Final Results

2008 NCAA Men's Golf Championship

 

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Virginia Tech golfer Jurrian van der Vaart shot a final round even-par 72 and completed his four rounds at the NCAA Men's Golf Championship with a nine-over-par 297, good for a tie for ninth place in his final collegiate event.

Van der Vaart's 72 in Saturday's final round was tied for the second-best round of the final day. He had two birdies and two bogies in the round. The championship was played Wednesday-Saturday at the 7,450-yard, par 72 Kampen Course of the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.

The senior from Almelo, the Netherlands' ninth place finish is the third-best-ever for a Hokie golfer, trailing Tim Collins' fifth place finish in the 1967 championship and Collins' seventh place finish in the 1965 event. The previous best for a Jay Hardwick coached Hokie was Brendon de Jonge's 22^nd place finish in the 2001 tournament at Duke.

The third round had to be completed Saturday morning after a tornado warning caused a suspension in play on Friday afternoon. When the third round was completed, van der Vaart was in a three-way tie with Scott Langley of Illinois and Chadd Cocco of St. Mary's of California at 24^th place.

The sudden-victory playoff began on the 17^th hole, where all three players parred, as they did on the 18^thhole. The three players returned to the 17^th hole and all three recorded pars on the 208-yard, par three. On the second time on the 18^th hole, van der Vaart birdied the 484-yard, par four while his competitors parred and he advanced to the final round, claiming the sixth and final individual slot.

The tournament was cut to the top 15 teams and top six individuals not on advancing teams for Saturday's final round. The NCAA golf committee had to meet Friday night to determine how to complete the third round and Saturday's final round before darkness falls Saturday night.

Kevin Chappell of UCLA who led after the first and third rounds, held on for medalist honors. He shot a two-under-par 286, three strokes ahead of Indiana's Jorge Campillo and Washington's Nick Taylor. Chappell shot a four-over-par 76 on Saturday.

UCLA won the team title, finishing with the four-day total of 42-over-par 1194, one stroke ahead of Stanford and two strokes ahead of Southern California. Oklahoma State finished fourth at 1200 and Clemson was fifth at 1201. Kent State, Washington, Charlotte, Georgia and Louisville rounded out the top 10.

Van der Vaart was in 53^rd place after Wednesday's first round and 54^th place after Thursday's second round, before improving to a tied for 24^th following the weather-delayed third round.