The Valparaiso University men’s golf team moved into the top 5 in an 18-team field during Wednesday’s third and final day of the par-72, 6989-yard Golfweek/AGT Intercollegiate at True Blue GC in Pawleys Island, S.C. The team was led by Caleb VanArragon (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine), who completed another top-10 finish.

How It Happened

• VanArragon finished out his strong week by carding a 70 (-2) in Wednesday’s final round, finishing the event at 212 (-4) over 54 holes. He placed eighth in a 96-player field.
• VanArragon shared the team’s best Round-3 performance with sophomore Anthony Delisanti (Sanborn, N.Y. / Niagara Wheatfield), who also stroked a 70 to finish out his 54-hole score of 215. He advanced 11 spots to t-16 on the player leaderboard.
• Four different Valpo players – one individual and three in the lineup – all finished tied for 47^th at 223. Mason Bonn (Sherwood, Ore. / Sherwood) had the best Round-3 score in that group with a 73. Also part of that collection was Padraic Sim (Spanish Fort, Ala. / Spanish Fort [Oregon]), who made his Valpo debut this week.
• As a team, Valpo put together a Round-3 score of 289 (+1) to finish at 868 (+4) over the 54 holes. That ranked fifth on the team leaderboard.
• Troy took the team title at 840, while UConn’s Jared Nelson was the individual medalist at 207.

Inside the Round

• Valpo finished second in the tournament in par-4 scoring at 4.04, behind only tournament champion Troy on those holes.
• VanArragon tied for second in the field in par-5 scoring average at 4.53 (-7).
• Delisanti had 43 pars – the fourth most in the tournament – while VanArragon led the team with 11 birdies.
• The Beacons achieved their fifth top-5 team finish in eight events this season.
• The team’s 54-hole score of 868 ranks eighth in program history for 54-hole tournament low. In relation to par, the Beacons finished the tournament at +4, a mark that ranks tied for fifth in program history.
• VanArragon boasted his 10^th top-10 finish in his last 11 events, his seventh top-10 finish in eight tournaments this season and his 26^th career top-10 placing.

Thoughts from Head Coach Dave Gring

“We had another solid start to the round, playing the first three holes at one under. We didn’t take advantage of the down-wind Par-5 fourth hole, and we ended up playing it at five over. We played the three Par 5s on the front nine at five over, so we again lost some terrific scoring opportunities against the field. One bright spot on the front nine was playing the two Par-3 holes at even par.”

“As we transitioned to the back nine, we played those next six holes at four under. The guys hit a high percentage of the fairways and greens, and we made some quality birdie putts. The 16th hole is a challenging Par-3 and we stumbled through that hole, playing it at four over. We had a couple bad swings on that hole, but the guys bounced back and played the last two holes at one over. Four of our five guys played the back nine at even par, and Caleb was only one over, so that was a strong finish for us.”

“Our Par-3 scoring was great in the first Round, but just average in the second and third rounds. Our Par-4 scoring was excellent and the guys made a lot of good decisions in managing the course on those holes. Our Par-5 scoring was terrible, and we are going to need to make better decisions on the golf course, play more to our strengths and improve our course management. This is an area that I feel we can correct quickly.”

“I’m proud of our team and the effort that they are putting in with our practices and tournament play during the first quarter of the year. This has been a tough part of our schedule, but the guys have brought a great attitude and excellent preparation to every practice and competitive round. We still have a good portion of our spring season left and we are playing better in each event this spring.”

“Caleb continues to have a special spring season for us. He prepares so well for every tournament, and his finishes have improved in each tournament this spring. Six of his nine rounds this spring have been under par and his confidence continues to build in each event. His ball-striking has been exemplary and he will make even more birdies as the season progresses.”

Up Next

Valpo will face off with DePaul in the Demons vs. Beacons Challenge, which will take place on Monday, April 3 at 11 a.m. at Flossmoor CC in Flossmoor, Ill. This will be a 27-hole event.