Wake Forest University
Calusa Cup
Deacs Claim Runner-Up Finish at Calusa Cup
4/4/2023 4:58:00 PM | Men's Golf
Wake Forest was led by strong efforts from junior Michael Brennan and freshman Andrew McLauchlan who both finished even par or better to help claim top five finishes individually.
NAPLES, Fla. – In a field that featured four of the top five ranked teams in the country, the Wake Forest men's golf team claimed a runner-up finish at the Calusa Cup Tuesday afternoon in Naples, Fla.
In route to the runner-up finish, the Demon Deacons, who posted a 54-holes score of 870 (+6), placed ahead of No. 1 Vanderbilt, No. 2 Texas Tech and No. 5 Arizona State in addition to beating three other top 40 ranked teams. This elite field helped prepare the Deacs for their postseason run last season as a third place finish in 2022 propelled the Demon Deacons to victories at the ACC Championship and the NCAA Regionals.
Junior Michael Brennan helped lead the late charge that helped the Deacs claim second at the Calusa Cup. The Leesburg, Va. native carded the lowest round on the course Tuesday, turning in a final round 69 (-3) with only two bogies. Brennan had some key moments during the back nine, finding the Deacs' lone eagle of the week on the par-5 13th. The eagle moved him to within two strokes of the individual lead.
After his lone blemish on the back nine, Brennan responded on the par-5 18th, carding his third birdie of the day. This helped the Demon Deacons solidify their position on the leaderboard, holding off No. 5 Arizona State by one stroke for second place.
Individually, Brennan tied for second at 3-under-par for the week. This is his 13th top-5 finish in 30 career events.
Freshman Andrew McLauchlan again came up clutch with a big round. He turned in his third round of par or better this week and was one of just two players in the field to be par or better in each round. The Neptune Beach, Fla. finished even par for the day and a huge birdie on No. 17 helped close another strong round.
McLauchlan tied his best collegiate finish, tying for fourth individually at 1-under-par for the tournament. This is his fourth top-10 finish of his rookie campaign.
Sophomore Scotty Kennon picked up his third top-20 finish in the last four events, finishing tied for 17th while senior Mark Power tied for 24th, his fourth consecutive top-25 finish.
From Coach Haas:
"It was a very slow start, but the guys hung in there really nicely. We got a huge birdie on No. 17 by Andrew (McLauchlan) and a huge birdie on No. 18 by Michael (Brennan). We are very close to playing some really good golf." - Head Coach Jerry Haas
Final Scores Scores:
Team
|
Rank |
Team |
Round One |
Round Two |
Round Three |
Total |
|
1 |
No. 3 North Carolina |
284 |
292 |
284 |
860 (-4) |
|
2 |
No. 35 Wake Forest |
281 |
298 |
291 |
870 (+6) |
|
3 |
No. 5 Arizona State |
292 |
295 |
284 |
871 (+7) |
|
4 |
No. 1 Vanderbilt |
294 |
291 |
296 |
881 (+17) |
|
T5 |
No. 29 Georgia |
298 |
298 |
289 |
885 (+21) |
|
T5 |
No. 2 Texas Tech |
293 |
300 |
292 |
885 (+21) |
|
7 |
No. 26 Ohio State |
288 |
316 |
284 |
888 (+24) |
|
8 |
No. 39 Purdue |
312 |
302 |
287 |
901 (+37) |
|
9 |
Iowa |
310 |
305 |
299 |
914 (+50) |
Wake Forest Team
|
Player |
Rank |
Round One |
Round Two |
Round Three |
Total |
|
T3 |
69 (-3) |
75 (+3) |
69 (-3) |
213 (-3) |
|
|
T4 |
71 (-1) |
72 (E) |
72 (E) |
215 (-1) |
|
|
T17 |
69 (-3) |
76 (+4) |
77 (+5) |
222 (+6) |
|
|
T24 |
77 (+5) |
75 (+3) |
73 (+1) |
225 (+9) |
|
|
T36 |
72 (E) |
77 (+5) |
81 (+9) |
230 (+14) |
Up Next
With the conclusion of the regular season, the Demon Deacons now enter postseason, beginning with a title defense at the ACC Championships starting on Friday, April 21. The Championships will run through the championship round of match play on Monday, April 24.
The Demon Deacons have the richest history in the conference, winning a league-best 19 ACC titles and also have the most NCAA Championship Appearances with 42 in program history.
Players Mentioned
