The Valparaiso University men’s golf team tied a bow on a successful fall season on Tuesday, wrapping up a runner-up finish at the TVA Community Credit Union Invitational, hosted by North Alabama at the par-72, 7133-yard Turtle Point Yacht & Country Club in Killen, Ala. Junior Caleb VanArragon (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) concluded a stellar fall slate with another individual runner-up performance.

How It Happened

• VanArragon turned in a 73 (+1) in Tuesday’s final round, finishing the event at 212 (-4) over 54 holes. His Round-3 showing was enough to hold off Southern Illinois’ Matthis Besard by one stroke in a tight battle for individual runner-up status in a 66-player field. VanArragon was three strokes behind UT Martin’s Tate Chumley for medalist honors.
• VanArragon was joined in the top 5 by freshman teammate Anthony Delisanti (Sanborn, N.Y. / Niagara Wheatfield), who posted three straight rounds of par or better in the tournament. His consistent output closed with a 72 (E) on Tuesday as the rookie finished the event at 215 (-1), tied for fourth.
• The Beacons boasted balanced scoring on the event’s final day as all five players in the lineup carded 75 or better. Garrett Willis (Fort Wayne, Ind. / Homestead) finished third on the team with a 224 (+8) by virtue of a 74 (+2) on Tuesday. He tied for 20^th among competing players.
• Valpo enjoyed a team runner-up finish by carding an 875 (+11) over three rounds. Host North Alabama won the 11-team tournament at 867 (+3). Valpo was seven strokes clear of third and 10 strokes in front of conference foe Southern Illinois, which finished fourth.

Inside the Round

• VanArragon posted his fifth straight top-5 finish and was the individual runner-up or medalist in four of six tournaments this fall. He has carded 215 or better in each of his last three outings.
• This marked the eighth time in his collegiate career that VanArragon has finished as the individual medalist or runner-up including seven times in the calendar year of 2021.
• VanArragon again cracked the program record book in 54-hole tournament score in relation to par. By finishing the event at four strokes under, he tied for the eighth-best 54-hole score in relation to par in program history. This marked the fifth time in his career that VanArragon has finished an event four strokes under par or better.
• By finishing with an 875, this represented the third time this season that Valpo has cracked the program record book in 54-hole team score. This marked the 10^th-best 54-hole team score in modern program history. Three of the program’s top-10 tournaments since the 2009 relaunch have come this fall.
• In terms of 54-hole score in relation to par, Valpo’s +11 this week is eighth in program history. Three of the top eight marks in that area have come this fall.
• Delisanti turned in his first career top-5 finish and his second top-10 finish this fall. This marked the first time in his young career that he finished a tournament with a three-round score under par.
• Valpo was second in the field in par-3 scoring (3.20), second in par-5 scoring (4.83) and third in Par-4 scoring (4.16). Delisanti was the individual tournament leader on par-5 holes at 4.50, while VanArragon’s 3.87 average on Par 4s paced the tournament field.
• The team led the tournament with 179 even-par holes while also accruing 35 birdies.   
• Delisanti and VanArragon paced the team with 10 birdies apiece, while VanArragon added 39 even-par holes, tied for the second most in the event.
• Dating back to last season, Valpo has finished in the top five in 10 consecutive tournaments. This marked the team’s second runner-up showing this fall and third of the calendar year 2021.

Up Next

Valpo will crank up the spring season on Sunday, Feb. 13 at the Advance Golf Partners Collegiate in Palm City, Fla. The event will take place at Hammock Green GC.