Tag: Jackson T. Stephens Cup

Defending national champion Wake Forest, Florida State capture Jackson T. Stephens Cup titles

Both matches came down to the wire.

DALLAS — The Wake Forest women’s golf team is no stranger to success in match play in the calendar year.

The Demon Deacons went 3-0 at Grayhawk Golf Club in May, capturing their first NCAA Championship in school history in Scottsdale, Arizona. On Wednesday, they added yet another match-play victory to the total.

Featuring a lineup with a couple new faces from that victory five months ago, Wake Forest captured the 2023 Jackson T. Stephens Cup title, topping Texas 3-2 at Trinity Forest Golf Club for the title. Last year, the Demon Deacons fell to Stanford in the tournament. However, after finishing second in stroke play this year, Wake Forest had a strong performance from a couple vets and a freshman to earn their second victory of the fall.

“When you have a lot of new pieces, you need to play a lot of tournaments to figure out what you have,” Wake Forest coach Kim Lewellen said of incorporating new players into the lineup. “That’s why we’ve stacked a lot of tournaments this fall. We’re really using it to build for next spring and gather information.”

One of those newcomers, freshman Macy Pate, clinched the final point to earn Wake Forest, ranked third in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, the victory over No. 12 Texas, beating fellow freshman Farah O’Keefe. Pate won 4 and 2 after trailing through four holes.

“You recruit somebody and you don’t know exactly what you’re getting,” Lewellen said, “but right out of the gate, her work ethic, her IQ, she’s very professional. She handled match play beautifully.”

Also earning points for the Demon Deacons were four-time All-American Rachel Kuehn, who dispatched Bohyun Park 5 and 4, and Carolina Lopez-Chacarra, who beat individual medalist Lauren Kim 3 and 1.

Meanwhile, on the men’s side, it was No. 28 Florida State, the top seed after 54 holes of stroke play, taking down No. 23 Arizona 3-2.

However, the Wildcats had an opportunity to force extra holes that slid by. With the match tied at 2, Florida State’s Brett Roberts was 1 up on the 18th when his approach shot went long. Then he left his chip short and missed a par putt, meaning Arizona’s Johnny Walker had two putts to force extra holes.

Walker’s birdie putt slid past about 3 feet, but he lipped out the par putt to win the hole, giving the victory to Roberts and the Seminoles.

“We’re just going to keep learning,” Florida State coach Trey Jones said. “Last year, we lost to North Carolina in match play. This year, we came back and won. But it’s all about the guys.”

Florida State, which made the semifinals at the NCAA Championship last year, was missing Jack Bigham from its lineup this week. He is preparing for the World Amateur Team Championship competition, coming in a week in Abu Dhabi, but the Seminoles’ depth showed.

In the leadoff spot, Frederik Kjettrup earned a 4-and-3 victory for the first point. In the anchor spot, Luke Clanton tallied a 5-and-3 win. Then it was Roberts, even with his miscue on the 18th hole, doing enough to earn the clinching point.

“It’s the culture we have,” Jones said of the depth. “It doesn’t really matter who’s in there.”

Breaking down Wednesday’s match-play bracket at the 2023 Jackson T. Stephens Cup

The match play bracket is set.

DALLAS — It’s time for match play at one of the growing fall college golf events.

Stroke play for the 2023 Jackson T. Stephens Cup concluded Tuesday at Trinity Forest Golf Club, with Arizona junior Tiger Christensen capturing the men’s medalist honors while Texas’ Lauren Kim and Texas A&M’s Adela Cernousek tied after 54 holes. The duo went three playoff holes Tuesday night before darkness and will return Wednesday morning to crown a women’s individual champion.

The event is in its third year and is named in honor of the late chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and prominent Arkansas businessman Jackson Stephens. It features 54 holes of stroke play with a match-play final between the top two teams from stroke play battling for the team titles and a third-place match between the third- and fourth-place finishers from stroke play.

Here’s a breakdown of Wednesday’s bracket for match play, including pairings for each championship matchup.

College golfer named Tiger captures medalist honors at 2023 Jackson T. Stephens Cup

Something about Tigers and golf …

DALLAS — It’s safe to say the name Tiger is synonymous with golf.

Eldrick Woods made sure of that.

Tiger Christensen, a junior at Arizona, is also making a name for himself in the golf world.

Christensen, from Germany, won for the third time in his college career, capturing medalist honors Tuesday at the third annual Jackson T. Stephens Cup at Trinity Forest Golf Club. He shot 8-under 64 in the final round, finishing at 19-under 197 for the tournament, giving credit to some tweaks in his driver coming into the event. He missed only two of 42 fairways in the three rounds of stroke play.

“I felt pretty confident coming into this tournament,” Christensen said. “In qualifying, I missed only like four fairways over three rounds. But to miss only two over 54 holes is pretty good.”

The 19-under mark also set a new program record for 54-hole score.

Christensen also said he was pretty comfortable on the greens all week, crediting a new drill in his warmup leading into the tournament. He didn’t have one three-putt all week, and he couldn’t remember the last time he went 54 holes without three-putting.

He won by five shots over Florida State’s Cole Anderson, who finished at 14-under 202. Arizona’s Zach Pollo and LSU’s Connor Gaunt tied for third at 13 under.

More importantly, Christensen helped guide Arizona into the match play final Wednesday, where the Wildcats will face Anderson and the Seminoles for the team title.

As far as the comparisons to Big Cat, Christensen said he’s a fan.

“I think it’s pretty cool,” he said. “And like, I don’t know, it doesn’t really affect me at all. I just think it’s cool. I’d never want to be named a different name.”

SMU and LSU will play in the third-place match Wednesday. Trinity Forest is SMU’s home course.

Meanwhile, on the women’s side, a medalist has yet to be crowned.

Texas A&M’s Adela Cernousek three-putted the last hole and made bogey, moving her to 11-under 205. Meanwhile, Texas’ Lauren Kim birdied her final two holes to tie Cernousek at 11 under and force a playoff for individual honors.

The duo each made par on the par-4 18th and par-4 first hole. Then on the par-3 17th, Kim hit her tee shot to about 3 feet while Cernousek had roughly 15 feet for birdie.

Cernousek’s putt slid by, leaving an opportunity for Kim to pounce, but her putt missed in the near darkness. Both players made their putts for par and will resume the playoff at 10 a.m. ET on the 13th hole.

In the team competition, Texas and Wake Forest, the defending national champions, tied at 23-under 841 after stroke play and will face off in the match play final on Wednesday afternoon.

Match play will be broadcast on Golf Channel from 4-7 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

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Stanford women’s team wins battle of titans at Jackson T. Stephens Cup, easily topping Wake Forest

Stanford sent a strong message to the team that figures to be its biggest challenger for national supremacy.

In a much-anticipated showdown between the country’s top two women’s teams, Stanford sent a strong message to the team that figures to be its biggest challenger for national supremacy by soundly defeating Wake Forest, 4-1, at the second annual Jackson T. Stephens Cup.

Stanford freshman Megha Ganne fired a loud opening salvo at Seminole Golf Club with a 1-up victory over Wake Forest senior Rachel Kuehn, who claimed medalist honors in the stroke play competition with a 10-under score. Ganne was 3 up through 13 holes, but Kuehn flashed her All-America form by winning the next three holes to tie the match. Ganne made par to win No. 17 and both golfers birdied No. 18 to clinch Stanford’s first point of the day.

After dropping the first two holes of the day, junior Rachel Heck rallied for a 3 and 1 win over Wake Forest sophomore Carolina Lopez-Chacarra with wins on holes No. 12, No. 14 and No. 17.

In a battle of Curtis Cup teammates, Rose Zhang defeated Emilia Migliaccio, 3 and 2 to put the second point on the board for the Cardinal. After Migliaccio won the first hole, Zhang tied the match on No. 2 and never trailed again. The match was tied through eight, before Zhang’s win at No. 9 sent her to the back nine, 1 up. Zhang went 2 up at No. 10 and 3 up at No. 13, winning 3 and 2.

Brooke Seay never trailed in her match against Lauren Walsh. Seay took a 1 up lead at No. 9, went 2 up with a win at No. 10 and held on for the 1 up victory.

Mimi Rhodes defeated Sadie Englemann, 2 and 1 for Wake Forest’s lone point of the match.

The Cardinal returns to action next weekend (Oct. 21-23) for the Stanford Intercollegiate, hosted by Dr. Condoleezza Rice, at Stanford Golf Course.

For the full leaderboard from the Jackson T. Stephens Cup, click here to see the post from our partners at AmateurGolf.com.

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With top transfer Dylan Menante leading the way, North Carolina men capture Jackson T. Stephens Cup

Dylan Menante, Austin Greaser and Ryan Burnett scored victories for the Tar Heels.

North Carolina’s men’s golf team flexed its muscles Wednesday at Seminole Golf Club by walking away with the team title at the second annual Jackson T. Stephens Cup.

The Tar Heels turned back Florida State, 3-2 to claim the men’s title.

Dylan Menante, Austin Greaser and Ryan Burnett scored victories for the Tar Heels, which claimed its second consecutive team title after their win at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational last week.

Menante fell one behind Florida State’s Frederik Kjettrup on the 16th hole, but saved par with an 18-footer on the 17th to draw even and sank another 18-foot birdie putt on the 19th hole to give UNC its first point. Menante had kept his match all square on the 15th by sinking his shot from a greenside bunker to halve the hole.

Menante was a standout player for Pepperdine when the Waves won the national championship in 2021 and beat Burnett in a decisive 19-hole match. He has since taken his talents from the west coast to the east coast to join the Tar Heels and was listed among Golfweek’s top transfers of 2022.

Greaser was 1-down through 12, but won the 13th hole to tie the match and the 15th and 16th holes to defeat Patrick McCann, 2 and 1.

Burnett had a much easier time of it with Brett Roberts with a 5 and 3 victory. His win on the 15th hole gave UNC its third team point for the tournament title.

North Carolina concludes the fall portion of its schedule Oct. 21-23 at the Williams Cup presented by STITCH Golf at Eagle Point Golf Club in Wilmington.

 

For the full leaderboard from the Jackson T. Stephens Cup, click here to see the post from our partners at AmateurGolf.com.

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Wake Forest’s Rachel Kuehn is Jackson T. Stephens medalist, UNC’s David Ford also goes wire-to-wire at Seminole

Kuehn fended off hard-charging Carla Tejado of LSU to pick up the women’s individual title.

Medalists David Ford of North Carolina and Rachel Kuehn of Wake Forest will lead their respective teams into Wednesday’s championship matches at the second annual Jackson T. Stephens Cup being held at the venerable Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Fla.

Both players finished off wire-to-wire victories on Tuesday, with Ford winning the men’s title at 16-under 200 and Kuehn taking women’s medalist honors at 10-under 206.

A second-round 62 which featured a run of eight consecutive birdies gave the Tar Heel sophomore a six-stroke lead heading into Wednesday’s final round and a 2-under 70 over the final 18 holes secured Ford his first collegiate individual title.

Jonas Baumgartner of Oklahoma State closed with a 6-under 66 to climb into second place at 12-under 204 while Brett Roberts of Florida State finished five back at 11-under 205.

Kuehn fended off hard-charging Carla Tejado of LSU to pick up the women’s individual title, however, her march to the winner’s circle wasn’t as easy as Ford’s.

The two-time Curtis Cup team member started her final round with a two-shot lead on the field but Tejado, playing a few groups ahead of the leader, drew even at 8-under par with a birdie on her final hole to cap off a final round 68.

The LSU junior from Castellon de Plana, Spain held the clubhouse until Kuehn regained the lead with back-to-back birdies on hole Nos. 15 and 16 to move to 10-under. She then nailed down her fifth collegiate title with routine pars on 17 and 18.

“Rachel works so hard and really thrives off her teammates’ success just as much as her own,” said Wake Forest head coach Kim Lewellen. “She is extremely competitive and wants to win for herself but also for the team, they are all very close and play for each other. Her play down the stretch today really showed what kind of competitor she is, and we are very happy for her to get the individual win today.”

Golf Channel will carry both championship matches live on Wednesday beginning at 3 p.m., ET.

For more on the story, see this from our partners at AmateurGolf.com.

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North Carolina’s David Ford scorches Seminole with 62 to push Tar Heels into lead at Jackson T. Stephens Cup

One thing is for sure: David Ford etched his name in Seminole lore on Monday at The Stephens Cup.

Many of the distinguished members at Seminole Golf Club were all asking themselves the same question on Monday after North Carolina’s David Ford ran off eight consecutive birdies en route to carding a 10-under 62 in the second round of the Jackson T. Stephens Cup being played at the esteemed course in Juno Beach, Fla.

“Has anyone done that here before?”

Maybe Ben Hogan did it on one of his many trips to Seminole while he prepared for the Masters.

Or perhaps Seminole head professional Claude Harmon had the same birdie run when he set the course record by shooting a 12-under 60 in the 1947 Pro-Member.

Nobody seems to know, but one thing is for sure: David Ford etched his name in Seminole lore on Monday at The Stephens Cup.

After shooting a 68 in the morning to help the Tar Heels to a seven-stroke lead after the opening round, the left-hander from Peachtree Corners, Georgia, was going along nicely at 2-under through eight holes of his second round. Not even the ultra-confident Ford could have imagined what was about to occur after he birdied Seminole’s par-5, 545-yard ninth hole.

What transpired in the late afternoon sun on the shores of Juno Beach will certainly be talked about for years to come.

He followed his birdie on the ninth with seven consecutive birdies on hole Nos. 10-16 on his inward nine to move to 10-under on his round. After a 25-foot birdie putt on Seminole’s par-4, 410-yard 16th hole resulted in his eighth straight birdie, Ford unsuccessfully tried to suppress a grin as he as sheepishly pulled the brim of his cap over his eyes in disbelief.

With Harmon’s 65-year-old record within reach, Ford settled for pars on his final two holes for a round of 62.

At 14-under 130, he holds the 36-hole lead over Brett Roberts of Florida State, who is at 8-under following rounds of 69-68. Arkansas’ Julian Perico was at 8-under when play was suspended.

“This one might be the best round I’ve ever played just considering how nervous I was,” Ford told the Golf Channel. “I had a lot of long waits out on the course, there were some rulings in front of me, so I had a lot of time to think, and I think I handled myself and the nerves well and got a low score out of it.”

Tuesday’s third round will be televised by Golf Channel from 3-6 p.m.

The top four teams after Tuesday’s third round of stroke play advance to match play on Wednesday.

For more on the story, here’s a link to coverage from our partners at AmateurGolf.com.

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Power-packed field set for Monday’s start to Jackson T. Stephens Cup at Seminole Golf Club

The women’s field features four of the top 10 teams in No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 Wake Forest, No. 5 South Carolina and No. 9 Arkansas.

Esteemed Seminole Golf Club will open its gates to 14 of the top men’s and women’s programs in college golf with the playing of the second annual Jackson T. Stephens Cup, a combined 54-hole stroke and match play event beginning on Monday in Juno Beach, Florida.

The event, named in honor of the late chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and prominent Arkansas businessman Jackson (Jack) Stephens, will feature 54-holes of stroke play followed by one day of match play. The first 54-holes of team stroke play will be used to determine the seeding for the men’s and women’s fields for the final day of match play. Individual and team champions will be crowned accordingly.

The men’s field is headlined by No. 2 (Golfweek/Sagarin) Stanford, No. 10 North Carolina, No. 11 Oklahoma State, No. 16 Florida State, No. 22 and defending NCAA Champion Texas, Notre Dame and Arkansas.

The women’s field features four of the top 10 teams in the country in No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 Wake Forest, No. 5 South Carolina and No. 9 Arkansas, along with top-20 teams from Duke (12), USC (13) and LSU (19).

In addition, The Stephens Cup will feature some of the top players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and U.S. Military Service Academies (Army, Navy and Air Force).

The individuals featured in the women’s stroke play competition are Marley Franklin (Howard University), Kendall Jackson (Howard University), Jayla Rogers (North Carolina A&T) and Eve Worden (Naval Academy).

The event will be broadcast on Golf Channel at the following times:

Monday, October 10: 4-7 p.m. ET
Tuesday, October 11: 3-6 p.m. ET
Wednesday, October 12: 3-6 p.m. ET

To read more about the event and for live scoring click here to see more from our partners at AmateurGolf.com.

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Notre Dame steals the show at inaugural Jackson T. Stephens Cup; LSU women take down South Carolina for title

College golf landed at the ultra-exclusive Alotian Club in Roland, Arkansas, this week and Notre Dame stole the show.

College golf landed at the exclusive Alotian Club in Roland, Arkansas, this week and Notre Dame stole the show. In a limited but stacked six-team field, Notre Dame opened a 20-shot margin after 54 holes of stroke play at the inaugural Jackson T. Stephens Cup then took down Arkansas in Wednesday’s title match.

Head coach John Handrigan called it a week that was four years in the making.

“It’s been four years of building this, to be honest,” he said. “All these guys have been through it and I’m just proud of what they’ve done over the years and how much they’ve improved over time. The program got better every single year since we’ve been a part of this trip together. Everything we’ve asked them to do, they’ve done it and that showed this week.”

The inaugural event debuted at the Alotian Club this week before it makes stops at equally exclusive Seminole Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida, in 2022 and Trinity Forest in Dallas in 2023. The six-team field played 54 holes of stroke play before the top two teams – Notre Dame and Arkansas – squared off in a televised match for the title on Wednesday.

Stephens Cup: Scores

The other four teams also played head-to-head matches, with Florida State and Arizona, who had tied for third, playing each other and Alabama and San Diego State, the Nos. 5 and 6 teams, squaring off. San Diego State and Arizona won those matches.

In the title match, Notre Dame claimed four of five points, starting with Taichi Kho at the top of the bracket taking on Segundo Oliva Pinto. Kho, who was third in stroke play at 5 under, won, 1 up. Kho’s Irish teammate Davis Chatfield won by the biggest margin of the day, defeating Luke Long, 6 and 4.

Palmer Jackson, who tied for individual medalist honors, also won a point for Notre Dame with Andrew O’Leary claiming the fourth point.

Notre Dame entered the week ranked No. 17 in the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings. The Stephens Cup victory comes on the heels of a runner-up finish at the Fighting Irish Classic to start the month plus a tie for first at the Gopher Invitational and a third-place finish at the Windon Invitational in September.

A women’s competition ran concurrently at the Alotian Club, with LSU coming out on top of South Carolina in the title match. LSU also won four of five points in Wednesday’s match-play round, with only South Carolina’s Mathilde Claisse winning a match for the Gamecocks.

Most notable on the women’s side was the anchor match between Ingrid Lindblad and Hannah Darling, two top players in the women’s game. Lindblad came out with a 1-up victory.

“We have a really good team and today we proved we can play match play as well,” said Lindblad, who defeated teammate Carla Tejedo Mulet on Tuesday in a playoff to win the stroke-play title. “We know we can play stroke play but we don’t have as many match play events. This was a great opportunity for us to play some match play and win the match play as well.”

The Stephens Cup title fills a void for LSU that opened up last spring.

“The last time was in the SEC Championship when it went to match play so we got a little bit of practice there,” head coach Garrett Runion told the Golf Channel. “Unfortunately, in the NCAAs we missed match play by one shot. They weren’t too happy about that. They were motivated over the summer and this was great practice for the SEC Championship and hopefully the national championship.”

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