With three of its top four scoring leaders back from last season, the men’s golf team felt confident it could improve on its loss in the NCAA Central Regional last year. Coach Conrad Ray’s recruiting class was one of the best in the country, and the Cardinal was content to fly under the radar until it counted.
But after a huge win over 10 top-25 teams in the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational two weekends ago, and the individual title won by freshman Patrick Rodgers at the same event, it looks like Stanford won’t be able to sneak up on anyone anytime soon.
The Cardinal had a 54-hole total of 849, a whopping 16 strokes better than No. 2 Oklahoma State and No. 9 Auburn, who tied for second. No. 3 Alabama carded the final day’s lowest score (+4) to finish fourth at the Olympia Fields Country Club North Course, but it was the steady play of Rodgers that turned heads in rainy conditions.
Entering the final round, the Avon, Ind. native was eight strokes back of the leader, Stanford sophomore Cameron Wilson. But with the help of a calm, steady putter, Rodgers made two birdies and no bogeys to storm up the leader board and run away with a three-stroke victory (206, -4) over Texas’ Dylan Frittelli.
The last Stanford golfer to win his first collegiate tournament went by the name Tiger Woods, who accomplished the feat 17 years ago at the William Tucker Invitational.
“It was a good steady round,” Rodgers said of the final round 68. “I made a lot of pars and I missed a few birdie opportunities early, but I made a few coming in. Something I took from that round and the tournament was that I could win without playing my best golf.
“Coming off the Walker Cup I didn’t have my A game, and I didn’t have much time to prepare,” he added. “I was really proud of the way I was able to scrap it around and score my golf ball without hitting it great.”
The Cardinal put on quite a show in its first team win since the Mauna Lani Invitational in February 2010. Junior Andrew Yun finished in third place, and Wilson posted a career-best fourth-place finish (despite shooting a final round 76) as Stanford occupied three of the top four slots.
“This was one of the largest winning margins in my career,” Ray told GoStanford.com. “It takes five guys to win and all the guys played well. Steve Kearney had a solid round, Andrew Yun hung in there. It was a great team win.”
Kearney tied for 33rd with a 12-over-par 222 and freshman Patrick Grimes’ finish tied for 46th at 15 over par.
Next up for the Cardinal is The Prestige at PGA West, co-hosted by Stanford and UC-Davis in La Quinta, Calif., which will take place Oct. 9-11. It will be a good test for the Card to see if it can follow up the victory at Olympia on the Greg Norman course, particularly since there are just three remaining tournaments in the shortened fall season.