course.

• Stanford’s showing was 15 strokes better than second-place Washington. It was the largest margin of victory at the Pac-12 Championships since 2009 when Washington won by 18 strokes.
Stanford became the seventh different Pac-12 school to win the conference title since 2004.

• Patrick Rodgers accounted for the program’s 21st individual league medalist honor, the most of any team in the Pac-12. Rodgers finished at 7-under to win by two strokes over Washington’s Cheng-Tsung Pan and has won 10 times in his career, including four this spring.

• Cameron Wilson (72-71-73-68) was third after a spectacular 4-under with five birdies to close the senior’s final conference tournament.

The Next Time Out
• The low five teams and the low individual not on those teams from each regional will advance to the finals. The NCAA Championships will be contested May 23-28 at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kansas. Wichita State is the host institution.

-- #GoStanford --