Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons Chase ACC Men's Golf Title Starting Friday
4/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
April 16, 2007
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Deacons Chase ACC Championship April 20-22
Wake Forest, which closed out the regular season with momentum, will compete for the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship April 20-22 at Old North State Club in Uwharrie Point, N.C.
The Demon Deacons, ranked 22nd in the Golf World/Nike poll and 21st in the GolfWeek poll, finished first at the March 25-27 Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate and third April 9-11 at the U.S. Collegiate Championship.
Wake Forest, which had the nation's fifth-most difficult schedule according to GolfWeek, finished fifth or better in nine regular season tournaments. The Deacons have been especially strong in the spring, finishing third or better in three of four events.
One senior, two juniors, one sophomore and a freshman will represent Wake Forest at the ACC Championship. Junior Webb Simpson, recently named to the USA's Palmer Cup Team, has been on a roll recently. He finished first April 11 at the U.S. Collegiate Championship and 10 days earlier won an amateur event, the Azalea Amateur, in South Carolina.
The lone senior representing the Deacons is Sean Moore, who was the individual medalist at the 2004 ACC Championship as a freshman.
Wake Seeks 19th Title, First Since 1989
Wake Forest has won 18 ACC championships, by far the most by any team, in an event the Demon Deacons once dominated. While Wake has enjoyed recent success -- second-place finishes in 2003 and 2004, for example -- it has not won an ACC crown since 1989.
The Deacons won three of the first five ACC championships, setting the tone for decades of success. Under coach Jesse Haddock, Wake Forest won 10 consecutive league crowns from 1967 to 1976.
A Wake Forest player has won or shared medalist honors a league-high 21 times. Most recently, then-freshman Sean Moore captured the title in 2004, becoming the first freshman to win an ACC crown since 1989.
More on Wake Forest in the ACC Championship:
- Wake Forest's Ronny Thomas (1959, 1960) and Scott Hoch (1977, 1978) are two of only four players who have won ACC individual championships two times.
- WFU's 44-stroke victory over runner-up NC State in the 1973 ACC Championship remains a league record for the widest margin of victory.
- In 1969, Lanny Wadkins shared ACC individual medalist honors. His son, Travis, is a freshman on the current Deacon roster.
- In last year's event, then-senior Kyle Reifers tied a Wake Forest ACC Championship record with his second round score of 67 (-5).
Wake Forest's History At Old North State
Since the Old North State Club became a main, but not permanent site for the ACC Championship in 1995, Wake Forest has finsihed as high as second (2003 and 2004) and as low as eighth (1999). Last year Wake Forest finished in fifth place.
Current Deacons In The ACC Championship
Wake Forest will bring a mixture of experience and youth to the ACC Championship.
Senior Sean Moore will play in the event for the fourth time. As a freshman in 2004, Moore captured individual medalist honors by firing an 11-under 205. He was the first freshman to win the tournament since 1989. As a sophomore, Moore shot a 15-over 231. Last year he was 12-over at 228. Junior Webb Simpson will play in his third ACC Championship. He has finished 13th (in 2005) and 28th (in 2006).
Junior Chris McCartin will also play in the ACC's for the third time. He finished 24th as a freshman in 2005. Last year, McCartin finished in ninth place after shooting a 5-under 211.
Wake Forest freshman Brendan Gielow and sophomore Dustin Groves will play in the ACC Championship for the first time.
As Usual, Champ Will Emerge From Strong Field
One of the strongest golf conferences in the nation, the ACC features some of the best teams in the country. According to the April 13th GolfWeek rankings, six ACC schools are ranked in the top 25 -- (11) Clemson, (12) Georgia Tech, (18) North Carolina, (21) Wake Forest, (22) Florida State and (25) Duke.
Wake Forest went just 3-7 this season against Clemson and Georgia Tech combined. The Deacons, however, beat both the Tigers and Yellow Jackets April 9-11 at the U.S. Collegiate Championship. Wake went 1-2-1 vs. North Carolina in 2006-07 and posted winning records against both Duke and Florida State.
Here is an illustration of how difficult winning the ACC title can be. Last year Wake Forest finished higher (3rd) in the NCAA Championship than it did in the ACC Championship (5th).
Simpson: From Sidelines To Palmer Cup
Just how remarkable has Webb Simpson's junior season been? Consider that he began the year with a broken bone in his hand and ended the regular season with his first collegiate victory and an invitation to represent the USA in the Palmer Cup.
A few days after being selected for the USA World Amateur Team, Simpson suffered the injury. He missed the team's season opener, but came back earlier than expected, participating in the Sept. 15-17 Carpet Capital Collegiate. Since then, here is a quick look at the rest of Simpson's junior year:
- NC Amateur of the Year -- On January 16th Simpson learned that he was named North Carolina Amateur of the Year for 2006.
- USA representative -- Simpson learned March 21st that he will represent the United States June 20-23 at the Copa de las Americas Championship in Canada.
- Team champion -- Simpson finished second, helping the Deacons to a first-place finish at the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate March 27th.
- Azalea Amateur champion -- wearing University of Georgia gear as an April Fool's joke, Simpson won the Azalea Amateur in Charleston (S.C.) in late March.
- First college win -- after racking up five career second-place finishes, Simpson broke through with his first win as a collegian, April 11th at the U.S. Collegiate Championship.
- Palmer Cup -- Simpson became the second Wake Forest player, joining Bill Haas, to earn a spot on the USA's Palmer Cup Team.
Players Mentioned
