The Virginia men’s golf team finished in second place at the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship on April 25, advancing to match play for the second consecutive year and third time in six seasons. The Cavaliers posted a 4-under total of 860 over three rounds, securing one of eight spots in Sunday’s match play quarterfinals.
This result allows Virginia to compete against Louisville in the quarterfinals, with the winner set to face either Clemson or North Carolina later that afternoon. The ACC Champion will be decided during Monday’s final, which will be broadcast live on ACCNX.
Virginia maintained its position throughout the competition, opening and closing with a score of 291 and shooting a tournament-best round of 278 on Friday. This marks the fifth time under Tony Markel Family Men’s Head Golf Coach Bowen Sargent that Virginia has finished first or second in stroke play at the ACC Championship since his tenure began in 2004. Last season, Virginia won its first-ever ACC title after finishing atop stroke play and winning three straight matches.
Senior Ben James led Virginia individually by tying for fifth place at six-under-par (210), highlighted by birdies on his final two holes. James achieved top-five finishes in all nine starts this season and concluded his collegiate career with three top-five results across four conference championships. First-year player Michael Lee tied for twenty-second place with an even-par round on Saturday, recording the lowest score by a UVA freshman at this event since James’s own performance as a freshman in 2023.
Paul Chang registered his ninth top-20 finish of the season after finishing even par for the tournament. Other contributors included Bryan Lee (T30) and Josh Duangmanee (T41).
With their performance at this championship, Virginia also earned a point toward their lead in the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash against rival Virginia Tech—a points-based competition involving all sports between both schools.
