by Virginia used the same late birdies to edge out No. 1 Auburn, beat three other teams in my preseason top six and win the fall-opening Inverness Intercollegiate Tournament Tuesday in Toledo, Ohio.
Here are some points to remember:
VIRGINIA WAS IN MY PRE-SEASON TOP 5 FOR A REASON: Make no mistake, the Cavs are good. This performance confirmed it. With junior Ben James teeing off on the fifth hole, the two-time first-team All-American led the way with a third-place finish. Junior teammate Bryan Lee added a seventh, and what about everyone’s favorite former club golfer? Paul Chang closed with a 3-under 66 in the final round as Virginia shot 6-under 6 — the best round of the day — to edge out Auburn, Oklahoma and Texas Tech. If the Cavs don’t make it to a third match play in La Costa next May, I’m going to eat — let’s just say I’ll be surprised.
KOIVUN AND THE TIGERS DIG LATE: The good news for Koivun, the reigning national freshman player of the year, is that he managed to win the individual title, the third victory of his young career and the 14th time in 15 starts that he has finished in the top six. However, Koivun bogeyed each of his final three holes as the Tigers played the final four holes in five overs and finished four shots behind Virginia. Oddly enough, it might be exactly what the defending NCAA champions needed: a humble early slice of pie that could lead to another cherry on top.
MAYBE IT’S TIME TO MAKE MY FIRST CHOICE: I have a rule that I don’t pick the preseason No. 1 seed to win it all. So, sorry, Auburn. And my No. 2 team, Florida State, seems awfully reliant on Luke Clanton right now. Instead, I’m officially going to lock in my pick to win the 2025 NCAA men’s team title: Oklahoma. The Sooners tied Vanderbilt for third place, one shot behind Auburn. Drew Goodman did what was expected of him, leading the team with a T-7 finish. Jase Summy, Ryder Cowan and Matthew Troutman all added top-20 finishes. I like the depth of this team. I like what head coach Ryan Hybl is doing. He’s going to make this team peak at the right time, and once they get into the game, these Sooners are going to be tough to take down.
SPEAKING OF THE FIRST PREDICTIONS: Last week, I said Vanderbilt sophomore Gordon Sargent would have his best college season as a senior. A T-33 is certainly a hindrance, but I refrain from downgrading the future PGA Tour member to Gordon Corporal. The 8-over-par start through two rounds was not good. Once again, Sargent struggled with big numbers—he double bogeyed each of the first two days. But he looked like himself Tuesday, finishing at 67 with just one bogey. The wedge game needs to improve. So does the short game. That’s what’s holding Sargent back. But you can’t teach that speed, and this kid is a player; he’s going to figure it out soon. New prediction: Sarge wins at least two times this season!
