Duke men’s golf finishes tied for fifth at The Prestige

After a lengthy winter break, the Blue Devils men’s golf team got back on the course and produced two top-12 individuals out in California.

The Duke men’s golf team got its spring schedule underway at The Prestige from Monday to Wednesday, a three-day tournament held out in La Quinta, California at PGA West.

The Blue Devils performed admirably in their return to action, finishing in a tie for fifth behind two standout performances and a stellar second round.

Ethan Evans and Bryan Kim both went low from the opening day at the Greg Norman Course, firing matching 5-under 66s in round one. Evans balanced a double-bogey 6 at the 18th hole with seven birdies.

Kim poured in six birdies of his own, all within a nine-hole stretch. He circled 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, and 14 to wash away a bogey at the third hole.

None of the other three Duke golfers recorded a round lower than 74 in the first go-round, but the Blue Devils did most of their damage in round two. All five players shot a 72 or better during their second trip around the course.

Kim couldn’t vault himself farther up the leaderboard, making two birdies and two bogeys for an even-par 71, but Evans could. The sophomore fired a 3-under 68 despite yet another double-bogey, this time on the third hole. He also bogeyed 6 and 9 but birdied the first, the fourth, and the fifth before rattling off four in a row from 14-17.

Luke Sample and Kelly Chinn matched their teammates’ energy with a 4-under 67 and a 3-under 68, respectively.

Sample could have put together something scary good, with four birdies in his first 10 holes before an eagle on the 12th got him to 6-under for the day, but three bogeys over his last six prevented him from something eye-popping. Chinn, on the other hand, balanced five birdies with two bogeys in his round.

Overall, the five Blue Devils combined for 23 birdies during the second round, and the team total of 10-under 274 was second only to eventual champion Texas Tech.

Unfortunately, Duke’s third round resembled the first more than the second. Evans, who began the tie in a tie for second on the individual leaderboard, signed for a 1-over 72 after his three birdies were overruled by two bogeys and his third double of the week. He finished the tournament in a tie for seventh, six strokes behind Kansas’ Cecil Belisle.

Kim put together a 1-under 70 to finish in a tie for 11th on the week, including three birdies in four holes around the turn. Daniel Choi, the Blue Devils’ fifth golfer, also managed a 1-under 70, and Chinn mustered an even-par 71. Sample fell back two strokes with a 73 to finish in a tie for 45th on the individual leaderboard.

The Blue Devils finished first among the two ACC teams in attendance, with Louisville coming in solo 13th, but future conference foe Stanford finished in third.

Duke gets back in action at the Wake Forest Invitational on March 4-5.

Gators men’s golf promotes assistant coach to associate head coach

This two-time 2023 award-winning assistant just got a big promotion with the Gators.

Florida’s men’s golf team made a big move on Thursday when head coach J.C. Deacon announced the promotion of [autotag]Dudley Hart[/autotag] to associate head coach. Hart had spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach after spending four years (2017-20) as Florida’s volunteer assistant.

The 2023 campaign was a historic one for the Orange and Blue, earning the program’s fifth National Championship and 16th SEC Championship thanks in large part to the assistant’s efforts. He was named the National Assistant Coach of the Year as well as the Jan Strickland Outstanding Assistant Coach of the Year that season.

“We are honored to name Dudley Hart our Associate Head Coach,” said Deacon. “Since arriving full-time in Gainesville, he has given his heart and soul to our players, this program, and the University of Florida. His work ethic and commitment to excellence defines what I think a great coach looks like. I am very proud of what we have accomplished together and look forward to chasing more championships with him going forward.”

The men’s golf team tees off for its fall schedule from Sept. 15-17, when they participate in the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational at the Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Illinois.

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Ohio State golfer Maxwell Maldovan ranked in top ten of 2024 PGA Tour U rankings

Some good recognition here and a prelude to perhaps a big season for Maxwell Moldovan. #GoBucks

Ohio State rising senior golfer Maxwell Maldovan has landed at No. 6 on the 2024 PGA Tour U heading into the 2024 campaign.

The rankings are a partnership between the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and PGA TOUR University. The rankings are based on the last two years of each golfer’s collegiate career. Eligible tournaments include NCAA Division-I men’s team competitions, official PGA TOUR tournaments, and select DP World Tour events.

Moldovan set Ohio State’s single-season scoring record for the third consecutive year and also received his second All-America honor. He had 10 Top 10 finishes and seven Top 5 finishes in collegiate events this past season and has qualified for each of the last two US Opens.

Something tells me we’ll be hearing more from Moldovan in the upcoming years.

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Ohio State golfer Maxwell Moldovan qualifies for Barbasol Championship

In case you missed it, Maxwell Moldovan will be representing Ohio State in a PGA Tour event this weekend. #GoBucks

Ohio State men’s golfer, Maxwell Moldovan shot a -7 under to finish in second place at the PGA Tour’s Monday qualifier earlier this week to qualify for this weekend’s Barbasol Championship. With the result, he is one of just four in a field of 65 golfers to make the cut at Boone’s Trace National Golf Club.

It’ll be Moldovan’s first official PGA Tour event when he tees off at Champions Course at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholsville, Kentucky, though he did qualify for both of the last two U.S. Opens. He will be joining two other Buckeyes — Ryan Amour and Bo Hoag — this week in the field.

Moldovan continues to build upon a stellar career. He set a single-season Ohio State scoring record for the third consecutive year and finished in the top 20 in 11-of-13 events this season. He had a whopping seven top-five finishes.

Join us in wishing Moldovan a great showing on tour this weekend in Kentucky.

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PHOTOS: Gators men’s golf earns first national championship since 2001

The victory marks the 46th all-time NCAA title for Florida.

Florida men’s golf team celebrated its second championship in less than a week on Wednesday, prevailing in the 2023 NCAA Championships at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, for the program’s first national title since 2001.

Senior Fred Biondi — just three days removed from winning the NCAA individual title — scored a par on the 18th and final hole, giving the Gators their fifth national championship as a team. The native of São Paulo deflected the attention he earned from his clinching putt, instead, highlighting the euphoria that comes with winning as a cohesive unit.

“Winning as a team means so much more. It’s awesome that we did this together,” Biondi told FloridaGators.com. “It’s not just me closing it out, it’s every single person back home, back in the gym, the people back home cheering, the coaches on this staff, just everyone involved. It’s their championship, too.”

The victory marks the 46th all-time NCAA title for Florida. The men’s golf program became the Orange and Blue’s fourth with five or more team championships, joining men’s indoor and outdoor track and field (five each) and women’s tennis (seven). Men’s golf captured the first NCAA title in Florida history in 1968.

Take a look below at a plethora of photo highlights from the Gators’ most recent national title.

PHOTOS: Florida’s Fred Biondi wins NCAA men’s golf individual championship

Get a gander at some highlights from Florida men’s golf’s third individual title.

Florida golf’s Fred Biondi won the NCAA Division I men’s golf individual championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Monday thanks in large part to six birdies in the final round of the competition. The senior from São Paulo, Brazil, earned the third individual title for the Gators, a list that now includes him, Bob Murphy (1966) and Nick Gillum (2001).

The win earned Biondi an exemption into the 2024 Masters and the 2023 U.S. Open — if he decides to remain an amateur.

“This could not happen to a better young man than Fred Biondi,” Florida coach J.C. Deacon said. “He’s amazing. It makes me so emotional just talking about it.”

The Gators will be the second seed in match play and will face Virginia on Tuesday morning. North Carolina is the top seed and will face Arizona State, which beat Stanford on the second playoff hole for the eighth and final spot. The Gators won the SEC Championship in match play last month, beating top-ranked Vanderbilt in the final.

Take a look below at highlights from Biondi’s title-winning effort on Monday, May 29.

Ohio State men’s golf tied for 12th after one round at NCAA Championships

In position to advance, just need to get to work. #GoBucks

The Ohio State men’s golf team didn’t play itself to the top of the leaderboard at the NCAA Championships on Friday, but it didn’t play itself out of contention either.

The Buckeyes shot a 7-over par round of 287 as a team on Friday at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, which is seven strokes off the lead of an even par 280 Georgia Tech posted. The top fifteen schools will make the first cut after Sunday’s third round, followed by the top eight teams that will head to match play after the round on Monday.

Individually, the best score of any Buckeye was posted by junior Maxwell Moldovan, who shot a 1-under par round of 69 that included 17 pars and one birdie. He is tied for 14th heading into the second round.

Ohio State will be paired with Colorado State and Georgia for the second-straight day for the second round. The teams will tee off at 12:25 p.m. ET on Saturday.

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Ohio State men’s golf advances to NCAA Championship

In case you missed it, the Ohio State men’s hockey team is headed to Arizona to compete for a national championship. #GoBucks

By way of finishing in fourth place at the Auburn Regional last week, the Ohio State men’s golf team will advance to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Phoenix, Arizona, this coming weekend.

It was a week in which the Buckeyes were in contention as one of five qualifying spots out of the regional to qualify, and used an effort that resulted in just one of two teams that shot under par on Wednesday to make their way through.

It’ll be the 48th national NCAA Championship appearance and the first in two consecutive years since 1997 and 1998 for the program.

“Today is always a special day and it brings forth an exceptionally high volume of emotions,” head coach Jay Moseley said in a statement. “This week is what every team and athlete prepares for all season. Our guys came out with courageous energy today and their performance on the final nine holes was truly spectacular. I could not be more excited for our team. We know our team is equipped with the skills to play Greyhawk and this week confirmed that we can play with anyone in the country when we play at, or near, our best.”

Maxwell Moldovan led the way as the medalist of the event, shooting -7 for the tournament to pace the Buckeyes, who will be one of 30 teams at the event that begins Friday, May 26.

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