Wake Forest University
Valspar Collegiate
No. 20 Deacs Pass Two Top-10 Teams to Finish Third at Valspar Collegiate
3/29/2022 4:04:00 PM | Men's Golf
The nationally-ranked Demon Deacons passed No. 4 North Carolina, No. 6 Arizona State, No. 33 Ohio State and Duke on the final day of competition with the help of the second-best score on the course.
PALM CITY, Fla. -- In the final round of the Valspar Collegiate, the No. 20 Wake Forest men's golf team passed five teams to finish third on the team leaderboard in Palm City, Fla.
Over the last 18 holes of the competition, the nationally-ranked Demon Deacons passed No. 4 North Carolina, No. 6 Arizona State, No. 33 Ohio State and Duke with the help of the second-best score on the course. The Deacs also finished ahead of top-25 teams in No. 5 Texas Tech, No. 17 Texas A&M and No. 21 Clemson.
With the help of key performances from junior Mark Power and freshman Scotty Kennon, Wake Forest carded a final round 276 (-7), its best round of the week by four strokes.
Kennon carded the best round of his young career with a third round score of 64 (-7). The Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. native got his day off to a quick start with an eagle on the opening hole. He finished the round bogey-free with an additional five birdies.
With the help of the lowest round by any player in the field all week, the freshman was one of the highest risers on the leaderboard, moving up 20 spots to place eighth in the event.
Power also had a strong final round, carding a 67 (-4) to leapfrog 19 spots on the individual leaderboard to tie for 22nd at the event. Like Kennon, he got off to a strong start with a birdie on the opening hole. He also proved crucial down the stretch as an eagle on the final hole of competition helped the Deacs solidify a top-three finish by one stroke.
Joining them in the top 25 was senior Parker Gillam who tied for 17th in the event at 3-under-par for the tournament.
From Coach Haas:
"It was a really quality field. We needed a good event to get a little confidence back. I felt like we were a really good team that has not been playing well. That being said, the better we can realize the value of a par or even a bogey, sometimes. We will make our birdies and we are a wonderful ball striking team. Their attitudes were fantastic today, much improved over what we've seen the last few weeks. Go Deacons!" - Head Coach Jerry Haas
Final Scores:
Team
|
Rank |
Team |
Round One |
Round Two |
Round Three |
Total |
|
1 |
No. 10 Pepperdine |
274 |
266 |
278 |
818 (-34) |
|
2 |
No. 26 Florida State |
274 |
285 |
273 |
832 (-20) |
|
3 |
No. 20 Wake Forest |
280 |
281 |
276 |
837 (-15) |
|
4 |
Duke |
285 |
276 |
277 |
838 (-14) |
|
5 |
No. 6 Arizona State |
272 |
282 |
285 |
839 (-13) |
|
6 |
No. 33 Ohio State |
276 |
285 |
279 |
840 (-12) |
|
7 |
No. 4 North Carolina |
281 |
275 |
285 |
841 (-11) |
|
T8 |
No. 32 South Florida |
284 |
282 |
281 |
847 (-5) |
|
T8 |
No. 5 Texas Tech |
280 |
284 |
283 |
847 (-5) |
|
10 |
No. 21 Clemson |
285 |
280 |
286 |
851 (-1) |
|
11 |
No. 17 Texas A&M |
287 |
286 |
279 |
852 (E) |
|
12 |
Houston |
279 |
286 |
291 |
856 (+4) |
|
13 |
Marquette |
281 |
296 |
284 |
861 (+9) |
|
14 |
USC |
283 |
293 |
290 |
866 (+14) |
|
15 |
Minnesota |
288 |
293 |
291 |
872 (+20) |
Wake Forest Team
|
Player |
Rank |
Round One |
Round Two |
Round Three |
Total |
|
8 |
72 |
69 |
64 |
205 (-8) |
|
|
T17 |
65 |
72 |
73 |
210 (-3) |
|
|
T22 |
74 |
70 |
67 |
211 (-2) |
|
|
T34 |
71 |
70 |
72 |
213 (E) |
|
|
T63 |
72 |
75 |
74 |
221 (+8) |
Next Up
The Demon Deacons are back on the course Sunday for the regular-season finale at the Calusa Cup. The three-day event will run through Tuesday at Calusa Pines Golf Club in Naples, Fla.
Players Mentioned
