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Travel CenterIt got exciting down the stretch, but the Hokies just couldn’t get make up the deficit and finished in sixth place at the NCAA Virginia Tech Regional at the Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech. The top five teams advance to the nationals and Tech finished three strokes behind Kent State for the all-important fifth spot.
As head coach Jay Hardwick told the media afterwards, it wasn’t an individual thing. Tech just couldn't get everyone going at the same time. There were some strong story lines for the tournament for the Hokies, though.
Blake Redmond fought back from an opening round 78 to fire back-to-back sub-par round of 71 and 70. The Texan has played well for the Hokies in the spring and looks to be a vital cog come his senior season.
A tip of the hat also has to go to freshman Bryce Chalkley. He didn’t record his best round on Saturday, but he finished the event with a solid 19th-place finish. Any time a freshman can do that in his first NCAA event, that’s quite an accomplishment. A real bright future for this young man.
It’s always sad to say goodbye to your seniors. Marshall Bailey, Garland Green and the injured Aaron Eckstein were great representatives for this university and will be sorely missed. You could not have asked for better people to deal with.
The River Course was as good or better than advertised. This is a first class facility and it shined this week. Nothing but compliments all around.
You can not put on an event like this without a great staff. Tom Gabbard, Cara Walters, Casey Underwood, Jay Hardwick, Damian Salas and all their staffs should take a bow. It all ran like clockwork, but, then again, its not their first rodeo. John Norton and his staff at the River Course were great hosts and did a super job. The folks at Bull and Bones provided the best dining ever at an NCAA Championship.
Thanks to my staff. Bryan Johnston, Rachel Perreault, Kelly Shuman, Anne Panella and Becca Favret did an outstanding job on the very important live stats, improvising to make sure the job got done.
So this puts the wraps on another Virginia Tech golf season. Thanks to all of you for your support and we will see you next year. Remember to follow us on Twitter @VT_MGolf.
The fog has lifted and we are off here at the River. The delay was about 40 minutes. The final round was scheduled to start about 30 minutes earlier than yesterday, so we are about where we were then. The Hokies were in the first group off.
Good morning. As I start this blog, its 6:45 a.m. and I’m sitting in the media/officials room here at the clubhouse of the Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech. I think this may be the earliest I’ve ever posted a blog.
This room offers a great view of river. Usually.
However, right now, all I see if fog. Lots of thick, dense fog. Fog is one of the two things (along with lightning) that we can’t play golf through. The good news is the weather is expected to be outstanding today. And the fog has begun to burn off, so stay tuned.
The teams are starting to arrive and make it to the range, so we are not far, hopefully, from getting this final round started. Keep checking back, especially the live stats, for any futher updates.
The second round has come to a close and the Hokies are in seventh place. Tech had a very solid first part of the day, but struggled on the tough last four holes and finished the day with a second straight 300 for a 600 total.
Freshman Bryce Chalkley enters the final round as the Hokies’ low player. He shot a second round even-par 72 and is tied for 12th at 147. Blake Redmond is tied for 22nd at 149. Redmond had the best hole of the day, as he recorded the day’s only eagle, on the par 5 583-yard 12th hole.
Marshall Bailey fought through an illness this morning, but was feeling better as the team ate their post-round meal.
With the top 5 teams advancing, the Hokies still have a solid chance of heading to Karsten Creek. Head Coach Jay Hardwick knows that another 300 will probably not get the job done, but the team is out on the practice range now, so you know the Hokies will be ready.
Tech will tee off at 7:30 a.m., from the 10th tee, grouped with East Carolina and Virginia. As far as the all-important fifth place spot is, LSU is currently 5th at +20. Coastal Carolina is 6th at +23, Tech is seventh at +24, Virginia is 8th at +26 and East Carolina is 9th at +30.
If you are in the area, please come on out and support the Hokies. Admission is free and the weather is expected to be exceptional.
We’re back at the River for the second round of the Virginia Tech Regional. As the teams made their way from the Inn at Virginia Tech to the course, about a 12 mile trip, there was a fairly dense fog in the Prices Fork area and again around Fairlawn. But around 7:45 a.m., the fog on the course burned off and, once again, the teams were able to tee off on time.
The Hokies take the course beginning 8:20 a.m., as they start on the first tee. The teams are all reseeded following each round, including the order of the individual players on each team.
One of the more interesting aspects of Thursday’s round was the good play by the individuals, the 10 players in this field that are not competing with their teams. Usually, there may be one or two individuals that make some noise, but not the five we had here yesterday. Five of the top 14 players are competing as individuals. Also, it’s interesting that Campbell has two individuals here. Usually, there are just one from each school. Both of the Camels are in the top 14 (and ties).
Check back with us later, as we will continually update this blog. And also, make sure to follow us on Twitter @VT_MGolf.
Well, we’re finished with the first round at the NCAA Virginia Tech Regional at the Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech. The Hokies are in sixth place and Marshall Bailey led the way for Tech as an individual with a one-over-par 73 and is tied for eighth place.
The big story of the day may be that the weather cooperated and the round was finished in a timely manner. There was some outstanding play on the day. The other big stories of the round were that, as seeded, Georgia Tech played well and holds the day one lead and that, not as seed, Virginia and LSU, struggled today.
The Yellow Jackets, led by individual leader Kyle Scott, shot one-over-par 289, six strokes better than third-seed Duke. The Bayou Bengals and Cavaliers, seeded second and fourth, respectively, shot 17-over-par 305 and are tied for ninth.
The River Course is setting up to be one of the best sites ever for an NCAA Regional. You are hearing coaches and players use words like “tough”, “fair”, and “challenging”. That’s what you like to hear. The course is the longest ever used in an NCAA Regional and when the wind kicked up in the later stages of the round, scores went higher.
The media room and the player’s area both have windows that look out on the New River and the view is, well, stunning. My guess is a lot of the players, coaches and spectators will make future visits here. The Bull and Bones in the clubhouse, with the Hackin’ Hokies Grille, will surely be a frequent future stop for me.
We’ll be back here bright and early again in the morning. The Hokies will tee off from the first tee at 8:20 a.m. with Oklahoma and Coastal Carolina. Make sure to check back with hokiesports.com to see an interview with head coach Jay Hardwick and a photo gallery by David Knachel.
Before I close, let me take a moment to wish good luck to the Hokie baseball team, as they begin an all-important weekend series with No. 12 Georgia Tech at 5:30 p.m. tonight at English Field. If you are in the area, the weather is perfect and it should be a great night for baseball. If not, you can listen in on Hokies All Access or Super Sports 101.7 FM, as Torye Hurst will have the call.
Until tomorrow, have a great night and Go Hokies!
A real quick note here. Due to a technical error, two players were listed (on the live stats) as making "2" on No. 12. In actuality, each made a par "5". The correct scores have been updated.
Just a quick note as the day begins here at the River. The first group, Georgia Tech, LSU and Duke, got off on time at 8 a.m. and the NCAA Virginia Tech Regional is off to a solid start here.
The Hokies will take the course beginning at 8:50 a.m. from the first tee. Freshman Bryce Chalkley will be the first off for Tech, making his NCAA Tournament debut. Chalkley is the only Hokie competing this weekend that has not played in at least one NCAA regional. Marshall Bailey will become the first Hokie since Ryan Stinnett in 2004 to compete in four NCAA regionals.
There are good conditions on the course as we get started. The fans are starting to show up. Check back for updates and make sure to follow us on Twitter @VT_MGolf.
Well, all of the competitors have completed their practice rounds and have finished a good lunch here at the Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech. The weather cooperated and most of the teams have headed for the range to get in a little practice before going back to campus for the day.
The teams will reconvene at the Inn at Virginia Tech at 7 p.m. for a welcome dinner hosted by Virginia Tech. Prior to the dinner, there will be an administrative meeting, run by Norwood Teague, the athletics director at VCU and the NCAA Committee Representative assigned to the Virginia Tech Regional.
At this meeting, the coaches will get a reminder of important points and local rules for the course. Pace of play, player decorum and contingency plans for bad weather are some of the items discussed. Every NCAA championship event, regardless of the sport, has some similar type of meeting.
The general consensus among coaches and competitors is that this is a long, tough, but fair course. The course is in fantastic condition and this is setting up to be a great event.
Following the Hokies’ round, Coach Hardwick, Marshall Bailey and Blake Redmond spent some time with the media, discussing the coming event. News media from the Commonwealth will be present for the entire tournament and with both the Hokies and the Cavaliers in this field, there will be plenty to report.
We have posted an interview with Blake Redmond and will be adding more as the week progresses. Be sure to check back here for more information and we hope to see a great presence from the Hokie Nation.
Welcome to hokiesports.com’s blog from the NCAA Virginia Tech Regional from the Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech, along the banks of the scenic New River.
This year, we will be blogging not only about the Hokies, but about the entire tournament. This should be an exciting event, with high-quality competition.
A few housekeeping items. First of all, we encourage everyone in the area to come on out. We are located about a mile off Pepper’s Ferry Road, an easy drive from all points in the New River Valley. Admission to this event is free and the course is in outstanding condition. This course is perfect for an NCAA event, especially for the fans. This may be one of the easiest courses to walk, with little elevation changes.
For those who cannot make it to the site, stay logged on to hokiesports.com. Along with this blog, we will have video interviews and photo galleries. And to prove that we have really embraced all the modern technology, be sure to follow us on twitter @VT_MGolf. We will be tweeting all week, as well.
There are 13 teams and 10 individuals here at this site. All competitors are on the course for their practice rounds right now. It’s a little chilly out there right now, but not raining. The forecast for the week is improving rapidly so we are hoping for a great event.
Keep checking back and we will update several times during the day and through the rest of the week.
Fair
