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NewsvineAfter enduring a three-day battle against many of the nation’s top schools in the Puerto Rico Classic, the No. 2 Stanford men’s golf team finished just one stroke behind No. 5 Georgia (850), landing in a tie for second place. No. 11 Clemson University tied Stanford on the team leader board when the Cardinal and the Tigers each ended their last round with a three-round total of 851 (281-279-291, 13 under par).
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“It was tough to lose by just one shot to Georgia,” head coach Conrad Ray said. “We were so close to first place. The tournament in Puerto Rico was a great experience. It really shows the guys and everyone that watches us that we can compete with the best teams in the country and do well.”
Freshman Joseph Bramlett won his first collegiate tournament yesterday, tying with Georgia Tech’s Robert Castro for first place in the individual competition. Bramlett opened the tournament with scores of 69 and 67, and posted a final round score of 73 to finish seven under par for the tournament (209). Of the seven tournaments that the Cardinal has participated in, Bramlett has placed in the top 25 in all seven.
“Bramlett had a solid golf game,” Ray said. “Conditions were pretty tough and he made up two shots on the leader during the last three holes he played. He is a strong golfer and this being his first tournament win is pretty special because of the overall strength of the other teams participating in this tournament. I hope that this win will soon be one of many for him.”
Joining Bramlett in the top 25 of the tournament was senior Matt Savage. He earned a tie for 12th place in the tournament with an overall score of 214 (two under par, 68-70-76). Next in the ranks was junior Rob Grube, tied for 27th with an overall score of 218 (two over par). Grube started out slow, scoring 73 and 76 in the first two rounds, but ended the tournament on a good note, scoring a 69 (three under par).
Just one stroke behind his junior teammate was sophomore Dodge Kemmer. Kemmer’s overall score of 219 for the tournament (three over par) earned him the tie for 33rd. Rounding out the Cardinal team score, senior Zack Miller ended the tournament with a score of 221 (five over par) in a tie for 39th.
Stanford started the tournament with a seven-under-par 281 on the first day. No. 16 East Tennessee State took an early lead with a 15-under-par 273, while Georgia was in second, six shots behind. On the second day, Bramlett’s five-under-par 67 put him on top of the individual leaderboard, and pulled the Cardinal into second place, with a nine-under-par 279 for a 16-under-par total (560).
Georgia, however, assumed the first-place position on an 11-under-par 277. The lead was enough to edge out Stanford in the final round, despite the Bulldogs’ four-over-par 292 on the final day. The Cardinal finished with a three-over-par 291, led by Grube’s three-under-par 69. All other Stanford golfers finished over par, though, as Clemson wrung out a 284 (four under par) for its final round.
“The guys were a little disappointed with their performance in such a close match,” Ray said. “The guys wanted a victory, but the last hole of the day was tough on most of them.”
Looking ahead to next week, the Cardinal will head to southern California to golf in the Ashworth Collegiate Invitational in West Lake Village, Calif. Stanford has great chances in this coming tournament, having placed in the top five as a team in each tournament it has participated in so far.
“We play in this tournament every year,” Ray said. “Stanford has a rich history there. There will be a little shuffle in the lineup, but I look forward to great things next week.”