Started in 1986 by former head coach Clem King, the Cavalier Classic has been host to great collegiate golf drama.
The spring of 2011 saw Virginia host the event for the 24th time.
Host Virginia has won its own classic eight times in the 24-year history of the event.
In 2011 Virginia won its second consecutive title behind the record-setting performance of freshman medalist Ben Rusch. After shooting 2-under 70 during his opening round, Rusch posted a tourney record 7-under 65 in the afternoon to win at 9-under 135. His second round score and total for 36 holes were both Cavalier Classic records for Birdwood Golf Course.
It
was UVa's fourth title over a five-year period.
In 2010 Virginia ran away with a 20-shot
victory led by Ben Kohles, who took medalist honors by two strokes.
In 2008 UVa won by
three shots over second-place Augusta State in a 36-hole format. It
marked the first time the Cavaliers claimed back-to-back titles at the
Cavalier Classic. In 2007. UVa cruised to a 24-shot win over
second-place UNCG in the 10-team field.
In 1994, Cavalier
All-American Simon Cooke took home medalist honors for the home team
for the first time with an eight-under 208, besting the previous
tournament record by two strokes.
In 2006 Brad Tilley
became the second UVa player to win the tournament in a dramatic
fashion that may never be repeated. Tilley was tied with Maryland's
Blaine Peffley and NC State's Stephen Lewton after 54 holes of stroke
play. Lewton and his Wolfpack teammates had already departed for the
return trip to Raleigh, leaving just Tilley and Peffley to battle for
the medalist trophy. And what a battle it was.
Both players made
par on their first six playoff holes before Tilley finally won on the
seventh hole with a par to Peffley's bogie.
The 1999 tournament
saw Wake Forest place three players among the top five and earn coach
Jerry Haas his first coaching victory. The Demon Deacons jumped out to
a 13-stroke lead after two rounds, but Virginia stormed back and closed
within three shots, behind the play of James Driscoll and Cameron
Yancey, before settling for second-place honors. Wake Forest's Jay
Morgan claimed individual honors in 1999 with a six-under 210.
In
1997, freshman Mike Mitchell, playing in the first collegiate event,
worked his way into the individual lead after 36 holes with a
remarkable five-under par performance, which included a hole-in-one in
the second round. Mitchell's 69-68 effort, along with Andrea Brotto's
68-71 and Lewis Chitengwa's 71-69, helped forge an eight-stroke lead
for the Cavaliers. With the final round played in high winds, the
rookie Mitchell faltered, but veterans Chitengwa and James Driscoll
fired 71 and 69, respectively, and the Cavs' eight-shot lead became an
eight-shot victory. The win marked Virginia's fourth Cavalier Classic
title, and its first win at the Keswick Club.
In 1995 at
Birdwood, Virginia trailed Southern Methodist by one stroke entering
the final round. Led by Cole Kelly, who birdied the first three holes
and made a hole-in-one on the 12th hole, the Cavaliers produced a
nine-under par team score to tie SMU. The win marked Virginia's first
Cavalier Classic title since 1990, when Tim Dunlavey, Fred Widicus, and
Bill Bierman led UVa to an 11-shot victory over Georgia Tech.
Former Cavalier Andrea Signor took medalist honors in 2004 while competing for the Italian National Team.
Most notable among the past individuals winners is current PGA star David Duval, who claimed medalist honors in 1992 and 1993.
Cavalier Classic Team Champions
Team Champions
YearTourney
WinnerScoreField
1986Furman301-311-307-919 (+55)15
1987NCState309-291-299-899
(+35)14
1988Virginia292-295-296-883
(+19)9
1989East
Tennessee St. 298-285-298-881 (+17) 14
1990Virginia296-286-285-867
(+3) 17
1991Georgia
Tech292-290-281-863 (-1) 17
1992Georgia
Tech289-294-285-868 (+4) 18
1993Georgia
Tech294-290-291-875 (+11) 18
1994Georgia
Tech279-284-296-859 (-5) 15
1995NCState288-296-288-872
(+8) 17
1995Virginia291-295-279-865
(+1) 12
So.
Methodist296-289-280-865
(+1)
1996 $ North
Carolina285-283-277-845 (-7) 14
1997 $ Virginia281-278-295-856 (+4) 13
1998 $ North
Carolina274-277-280-831
(-21) 14
1999Wake
Forest285-280-292-857 (-7) 15
2001East
Tennessee St.288-294-582
(+6) 4
2004UNCWilmington287-290-293-870 (+6) 11
2005William
& Mary 293-299-300-892
(+28) 12
2006Maryland295-281-295-871
(+7) 10
2007Virginia292-285-291-868
(+4) 10
2008Virginia282-293-575 (-1) 21
2009South
Carolina286 (-2) 18
2010Virginia291-294-575(-1)11
2011 Virginia 295-279-574 (-2) 9
Cavalier Classic Medalists
1986M.
Warton-Palmer, Centenary73-74-73-220 (+4)
1987John
Hughes, North Carolina70-70-77-217 (+1)
1988Roger
Rowland, Augusta State72-73-70-215 (-1)
1989Tee
Burton, North Carolina71-70-73-214 (-2)
1990Tee
Burton, North Carolina70-71-69-210 (-6)
1991Jon
Hurst, Old Dominion*68-71-71-210 (-6)
Steve Isley, NC State68-71-71-210
(-6)
1992David
Duval, Georgia Tech*68-75-70-213 (-3)
Neil Connolly, UTChatt.70-72-71-213 (-3)
1993David
Duval, Georgia Tech73-69-72-214 (-2)
1994Simon
Cooke, Virginia69-69-70-208
(-8)
1995John
McCann, UNCGreen.73-66#-72-211 (-5)
1995Rob
Bradley, North Carolina68-72-140 (-4)
1996Jason
Buha, Duke$67-69-68-204 (-9)
1997Chad
Wellhausen, Miss. St.$68-70-68-206 (-7)
1998Brad
Hyler, North Carolina$65-67-70-202 (-11)
1999Jay
Morgan, Wake Forest70-68-72-210
(-6)
2001Mark
Donaldson, Florida State70-71-141 (-3)
2004Andrea
Signor, Italian Nat’l •68-71-74-213
(-3)
Dustin Bray, North Carolina70-70-73-213
(-3)
2005Gary
Barton, Wm. & Mary• 74-73-71-218 (+2)
Taylor Crosby, NC State 71-73-74-218
(+2)
2006Brad
Tilley, Virginia•72-73-71-216
(E)
Blaine Peffley, Maryland73-68-75-216 (E)
Stephen Lewton, NC State73-71-72-216 (E)
2007Drew
Younts, UNCG68-69-77-214 (-2)
2008Henrik
Norlander, Augusta St.71-68-139 (-5)
2009Josh
Brock, UNC Wilmington67 (-5)
2010Ben
Kohles, Virginia72-68-140 (-4)
2011 Ben Rusch, Virginia 70-65-135 (-9)
Cavalier Classic Records
Low 18-Hole Score:
2011 Ben Rusch, Virginia 65 (-7)
1998 $ Max Harris, North Carolina64 (-7)
1998 $ Brad Hyler, North Carolina 65 (-6)
1995 John McCann, UNCGreensboro66 (-6) #
1993 Jason Widener, Duke66
(-6) #
Low 36-Hole Score:
2011 Ben Rusch 70-65-135 (-9)
1998 $ Brad Hyler, North Carolina65-67-132 (-10)
1994 Simon Cooke, Virginia69-69-138
(-6)
Low 54-Hole Score:
1998 $ Brad Hyler, North Carolina 65-67-70-202 (-11)
News
Roster
Schedule
