Sunday, November 5, 2017

Cardinal sends 6 players to the St. Mary's Invitational at Pebble Beach


In the final event of the fall season, Stanford sent 6 players to the St. Mary's Invitational being played at Poppy Hills GC in Pebble Beach against 17 other teams.  Poppy Hills has hosted many top events over the years and is sure to challenge the field.  As the course designer Robert Trent Jones Jr. describes it, "Playing Poppy Hills is as close as you can get to playing a National Park."

The Cardinal team included Brandon Wu, Bradley Knox, Isaiah Salinda, Franklin Huang, Jeffrey Swegle and playing as an individual in his first collegiate event, Nate Menon.

Final Results:
Stanford finished off the fall season with an excellent performance finishing 2nd to USC at 22-under par.  The third round was historic for the Cardinal as it was the first time all 5 players finished under par and with Nate Menon's 70, playing as an individual, all 6 players in round 3 were under par.  This finish bodes well for the depth of the Stanford team headed into the winter and spring season.

Overall Brandon Wu led the way once again to finish in 5th position on round of 70-67-69 206, Franklin Huang finished tied for 8th with his 70-69-69 208, Jeffrey Swegle was tied for 14th with 73-68-67 209, Isaiah Salinda tied for 18th with 72-69-69 210 and Bradley Knox tied for 20th on rounds of 71-72-69 212.  Freshman Nate Menon's individual finish in his first collegiate tournament was tied for 38th with 73-73-70 216.

"It was a close race all day out there, and we fought hard," said Conrad Ray, Stanford's Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf. "USC played a really solid round and were just a little bit better. We had good contributions from everyone on the team, and  think this is good motivation for everyone to get better in the offseason."

Final team standings and 3rd round Stanford scoring are shown below - click on the image to enlarge.

Below is excellent reporting about the event by the Stanford Daily:
“We did a nice job on the par five’s at Poppy Hills,” Stanford head coach Conrad Ray said about his team’s low total. “The conditions were perfect for scoring as well, and after getting out to a solid start in round one, we continued the positive trend.” 
Wu followed the same trend as his team. He started out with a one-under 70 on Monday and then turned in a four-under 67 on Tuesday before finishing with a two-under 69. His seven-under total put him in fifth, but ultimately left him just one shot shy of a tie for second. 
Leading the Cardinal was business as usual for Wu this fall season. He came into the season with tremendous momentum after a big win at the prestigious Porter Cup over the summer. In the fall, he finished first for his team in all four major tournaments, including a tie for second at the Nike Golf Collegiate Invite where he lost by just one stroke to Oregon’s Norman Xiong. The junior had only one over-par round all fall and ended up in the top 12 of every tournament. 
“It has been a huge break out fall for Brandon,” Ray said about his new star. “It is a matter of time before he is in the winner’s circle and neat to see how he has stepped up to be our number-one guy.” 
Though Wu was tremendous, it was the depth and balance of the Cardinal that led them to a high finish at St. Mary’s. All five players recorded top-20 finishes at Poppy Hills. No other school even had five in the top 40. Additionally, the Stanford five all finished within six shots of one another. No other team had less than a nine-shot gap. 
Senior Franklin Huang came in just behind Wu with a five-under total that left him in a tie for eighth. Fellow senior Jeffrey Swegle finished at a four-under tie for 14th, one shot ahead of junior Isaiah Salinda who ended up in a tie for 18th. Rounding out the Cardinal lineup was senior Bradley Knox, who finished in a tie for 20th at one-under.  
“We have the deepest team I have ever had in my years of coaching one to 11,” Ray said about his team’s balance. “Each week, someone new has the ability to win for us and that consistency through the lineup will be a huge factor to take advantage of as the season progresses.” 
The combination of Wu’s consistently solid play at number-one and the team’s strong depth throughout the line-up led to a strong fall season for the Cardinal. Against one of the toughest tournament schedules in Division 1 Golf, Stanford recorded two second place finishes and one tie for sixth. Golfstat has the Cardinal currently ranked 11th in the nation.
“I think our fall results are promising and bode well for a successful spring,” Ray said. “To win, we will need to tighten up our ball-striking and and avoid the occasional big number which plagued some of our guys this fall.”
Final results - click to enlarge
Stanford gets back on the course Feb. 1-3 at the Amer Ari Invitational held in Waikoloa, Hawaii.

Round 2 Results:
Stanford finished round two in 2nd position after a sizzling 11-under par 273 total, 1 stroke behind the leading USC team.  In the second round four Stanford players broke 70 led by a 67 by Brandon Wu (70-67 137 T3), a 68 by Jeffrey Swegle (73-68 141 T22), a pair of 69's shot by Franklin Huang (70-69 139 T10) and Isaiah Salinda (72-69 141 T20) followed by a 72 by Bradley Knox (71-72 143 T26). Playing as an individual, Nate Menon shot a second 73 (73-73 146 T44) and is tied for 44th.

See team and Stanford 2nd round scoring below.
2nd round team and Stanford scoring - click on image to enlarge
Round 1 Results:
Stanford finished round 1 tied for 2nd with a 1-under par 283 total, 2 strokes behind the leading San Francisco team.  The Cardinal was led by a pair of 1-under 70s by Brandon Wu and Franklin Huang who are tied for 8th three shots behind the individual leaders.  Bradley Knox shot an even par 71 to tie for 16th, Isiah Salinda is tied for 26th after a 72 and Jeffrey Swegle's 73 left him tied for 43rd.  Playing as an individual, Nate Menon shot a 73 and is tied for 32nd.

The team started on the back nine and all six players scored much better on their last 9 holes as a team total of 6 birdies on the back nine compared with 14 birdies and an eagle (by Brandon Wu) on the front.  See team scores and Stanford scorecards below - click on the image to enlarge.
Team scores and Stanford 1st round scorecards - click to enlarge

Click to enlarge


Saturday, October 21, 2017

Stanford competes at the Country Club of Georgia


Stanford joins many of the nation's top teams competing in the US Collegiate hosted by Georgia Tech and played at the Golf Club of Georgia in Alpharetta. Top ten teams include Texas A & M, Oklahoma State, Georgia Tech and Oklahoma.

Final Results
Stanford finished tied for 6th against this elite field, 11 strokes behind Oklahoma State at 16-under par after rounds of 285-281-282 and a 848 total.

Brandon Wu led the way with a 5-under par 211 (71-71-69 211) total to finish tied for 12th followed by Franklin Huang who tied for 23rd with his rounds of 68-70-74 212.  Jeffrey Swegle (73-71-72 216) and Henry Shimp (77-69-70 216) tied for 44th and Isaiah Salinda tied for 54th after rounds of 73-75-71 and his total of 219.

Scoring by the top 9 teams and their players is shown below - click on the image to enlarge:
Final team and player results - click to enlarge
Stanford has shown excellent depth on the team after its first three events as 8 different players have competed in the starting 5 including two freshmen, Henry Shimp and Ashwin Arasu.  Next up will be the final fall tournament at Poppy Hills GC in Pebble Beach, CA November 6-8.

Round 1 and 2 Scoring
The Cardinal is tied for 7th after posting two rounds at 10-under par at the Country Club of Georgia Collegiate hosted by Georgia Tech 13 strokes behind the leader Wake Forest.  The team and player scoring for the first two rounds are shown below - click on image to enlarge.  The host course is a par 72 playing at 7,017 yards.

Franklin Huang led the way with rounds of 68-70 138 to tie for 9th at 6-under par.  Brandon Wu followed by a 2-under 142 total on rounds of 71-71 to tie for 32nd.  Jeffrey Swegle is at even par 144 with rounds of 73-71 to tie for 43rd position, Henry Shimp is tied for 53rd after rounds of 77-69 146 and Isaiah Salinda tied for 65th at 148 after rounds of 73-75.
Team scoring - click to enlarge
Stanford player scoring - click on image to enlarge

Monday, October 2, 2017

Cardinal competes at the Nike Collegiate at Pumpkin Ridge GC in Oregon



Final Results:
The Cardinal finished in 2nd place, 3 strokes behind Oklahoma, after a final round 3-under par 281 team total.  Stanford had team totals of 274-273-281 828 resulting in a strong 24-under par final result. The 828 team total was lower than all but one tournament in the prior 2016-17 season.  The 24-under par finish was lower than any tournament last season.

No. 7 Oklahoma (-27) won the three-day, 54-hole tournament at the par-71, 7,017-yard track, as the defending national champions traded leads with Stanford throughout the final round. Stanford (-24) was six strokes clear of third-place No. 12 Vanderbilt.

"It was an honor to go toe-to-toe with the defending national champions today," said Conrad Ray, Stanford's Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf. "We had a chance on a really good golf course against a very strong field, and that's all we can ask for. Winning as a team takes experience, and I think these guys this year are up for more to come."

Among the 15-team field, Stanford (274-273-281), which led after two rounds, also outplayed the likes of No. 3 Wake Forest, No. 5 Florida, No. 17 Duke, No. 20 Texas and No. 23 USC.


Brandon Wu led the way with an outstanding tournament finishing 1 stroke out of the first place individually to tie for 2nd at 12-under par with rounds of 65-66-70 201 (T2).  Brandon's 201 total was lower than any tournament score by a Stanford player in the 2016-17 season.  Isaiah Salinda also had a solid tournament as he tied for 7th overall on rounds of 66-69-70 205 (T5).  Isaiah's 205 total was bettered only one time by a Stanford player last season.

Bradley Knox finished strong to tie for 27th overall on rounds of 73-71-68  212 (T27), Jeffrey Swegle finished tied for 33rd with rounds of 70-69-75 214 (T33) and freshman Ashwin Arasu had a fine start to his college career tying for 38th place after rounds of 73-69-73 215 (T38).

The Cardinal travels next to Georgia for the US Collegiate held October 20-22.

Final team finishes and 3rd round scoring is shown below - click on the image to enlarge.
Final team results and 3rd round Stanford scorecards - click to enlarge
Round 2 Results:
Stanford moved into the 2nd round lead by two over Oklahoma firing the low round of the day, an 11-under par 273.  Brandon Wu again led the way with a 66 (65-66 131 1st) to take the individual lead.  Three other Cardinal teammates shot 69 on the day, namely Isiah Salinda (66-69 135 T5), Jeffrey Swegle (70-69 139 5th), and freshman Ashwin Arasu (73-69 142 T31).  Bradley Knox had an even par 71 (73-71 144 47th) to complete the scoring.

Brandon Wu's 2nd round included 7 birdies and 2 bogies while Isaiah Salinda included a brilliant 29 on the back nine to offset a 40 on the front nine.

Stanford scores and team standings are shown below - click on the image to enlarge.
Round 2 scoring - click to enlarge
Stanford scorecards for round 2 - click to enlarge


Round 1 Results:
Stanford finishes round one of the Nike Golf Collegiate Invite in second place at 10-under par 272, trailing Oklahoma by two strokes.  The Nike event is being played at the acclaimed Pumpkin Ridge GC Witch Hollow course outside of Portland, a course that has hosted national competitions over the years.  

The Cardinal was led by hot rounds by Brandon Wu with a 6-under par 65 (tied for 2nd) and Isaiah Salinda's 66 (tied for 4th).  Jeffrey Swegle is tied for 23rd after his 1-under par 70 and Bradley Knox and freshman Ashwin Arasu each had 73 and tied for 46th.  Arasu's round was his first as a collegiate golfer.

Brandon Wu's round included 6 birdies and no bogies while Isiah Salinda nearly matched that with 5 birdies and also no bogies.

A total of 5 Pac-12 teams are entered as well as several other highly ranked teams from around the country.

Saturday, September 16, 2017

2017-18 season gets underway at Olympia Fields near Chicago



The 2017-18 official season gets underway for Stanford pitting it's preseason ranking at #13 against a very strong national field on the highly acclaimed Olympia Fields Country Club, which has hosted a number of major championships over the years.  The field includes three teams from the Pac-12 and 8 of the top 13 preseason ranked teams.

The traveling squad for this first tournament includes seniors Franklin Huang and Bradley Knox, juniors Brandon Wu and Isaiah Salinda and sophomore Henry Shimp.  After the first round, Stanford is tied for 10th in the 15 team field, 10 strokes behind the 3 co-leaders, Alabama, Oklahoma State and Baylor.

FINAL RESULTS:
Led by a very solid tied for 6th finish by Brandon Wu (72-68-67 207 T6), Stanford finishes in 11th place 31 strokes behind the winning Texas A & M team.

Henry Shimp completed a good tournament as he tied for 25th on rounds of 70-72-74 216 T25, followed by Bradley Knox with 72-74-77 223 to tie for 53rd.  Franklin Huang was tied for 63rd on rounds of 79-72-77 228 T74 while Isaiah Salinda finished with rounds of 76-77-74 229 to tie for 67th.

Full team results and final round scorecards are shown below - click to enlarge:
Final team results and Cardinal scorecards - click to enlarge
ROUND TWO RESULTS:
Stanford moved up one spot to 9th after completing a 6-over 286 team total leaving them 16 strokes behind Alabama.  The Cardinal was led by a 2-under par 68 from Brandon Wu (72-68 140 T12) followed by rounds of 72 by Henry Shimp (70-72 142 T21) and Franklin Huang (79-72 151 T58).  Bradley Knox had a 74 (72-74 146 T37) and Isiah Salinda a 79 (76-79 155 T68).

Team results and Stanford 2nd round scorecards are shown below - click to enlarge:
Second round team results and Stanford scorecards - click to enlarge


ROUND ONE RESULTS:
The first round team standings and Stanford hole-by-hole results are shown below --- click on the image to enlarge.

First round team scoring and Stanford scorecards - click to enlarge

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Stanford competes in the NCAA Championship at Rich Harvest Farms

The 30-team field - click to enlarge
Round 3 Results:
SUGAR GROVE, Ill. - The careers of two of the finest student-athletes to play for the Stanford men's golf program came to a close Sunday after the third round of the NCAA Championships.

Seniors Maverick McNealy and Viraat Badhwar, who represented Stanford with class on and off the course, sank their final putts in a Cardinal uniform and tipped their caps to the crowd on the 18th green at Rich Harvest Farms. The pair helped lead Stanford to three Pac-12 tournament titles and four NCAA appearances over the past four seasons.

McNealy, this year's Ben Hogan Award winner who leaves Stanford tied for the program record with 11 career wins, posted rounds of 76-71-74 to finish tied for 76th at 5-over on the par-72 track. His final 18 holes included four birdies.

Badhwar (73-73-74) tied for 71st at 4-over and rolled in an eight-footer for birdie on his final hole.

Fourth-seeded Stanford (293-287-299) missed out on the 15-team cut and a chance to advance to Monday's final round of stroke play by eight shots. The Cardinal placed 20th and was 15-over through 54 holes of play.

"We fought hard and we were in the mix today," said Conrad Ray, Stanford's Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf. "We got off to a decent start, but we hit it into some bad spots when the wind got tough out there.

"Maverick and Viraat have been amazing role models and a pleasure to coach. They're student-athletes through and through, and they've definitely left their marks on our program."


Golfweek.com posted an excellent wrap up with comments from McNealy and Coach Ray:
“Disappointing round, disappointing finish,” said McNealy, whose third-round, 2-over 74 put the finishing touches on a 5-over performance for the week. (Stanford finishes at 15 over, eight back of UCF for the final team spot in Monday’s final round of stroke play.)
“… I couldn’t have imagined a better four years. Very mixed emotions. I’m sad it’s all over, but excited for whatever comes next.”
McNealy, 21, has a bright future in which ever route he chooses to take: pro golf or the business world. The decision hasn’t been made yet, but McNealy says he’s getting closer. For now, he’ll take a couple of days off before returning to practice. He’ll play in the Palmer Cup next month before teeing it up in the U.S. Open at Erin Hills.
“I’m right back into practicing, and need to work on the putting and get that going in the right direction,” said McNealy, who said he lost six shots on the greens the first two rounds. “I’m hitting it great. I think my game is trending in the right direction. This was really my first setback in the last couple of months, based on how my game is going.
“… I want to play again. I want more reps. I want to put some good tournaments together and hit some good shots when I need to, and I think that will build on itself.”
“We had a great team this year,” Ray said. “Obviously at the NCAAs, you’ve got to bring it when it really matters under the bright lights, and our guys didn’t have their best stuff this week.
“… I do think the nature of the guys we have, they’re really analytical, really bright, really smart guys, they work hard, and I think that sometimes there’s a little bit of going down the double-black diamond at NCAAs, and you’ve got to kind of let it go and not control it so much.”
Stanford's highest finisher was Isaiah Salinda, who made most of his NCAA debut. Salinda (71-71-74) tied for 44th, and followed a double-bogey on 17 with a 55-foot birdie putt on the 18th to put the finishing touches on his sophomore season.

Franklin Huang (74-73-77) was 8-over and tied for 104th. Brandon Wu (75-72-81) was 12-over for the tournament and tied for 125th.

Stanford finished the season with two team wins, including a share of the title at the NCAA Regional Championships contested at Stanford Golf Course. 


Round 3 team results are shown below - click on image to enlarge.
Round three Team results - click on image to enlarge

Round Two Results:
The team totals through two rounds are shown below - click on the image to enlarge.
Team standings are two rounds - click to enlarge
Stanford faces an uphill climb to move on to match play (top 8 teams) as it's tied for 16th, 18 strokes behind leading UNLV and 12 strokes behind the top 8 teams.  To make the 54-hole cut Stanford needs to move into the top 15 teams.

After arriving at the course at 4:30 a.m. local time to finish its first round, the Cardinal turned right back around and grinded out another 18.

"I'm happy our guys hung in there," said Conrad Ray, Stanford's Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf. "It was tough sledding this morning with the early wakeup call. We had to play the last four holes on the course, which have been some of the toughest for the field.

"Our guys didn't give up, and I was proud of them for that."


The morning conditions made for long and wet rough, which gave the Cardinal a touch of trouble while completing its first round.

Stanford started its second round on the back nine, posting bogey or worse on 14 occasions between the five competing student-athletes. The final nine holes were nearly flawless, with seven birdies countered by only bogey.


Leading the way with solid play for the Cardinal at 2-under par is Isaiah Salinda  (71-71 142 T28) followed by Viraat Badhwar  at 2-over par (73-73 146 T75.  The season's top three players all are tied for 80th position  at 3-over par as Maverick McNealy shot 76-71 147, Franklin Huang shot 74-73 147 and Brandon Wu shot 75-72 147.

The individual leader from Texas is Scottie Sheffler at 8-under par on rounds of 68-68 136.

The following weather forecast for round three calls for blustery conditions and possible thunderstorms Sunday morning - Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms in the morning. High near 75F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.

Round One Results (partial)
The course conditions were less than ideal at Rich Harvest Farms when the Stanford men's golf team opened the stroke play portion of the NCAA Championships on Friday. Battling an extended weather delay and steady drizzles, Stanford was unable to complete its first round.

With all five student-athletes still yet to play the final few holes, Stanford is tied for 17th with Arizona State at 2-over.

Clubhouse leader Vanderbilt is 8-under.

Before play was suspended due to darkness, a pair of delays totaled three hours and one minute, resulting in half the field being unable to complete their opening round.

Viraat Badhwar and Isaiah Salinda are tied for 41st at even-par through 16 holes. Brandon Wu is 1-over through 16 and Franklin Huang is 1-over through 15. Wu birdied two of his final three holes before play was stalled.

Maverick McNealy is 3-over through 14 holes.

Auburn posted the low round of the day among the morning wave of 15 teams, recording a 6-under 282. Ole Miss and Alabama are tied for the second-best round of the morning as the Rebels and Crimson Tide each posted a 1-under 287.

Braden Thornberry of Ole Miss is the leader in the clubhouse after carding a 6-under 66. Thornberry, who recorded six birdies and no bogies in his round, tied the course collegiate record set by Zach Seabolt of Winthrop in the first round of the 2014 Northern Intercollegiate and Thomas Detry of Illinois in the second round of the 2015 Northern Intercollegiate.

First-round play will resume Saturday morning at 4:30 a.m. PT, followed by second-round play beginning at 5:15 a.m.


Background
Stanford sends out the following players to compete in the NCAA Championship - Maverick McNealy, Franklin Huang, Brandon Wu, Isaiah Salinda and Viraat Badhwar.

Fourth-seeded Stanford will make its fourth straight appearance at the NCAA Men's Golf Championships when it tees off at Rich Harvest Farms on Friday. The Cardinal enters the tournament after winning the NCAA Stanford Regional (May 15-17) at Stanford Golf Course.

On Wednesday, the top-ranked Stanford women’s golf team was eliminated in the semifinals of match play on the same course.
“It’s fun to watch the girls, cheer them on and imagine being in that position a week from now,” Ray said on Tuesday. “But there’s a lot of golf that needs to go on — and good golf, that is — between now and then.”
McNealy played at Rich Harvest Farms in the 2015 Palmer Cup, helping a collection of American college golfers defeat their European counterparts.
“It’s very challenging,” McNealy said of the links course. “When we played there, the rough was really thick. You need to hit the fairways. There’s some incredibly tight tee shots and it seems like there’s such a variety in terms of the type of hole that you get, that it tests all parts of your game.”
“I think it’s just all about hitting good golf shots,” Ray said. “It is a ball striker’s course. You have to manage your golf ball well and keep it out of the rough. Avoid big numbers, which I think are lurking if you hit the tee ball off line. So I think it’s really more about just strategy and management.”
* The Cardinal has won eight NCAA titles, the most recent earned in 2007.

* Conrad Ray, the Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf, is taking his team to its 10th appearance in the NCAA Championships in 13 years at the helm.

The Format
* Finals play consists of three days of stroke play from May 26-28, after which the top 15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team will be determined. That is followed by a final day of 18 holes of stroke play on May 29 to determine the top eight teams that will advance to match play, as well as the 72-hole individual champion. The team national champion will be determined by a match-play format that will consist of quarterfinals and semifinals conducted May 30, followed by finals on May 31.

The Field
* This season's field includes 30 teams and six individuals. USC is the top-seeded team, followed by Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt and Stanford. Four Pac-12 teams are competing including Oregon and ASU.

The Host
* Northern Illinois will serve as the host school for the NCAA Championships, with the event being contested at Rich Harvest Farms.

The Course
* Jerry and Betty Rich's dream began to develop when their amassed farms, a 1,820-acre showcase of nature and agriculture, gave way to one golf hole and a practice area. Then three holes. Then six. After interviewing five architects, Jerry discovered he could draw the plans himself -- and did. He even hired a construction company that had never before built a golf course. Though influenced by Augusta National and the encouragement of friends Bob Murphy and Sam Snead, Jerry also took inspiration from Dick Wilson's Pine Tree in Florida. In 1987, Jerry began the development of Rich Harvest Farms, and 10 years later, all 18 holes were completed.

* The course plays through wooded hillsides and open fields, making use of the natural streams and wetlands. Maintained natural areas and over 100 bunkers add strategic value and visual appeal. Rich
Harvest Farms offers some of the country's most challenging and unique golf holes. It was rated fifth-best new private golf course by Golf Digest in 1997 and now is consistently ranked in Golf Digest's America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses. 

Saturday, May 13, 2017

Stanford hosts NCAA Regional as a #1 Seed


23 team field - click to enlarge
Final Results:
STANFORD, Calif. - Top-seeded Stanford shared the NCAA Men’s Golf Stanford Regional Championships crown with Baylor, as the 54-hole event concluded Wednesday at Stanford Golf Course.

With the win, the Cardinal advances to the NCAA Championships (May 26-31) in Sugar Grove, Illinois.

Stanford (271-278-274) has won three consecutive regional crowns and five overall in the program’s history.

“It was good to defend our home turf and pick up another win,” said Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf Conrad Ray, who now had led his team to a 10th appearance in the NCAA Championships in 13 years at the helm. “Our goal was to win the day, and we did it by posting the low team score. We had a lot of solid contributions across the board, and Maverick (McNealy) played solid for us. We’ve all got some added motivation heading into the NCAA Championships.”
The Cardinal trailed Baylor by seven strokes heading into the final round of the three-day event, and went 6-under to match the Bears’ final 17-under total.

Pepperdine (-5), Oklahoma (-3) and North Carolina (+3) also advanced to the NCAA Championships. Individual Travis Trace (-2) of North Florida also earned bid to the national finale.

Oklahoma’s Brad Dalke (-12) took home medalist honors, with Baylor’s Cooper Dossey (-9) claiming second. Maverick McNealy (-8) was third in his final home appearance.  McNealy shot an even par 70 (65-67-70 202 3rd) on his final round despite 3 double bogies which were offset by 4 birdies  and an eagle on the day.

Franklin Huang (67-71-68) and Brandon Wu (70-71-65) tied for fourth at 4-under. Wu’s 65, which included only one bogey, was the best score on the day by any player.

Viraat Badhwar (70-69-71) tied for 12th at even-par and Isaiah Salinda (69-71-72) was 2-over for 20th.

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.

Final results are shown below - click on image to enlarge.
Top 10 team and individual scoring - click to enlarge
Round Two Results:
STANFORD, Calif. – Baylor grabbed the lead Tuesday with a 15-under-par 265 Tuesday at Stanford Golf Course, matching the single-round team record at the NCAA Stanford Regional Championships. The Bears jumped ahead of top-seeded Stanford, as the Cardinal went 2-under beneath overcast skies.

The Bears equaled the mark set by San Diego State, when the Aztecs combined for a 265 in the second round of the 2012 NCAA Stanford Regional.

Baylor (277-265) leads the 13-team field at 18-under, seven strokes ahead of the host Cardinal (271-278). Pepperdine is 5-under and Oklahoma is 3-under.  The top ten teams are shown below - click on image to enlarge.  The low 5 teams advance to the NCAA Championship

Top 10 teams after round 2
The three-day event at Stanford Golf Course concludes Wednesday with Stanford starting on the first tee at 9:15 a.m.

Maverick McNealy paced Stanford for the second straight round, firing a 3-under 67. He was 3-under until a double-bogey on the par-3 eighth, and recovered by going 2-under on the back nine.

McNealy, 8-under overall, trails only clubhouse leader Brad Dalke of Oklahoma for medalist honors. Dalke (-11) followed Monday’s round of 65 with a 64, as the latter included a pair of bogeys.

Dalke’s round was bettered by Georgia Tech’s Luke Schniederjans, whose 62 was the lowest individual round ever at an NCAA Regional event contested on Stanford’s home course. Both San Diego State’s J.J. Spaun (2012) and BYU’s Oscar Alvarez (2005) shot 63 during regional action on The Farm.

Schniederjans, the younger brother of PGA Tour professional, Ollie, also claimed the lowest score during a collegiate competition at Stanford Golf Course since Cardinal legend Patrick Rodgers’ 63 recorded during The Goodwin in 2014.

Another Cardinal to the Schniederjan family: Cameron Wilson won the 2014 NCAA individual title when he birdied the third hole of a playoff against Ollie.

Still standing is the Stanford Golf Course record 59 set by Viraat Badhwar in 2015. Badhwar moved into 13th place Tuesday with a 1-under 69. He eagled the par-5 seventh by starting with a high draw over the tree-lined left side of the fairway, using a hot bounce for a 160-yard approach shot. He put his 9-iron to 11 feet and drained the birdie putt.

The eagle resulted in a five-shot swing from Badhwar’s triple-bogey on the same hole one round prior.

Franklin Huang (t-8th), Isaiah Salinda (t-17th) and Brandon Wu (t-27th) each finished their second round with a 1-over 71.


Round One Results:
STANFORD, Calif. – Baylor grabbed the lead Tuesday with a 15-under-par 265 Tuesday at Stanford Golf Course, matching the single-round team record at the NCAA Stanford Regional Championships. The Bears jumped ahead of top-seeded Stanford, as the Cardinal went 2-under beneath overcast skies.

The Bears equaled the mark set by San Diego State, when the Aztecs combined for a 265 in the second round of the 2012 NCAA Stanford Regional.

Baylor (277-265) leads the 13-team field at 18-under, seven strokes ahead of the host Cardinal (271-278). Pepperdine is 5-under and Oklahoma is 3-under.

The three-day event at Stanford Golf Course concludes Wednesday as Stanford will tee off starting on hole #1 at 9:15 a.m.

Maverick McNealy paced Stanford for the second straight round, firing a 3-under 67. He was 3-under until a double-bogey on the par-3 eighth, and recovered by going 2-under on the back nine.

McNealy, 8-under overall, trails only clubhouse leader Brad Dalke of Oklahoma for medalist honors. Dalke (-11) followed Monday’s round of 65 with a 64, as the latter included a pair of bogeys.

Dalke’s round was bettered by Georgia Tech’s Luke Schniederjans, whose 62 was the lowest individual round ever at an NCAA Regional event contested on Stanford’s home course. Both San Diego State’s J.J. Spaun (2012) and BYU’s Oscar Alvarez (2005) shot 63 during regional action on The Farm.

Schniederjans, the younger brother of PGA Tour professional, Ollie, also claimed the lowest score during a collegiate competition at Stanford Golf Course since Cardinal legend Patrick Rodgers’ 63 recorded during The Goodwin in 2014.

Another Cardinal to the Schniederjan family: Cameron Wilson won the 2014 NCAA individual title when he birdied the third hole of a playoff against Ollie.

Still standing is the Stanford Golf Course record 59 set by Viraat Badhwar in 2015. Badhwar moved into 13th place Tuesday with a 1-under 69. He eagled the par-5 seventh by starting with a high draw over the tree-lined left side of the fairway, using a hot bounce for a 160-yard approach shot. He put his 9-iron to 11 feet and drained the birdie putt.

The eagle resulted in a five-shot swing from Badhwar’s triple-bogey on the same hole one round prior.

Franklin Huang (t-8th), Isaiah Salinda (t-17th) and Brandon Wu (t-27th) each finished their second round with a 1-over 71.


Round One Results
STANFORD, Calif. - On the opening day of its 19th consecutive NCAA Men's Golf Regional Championships appearance, No. 8 Stanford blew ahead of the 13-team field by registering an astounding 9-under-par 271. Sitting six strokes better than second-place Baylor, the Cardinal received rounds of even-par or better from each of its five student-athletes.

The Cardinal is seeking a fifth regional title, and third in as many seasons, while playing host to the event at Stanford Golf Course. The par-70 course is playing at 6,727 yards for the NCAA Regional Championships.

The Cardinal won its last outing on its home course -- The Goodwin -- contested this past April.

"We're excited about the good start today, and tomorrow should prove to be a good test," said Conrad Ray, Stanford's Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf. "The conditions got tougher as the day went on -- the greens got firmer and the wind came up. But we putted well on the back nine and made a lot of birdies, and hopefully we can keep it rolling."

Monday's round featured a 5-under 65 from All-American Maverick McNealy, who grew up playing the course while being raised in nearby Portola Valley. McNealy's score was matched by Oklahoma's Brad Dalke to lead the medalist race.

With 11 career wins under his belt and chasing a school-record 12th, the standout round could be a welcoming sign of what's to come for McNealy.

"I hit the ball well today," McNealy said. "I haven't hit the ball this well since this same time during my sophomore year."

His round picked up momentum on the 483-yard, par-4 second. After hitting his drive left on the first hole and lipping out a birdie putt, his drive on the second found the middle of the fairway and he lofted a soft 5-iron to five feet. He buried the putt for the first of four birdies on the front nine. McNealy finished his round with birdies on three of the final five holes, and his seven birdies were the most of any player on the day.

Franklin Huang (-3) was two strokes behind McNealy and tied for third. Four birdies during a six-hole stretch in the middle of his round helped make him one of three Cardinal to finish in the top 10.

Huang's drive on the 351-yard, par-4 11th rested 50 yards short of the green. A nippy pitch had some hook spin to settle seven feet from the pin, which he converted into a birdie. Huang was the only Cardinal to birdie the par-4 12th.

Isaiah Salinda, tied for 10th, had 228 yards into the green on the 539-yard, par-5 seventh. He hit a 3-iron to 25 feet and made the putt to get his round going. He birdied 11 and 14, and had an eagle chance on 16 that resulted in a tap-in birdie. Salinda carded a 1-under 69.

Tied for 17th, Brandon Wu was his steady self with an even-par 70. Also tied for 17th at even-par is Viraat Badhwar, whose first birdie on the par-4 sixth came with an added surprise. His mother, who traveled to Stanford from India, arrived in time to see his tee shot on the sixth tee.

"That was the first time I had seen my mom in five months, which was cool," Badhwar said. "That got me going."


Background
NCAA Regional held at the Stanford Golf Course, May 15-17, 2017
Cardinal Contingent • Maverick McNealy, Franklin Huang, Brandon Wu, Isaiah Salinda, Viraat Badhwar

The Lowdown
• No. 8 Stanford plays host to the NCAA Stanford Regional Championships after finishing second in the Pac-12 Championships. The Cardinal won its last outing on its home course -- The Goodwin -- contested this past April.

• The regional bid is the 19th consecutive for the Cardinal, and Stanford has advanced to the NCAA Championships in nine of the past 12 seasons.

• Stanford seeks the fifth regional title in program history. Stanford won the regional title in 1996, 2010, 2015 and 2016

• 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 Field
• Stanford, the region’s No. 1 seed, will welcome Baylor, Oklahoma, Georgia Tech, Pepperdine, North Carolina, North Florida, BYU, Houston, Ohio State, UC Santa Barbara, Sacramento State and South Dakota State. Individuals include Collin Morikawa (Cal), Hayden Shieh (Santa Clara), David Kim (UC Irvine), Justin Doeden (Minnesota), Andres Gonzalez (Long Beach State), Felix Mory (Cal State Northridge), Fidel Concepcion (Southern Utah), Grant Booth (Nevada), Brian Humphreys (Boise State) and Mike Graboyes (Cornell).

The Course
• Located in the foothills overlooking Stanford’s campus, Stanford University Golf Course is consistently rated as one of the finest courses in the world.
• The par-70 course will play at 6,727 yards for the NCAA Stanford Regional Championships.

• Designed in 1930 by renowned architects William Bell and George Thomas, the course is steeped in tradition. Throughout the years, Stanford has hosted many intercollegiate and non-collegiate events, including the Stanford Intercollegiate, Peg Barnard Intercollegiate, Pac-10 Championships, NCAA Regional Championships, NCAA Women’s Championship, USGA Junior Amateur Qualifying, U.S. Open Qualifying and The Gathering at the Farm, a former Senior PGA Tour event.
• Stanford University Golf Course seen many influential golfers on its grounds throughout the years. Such notables include Tom Watson, Tiger Woods, Bob Rosburg, Notah Begay III, Casey Martin and former USGA presidents Sandy Tatum, Grant Spaeth and Walter Driver.

The Format
• The regional tournament will feature 54 holes of play (18 on Monday, 18 on Tuesday, 18 on Wednesday). The low five teams and low three individuals not on those teams will advance to the NCAA Championships at Rich Harvest Farms (May 26-31) in Sugar Grove, Illinois.

Friday, April 28, 2017

Pac-12 Championship in Boulder, Colorado



Final Results:
Stanford nearly overcame both weather delays and an 11-shot deficit on the final day of the Pac-12 Conference Championships, but checked out of the event Sunday with a second-place finish. The Cardinal cut title-winning Oregon's lead to one stroke during the final round before cooling off and bowing out with a three-shot defeat.

The three-day, 72-hole event at Boulder Country Club was trimmed to only 54 holes due to a series of weather delays, including several inches of snow throughout the tournament.

After hovering around 50 degrees for Thursday and most of Friday, temperatures dropped late Friday afternoon and snow began to fall, suspending play before all teams finished their second rounds. The freezing temperatures left several inches of snow on the ground on Saturday, and no golf was played. But on Sunday the weather cooperated, hitting 60 degrees and melting the snow to allow for play to continue, as players completed Friday’s play before starting their final rounds.

"I'm proud of the guys and their tenacity," said Conrad Ray, Stanford's Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf. "Oregon played well in challenging conditions over the last five or six holes. We had a chance, and that's all we can ask for after being quite a big behind to start the round.

"We hope that we can carry this momentum and success into the NCAA Regional Championships."

Stanford was 26-over through the second round -- which began Friday afternoon and ended Sunday morning after play was resumed after a day-long delay -- and was the only team to shoot under par in the final round. Stanford's closing 8-under 342 was the best score by any team in any round in the tournament.

The Cardinal (363-363-342) was 18-over as a unit, three shots behind defending national champion Oregon. Washington and USC tied for third at 32-over.

Oregon, which won its first outright league golf title since 1959, was led by medalist Wyndham Clark's 4-under 206. Stanford didn't make it easy on Clark, and stayed on his tail throughout after the final round began with a shotgun start. Franklin Huang made it a race to the end, coming out of the gate with birdies on three of the first four holes. Huang's only bogey on the day came at the par-4 14th.

Huang (72-68-69) tied for second with USC's Rico Hoey at 1-under.

Maverick McNealy, who started on the third hole, was 2-under through the 14th. He left nothing on the course, dunking an eagle on the par-4 first, then finishing with a birdie on the par-5 second hole for a 5-under 65.

McNealy was 30th among individuals heading into the final round, and jumped all the way to fourth after rounds of 71-77-65. He was 3-over for the tournament.

Brandon Wu (76-71-68 and Isaiah Salinda (75-73-67) tied for ninth at 5-over. Wu had an incredible spurt with five birdies over a mid-round, six-hole stretch. Salinda was 4-under after making the turn, giving one shot back before ending the day.

Bradley Knox (70-76-74) tied for 31st and 10-over and Viraat Badhwar (75-74-75) tied for 47th at 14-over.

Stanford Golf Course will be one of six sites to play host to the NCAA Regional Championships (May 15-17). Team selections for the six sites will be made Thursday.

Final top 9 team and individual results are shown below - click on image to enlarge.
Final results of top 9 teams - click to enlarge
Rounds 1 and 2 Results:
Top seven team and player results after the first day of 36 holes are shown below as Stanford finished in third place 10 strokes behind Oregon and 7 behind Washington.  Play was suspended for darkness with four groups having 1-3 holes remaining to play on day two.  A recap by gostanford.com is provided below.
Click on image to enlarge
Snow, wind and rain led to more bogeys than birdies Friday for the Stanford men’s golf team when it opened the Pac-12 Conference Championships at Boulder Country Club. The Cardinal played 36 holes with precipitation coming down from all directions in the morning hours, though conditions became relatively steady later in the day.

Play was suspended due to darkness, with all but four groups finishing.

Stanford, seeking its fourth straight Pac-12 title, shots consecutive rounds of 13-over 363. Defending national champion Oregon leads the 12-team field at 16-over, followed by Washington (+19) and Stanford (+26).

Oregon’s Wyndham Clark and Washington’s Carl Yuan are pacing the medalist race at 2-under.

Franklin Huang (72-69) leads all Cardinal at 1-over. He was 4-under in his second round through 13 holes until scattering three bogeys over the final stretch. Huang is tied for fourth.

The Cardinal was nine shots off the pace through 18 holes. Bradley Knox was tied for fourth with an even-par 70 and Maverick McNealy shot a 1-over 71. Knox had one of four eagles registered by the field in the opening round, connecting in three shots on the 585-yard, par-5 second hole.

McNealy, tied for 30th through 36 holes, responded with a 7-over 77 and Knox, tied for 16th, had a 6-over 76 in the second round.

Brandon Wu helped right the ship with rounds of 76-71, good for 25th. Isaiah Salinda (75-73) is tied for 30th with McNealy, and Viraat Badhwar (+9) is tied for 36th after rounds of 75-74.

Background
* Stanford, the three-time defending Pac-12 champion, aims for an unprecedented fourth title when it heads to the Pac-12 Championships this week in Boulder, Colorado.

* The Cardinal could become the first program to win four consecutive Pac-12 crowns since Arizona State copped six from 1995-2000.

* Colorado will serve as host of the 58th annual Pac-12 Championships. It's the first time in 45 years the Buffaloes have entertained a conference championship, dating to 1972 when Colorado was a member of the Big Eight Conference.

* The Pac-12 is led by three top-10 teams in No. 1 USC, No. 8 Stanford, No. 10 Oregon, No. 22 Arizona State and No. 25 Colorado.

* According to Golfstat's statistical rankings for average score, six of the NCAA's top 10 individuals hail from the Pac-12 -- No. 1 Wyndham Clark of Oregon (69.54), No. 4 Collin Morikawa of California (69.78), No. 6 Maverick McNealy of Stanford, No. 7 Jared du Toit of Arizona State (69.88), No. 9 Norman Xiong of Oregon (70.14) and No. 10 Sean Crocker of USC (70.15).

* McNealy, the Pac-12 medalist in 2015 and current top-ranked amateur in the world, will look to become the first Pac-12 golfer to earn medalist honors multiple times since Arizona State's Paul Casey won three straight titles from 1998-2000.

* Stanford enters the event having posted a top-four finish in six events on the season. McNealy leads individuals with five top-10 finishes, including his record-tying 11th tournament victory at the Nike Collegiate. He matches Tiger Woods and Patrick Rodgers on the school's all-time wins list.

* McNealy has shot 69 or better in 14 of 23 rounds on the season. Junior Franklin Huang (71.57) and sophomore Brandon Wu (72.00) have combined for nine top-10 finishes.

The Format
* Seventy-two holes of stroke play 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 threesomes to ensure competition is completed on time. Boulder Country Club will have a 7,129-yard, par-70 configuration for the tournament, with the elevation at the club of 5,220 feet -- the highest for a men's championship in conference history.

* In the event of a tie for the team championship, NCAA team tie-breaking procedures shall be followed to determine the champion.

* 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.

The History
* Stanford captured the inaugural Pac-12 title in 1960 and has since won the conference championships in 1968, 1970, 1974, 1977, 1992, 1994, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

2016 * The Country Club (Salt Lake City, Utah)
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 1996, Tiger Woods' 61 at the par-72 Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach, California, was the second-lowest single round score in the history of the Pac-12 Championships. Only Paul Casey's collegiate-record 60 in the 1999 league tournament was lower. Woods fired a Pac-12 Championships record 11-under in his round.

Friday, April 7, 2017

Famed Pasatiempo course challenges 7 Cardinal players

Teams and Stanford players - click to enlarge

FINAL RESULTS:
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – Bradley Knox, Maverick McNealy and Isaiah Salinda finished among the top five individuals and Stanford placed second in the Western Intercollegiate, which wrapped up Sunday at Pasatiempo Golf Club. Stanford (351-347-370) was 18-over in one of the longest-running men’s golf championships in the United States, with Pac-12 Conference foe USC winning the event at even-par.

The 54-hole event spanned two days, with team scores calculated by a play-six, score-five format. The tournament featured an incredible five holes-in-one, including one buried in consecutive rounds by Cal’s William Aldred.

McNealy, who won the tournament in 2016, made a run at medalist honors this year but took a step back by going 3-over during his final three holes. McNealy (68-68-74) was fourth at even-par and USC’s Justin Suh bested the field at 5-under to take home the title.

Salinda (69-66-76) and Knox (71-70-70) tied for fifth at 1-over, with Knox moving up six spots from his standing through 36 holes. Salinda punctuated his outing with an eagle on the par-4, 378-yard fourth hole.

Franklin Huang (71-71-74) held it down in 24th at 6-over, and Brandon Wu (72-72-76) was 44th. Jeffrey Swegle (74-75-72), competing as an individual, was 11-over and took 47th.

Viraat Badhwar (77-74-76) was 17-over.

Stanford turns it attention to the Pac-12 Championships (April 28-30) in Boulder, Colorado. The three-time defending champion is seeking an unprecedented fourth straight league crown.


A final scoreboard showing the top 9 teams and individual scores are shown below - click on image to enlarge.
Final scoring for top 8 teams - click to enlarge
BACKGROUND
Western Intercollegiate - Pasatiempo Golf Club (Par-70 * 6,615 yards) - Santa Cruz, Calif.
Saturday-Sunday, April 8-9

Lineup * Maverick McNealy, Franklin Huang, Brandon Wu, Viraat Badhwar, Isaiah Salinda, Bradley Knox, Jeffrey Swegle (Ind.)

The Lowdown
* Stanford looks to defend its team title at the Western Intercollegiate (April 8-9) in Santa Cruz, California. Held at the renowned Pasatiempo Golf Club, the Western Intercollegiate is one of the longest-running men's golf championships in the United States. The tournament is hosted by San Jose State.

* Maverick McNealy set a Western Intercollegiate record in 2016 with a 16-under 194, breaking the 54-hole tournament's best mark by five strokes. Runner-up Aaron Wise's 14-under 196 would have been a tournament record, yet Wise lost by two strokes to McNealy. Trailing Oregon's Wise by one shot entering the final round, McNealy played hole Nos. 6-10 in 5-under to pull ahead. He wrapped up with a 6-under 64 for his 10th collegiate victory. The individual title helped Stanford post its first team victory on the season. The Cardinal shot 9-under 1,041 in the play-six-count-five format.

* Along with defending individual champion McNealy, the former champions list includes such notable players as Johnny Miller, Peter Jacobsen, Mark O'Meara, Duffy Waldorf, Bobby Clampett and Patrick Rodgers.

The Course
* Pasatiempo Golf Club is regarded for its breathtaking scenery and deep-rooted golf history. Bobby Jones was one of the first players to hit from the first tee when the course opened in 1929. The course was designed by the famous English architect Alister MacKenzie, who claimed Pasatiempo was his best layout, ahead of even Cypress Point and Augusta National.

The Field
* The 15-team field includes No. 8 Stanford, Arizona, No. 20 Arizona State, Cal, Hawaii, No. 10 Oregon, Pepperdine, San Diego State, San Jose State, No. 15 Texas, UC Irvine, UCLA, No. 2 USC, UTEP and Washington.

The Format
* The 54-hole tournament spans two days (36 holes on Saturday, 18 holes on Sunday). Team scores will be calculated by a play-six, score-five format.  

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

The Cardinal enters 10 players while hosting The Goodwin at Stanford

The Goodwin field and Stanford competitors

FINAL RESULTS:
STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford punctuated a wire-to-wire lead by holding off No. 1 USC to claim the team title Saturday at The Goodwin, its first win on the season and 15th overall in the 49th edition of the event.

The Cardinal men’s golf team took a 1-shot lead into the final round of the 54-hole tournament at Stanford Golf Course, and received under par scores from Franklin Huang, Viraat Badhwar and Isaiah Salinda to go 7-under Saturday.

Stanford (276-288-273) was 3-under overall, nine shots better than second-place USC (+6). UNLV (+10) took third and Oregon (+14) was fourth.

Stanford winning team scores - click to enlarge
Medalist honors went to BYU’s Rhett Rasmussen (-4).

“It was great to pick up the first win of the year against the No. 1 team in the country and a field that included a lot of really good teams,” said Conrad Ray, Stanford’s Knowles Family Director of Men’s Golf. “More than anything, the guys played the course well. They used some of their home course knowledge to their advantage, and controlled the golf ball pretty well today. We avoided some of the bigger numbers that other teams were fighting.

“Big props to superintendent Ken Williams and his staff for getting this course in world-class shape. It was really hard and fast, and that helped our cause.”


The victory came after seven top-10 finishes in as many events this season.

“We’ve been knocking on the door a lot this year and continued to work hard,” said Ray. “To get some reward for that hard work will hopefully give us momentum heading into the final stretch of the season.”

Huang (67-74-66), who tied for 2nd overall, was on fire in the final round, recording a 4-under 66 to place second at 3-under. He moved up seven spots Saturday, thanks largely to four birdies on a five-hole stretch in the middle of his round.

Maverick McNealy (67-71-72), who took seventh, had an up-and-down front nine that included four birdies and three bogeys. He turned at 1-under, and went 3-over on the back for a 72. He was even-par for the tournament.

Badhwar (73-71-67) capped off one of his better showings this season with a 3-under 67, including an 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole. He tied for eighth.

“It usually takes me three rounds to get going,” Badhwar chided.

Brandon Wu (69-72-75) was 25th at 6-over for the tournament. Salinda (74-76-68) had six birdies Saturday to card a 2-under, and placed 36th overall with an 8-over.

Stanford returns to action April 8-9 at the Western Intercollegiate in Santa Cruz, California.

Originally named the United States Intercollegiate, Stanford’s home tournament was renamed The Goodwin prior to the 2014 edition in honor of former Cardinal head coach Wally Goodwin. Goodwin coached at Stanford from 1987-2000. His tenure was highlighted with the 1994 national title. Goodwin was named national coach of the year in 1992 and 1994.


Full team results and Stanford final round scorecards are shown below - click on image to enlarge.
Final team and 3rd round Stanford scoring - click to enlarge
ROUND 2 RESULTS:
The Stanford men’s golf team shot 8-over in the second round of The Goodwin at Stanford Golf Course on Friday, maintaining its lead over the 24-team field heading into the final day of the 54-hole event.

The Cardinal (276-288) leads No. 1 USC (285-280) by one stroke, as the Trojans shot a second-round best even-par on the par-70 track. Stanford held a seven-stroke cushion heading into Friday’s round.

The two teams will battle for the tournament crown when play resumes Saturday, with live results available at GoStanford.com. Stanford will tee off at 1:10 p.m. PT. UNLV (+13) is third and Washington (+14) is fourth, and given the course conditions over the past two days, still could contend for the title.

“It’s good for us to be in a position to have a great final round and make a run at the trophy,” said Conrad Ray, Stanford’s Knowles Family Director of Men’s Golf. “USC is a very talented team and had an incredible round today. The course and conditions will be prime for scoring tomorrow, and we feel good about our chances.”

Stanford got a lift from Maverick McNealy’s 1-over 71, as the senior carded three birdies over the final six holes to finish 2-under on his back half. Mcnealy, who is seeking a school-record 12th career win, is in a four-way tie for second among individuals. BYU’s Rhett Rasmussen shot 6-under to lead the pack at 4-under through 36 holes.

Franklin Huang (74) and Brandon Wu (72) are tied for 12th at 1-over. Viraat Badhwar (71) is tied for 19th at 4-over, and Isaiah Salinda (76) is 68th at 10-over.

Competing as individuals, Jeffrey Swegle is 16th at 3-over and Bradly Knox is 19th at 4-over.


Top team team scoring and Stanford scorecards are shown below - click to enlarge
Round 2 team and Stanford scores - click to enlarge
ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Franklin Huang and Maverick McNealy each shot 3-under Thursday to open The Goodwin at the par-70 Stanford Golf Course, putting the host Cardinal in first place through 18 holes. Huang and McNealy are tied for second among individuals.

With former Cardinal head coach Wally Goodwin, the tournament’s namesake, watching among the gallery, No. 12 Stanford teamed for a 4-under to take a seven-stroke lead over second-place Washington (+3). Southern Methodist (+4) is third and No. 1 USC (+5) is fourth.

The 24-field team includes five ranked programs.

“We’re excited about today’s start against a good field,” said Conrad Ray, Stanford’s Knowles Family Director of Men’s Golf. “The conditions were very testy, and we’re happy that the guys were able to control their ball flight and maintain their composure. We got through the first six holes in good shape -- it was a tough stretch into the wind on a tough part of the golf course. We’re looking forward to another tough test tomorrow.”

Huang was even through 13 holes despite already having three birdies on his scorecard. He didn’t hit a great shot off the 14th tee, but got lucky with a shot that settled 15 feet below the hole. Huang made the putt to start a streak of three straight birdies.

On the 15th, he played his drive just off the fairway and placed his next shot short and to the right, leaving him an uphill putt toward a dicey pin. He drained the putt to go to 2-under.

The par-5 16th started with a drive into the rough, which Huang laid up before going up-and-down from 90 yards to finish the trifecta.

McNealy’s only blemish came on the par-5 first hole, on which he scratched out a bogey. He was 4-under through the next 17 holes, including back-to-back birdies after the turn on holes 10 and 11.

Brandon Wu eagled the par-5 seventh during his round of 1-under, good for seventh. Viraat Badhwar had bookend birdies for a 3-over 73, and Isaiah Salinda had a pair of birdies to finish at 4-over.

Round 1 team & Stanford scoring - click to enlarge
BACKGROUND
The Tournament
* Stanford will play host to The Goodwin (March 30-April 1) at Stanford Golf Course.

* The event will span three days and features 54 holes of stroke play. Team scores will consist of the cumulative total of its four best scores out of five per round. For the purposes of tournament honors and awards, ties will be split per NCAA Championship tie-breaking procedures.

* Originally named the 'United States Intercollegiate' the event was renamed 'The Goodwin' prior to the 2014 edition in honor of former Cardinal head coach Wally Goodwin. Goodwin coached at Stanford from 1983-2000, and his tenure was highlighted by winning the 1994 national title. Goodwin was named national coach of the year in 1992 and 1994.

* Goodwin recruited and coached standouts such as Tiger Woods, Casey Martin, Notah Begay, Joel Kribel and current Stanford head coach Conrad Ray, among many other stars from Stanford's proud golfing tradition. 

* Stanford has claimed 14 team victories and 15 individual titles at the event, the most of any program in each category. The Cardinal captured the first team and individual titles in 1968 during the inaugural year of the tournament.

* Stanford alumni who have won the event include Sandy Adelman (1968), Gary Vanier (1970), Tom Watson (1971), Conrad Nilmeier (1973), Dave Baskins (1974), Mike Peck (1976), Mike Milliken (1990), Casey Martin (1995), Joel Kribel (1996-97), Philip Rowe (2002), Rob Grube (2006-07) and Patrick Rodgers (2014).

* The Cardinal holds the event's longest team winning streak at six (1970-1975).

The Field
* The 24-team field is comprised of No. 12 Stanford, No. 1 USC, No. 10 Oregon, No. 17 UNLV, No. 18 Colorado, BYU, Cal Poly, Chico State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Marquette, Nevada, Northern Colorado, Oregon State, Pacific, Pepperdine, San Jose State, Southern Methodist, St. Mary's, UC Davis, UCLA, USF, Washington and Wyoming.

* The field includes Stanford's Maverick McNealy, who won the 2015 event with a 13-under 197.

The Course
* Located in the foothills overlooking Stanford's campus, Stanford University Golf Course is consistently rated as one of the finest courses in the world.

* The par-70 course will play at 6,727 yards for The Goodwin.

* Designed in 1930 by renowned architects William Bell and George Thomas, the course is steeped in tradition. Throughout the years, Stanford has hosted many intercollegiate and non-collegiate events, including the Stanford Intercollegiate, Peg Barnard Intercollegiate, Pac-10 Championships, NCAA Regional Championships, NCAA Women's Championship, USGA Junior Amateur Qualifying, U.S. Open Qualifying and The Gathering at the Farm, a former Senior PGA Tour event.

* Stanford University Golf Course seen many influential golfers on its grounds throughout the years. Such notables include Tom Watson, Tiger Woods, Bob Rosburg, Notah Begay III, Casey Martin and former USGA presidents Sandy Tatum, Grant Spaeth and Walter Driver.

The Start Times
Round 1 - Hole 1
7:30-8:14 a.m. - Cal Poly, UC Davis, Oregon State
8:25-9:09 a.m. - Wyoming, USF, Nevada
12:15-12:59 p.m. - USC, Stanford (Cardinal), Oregon
1:10-1:54 p.m. - Pepperdine, Colorado, UNLV

Round 1 - Hole 10
7:30 a.m. - Stanford (Individuals)
7:41-8:25 a.m. - Northern Colorado, Marquette, Fresno State
8:36-9:20 a.m. - San Jose State, Pacific, Chico State
12:15 p.m. - Stanford (Individuals)
12:26-1:10 p.m. - Washington, BYU, UCLA
1:21-2:05 p.m. - St. Mary's, Southern Methodist, Colorado State

Round 2 - Hole 1
7:30-8:14 a.m. - Washington, BYU, UCLA
8:25-9:09 a.m. - St. Mary's, Southern Methodist, Colorado State
12:15-12:59 p.m. - Northern Colorado, Marquette, Fresno State
1:10-1:54 p.m. - San Jose State, Pacific, Chico State

Round 2 - Hole 10
7:30 a.m. - Stanford (Individuals)
7:41-8:25 a.m. - USC, Stanford (Cardinal), Oregon
8:36-9:20 a.m. - Pepperdine, Colorado, UNLV
12:15 p.m. - Stanford (Individuals)
12:26-1:10 p.m. - Cal Poly, UC Davis, Oregon State
1:21-2:05 p.m. - Wyoming, USF, Nevada

Round 3
* Tee times will be based on scores after first two rounds.
* Teams will tee off from holes 1 and 10 in two waves starting at 7:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.
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Conrad Ray '97