Brooke, a junior from Birmingham, Ala., was not even the number-one golfer on the Cavalier squad when he headed for the Ekwanok course in Manchester, Vt. Nevertheless, the 20-year-old overcame more experienced competitors in battling from five strokes back, taking the 36-hole match by one stroke over Harry Haverstick of Swarthmore. Brooke's dramatic comeback caused The New York Times to report: "Seldom has there been a greater demonstration of courage than the Virginia junior gave today."

Led by Brooke, the Virginia squad tied for 15th place in the 1940 team competition. In 1946, Virginia posted its best NCAA result, finishing 11th in an 18-team field.

Dixon Brooke's legacy lives on in an endowed scholarship established by his family. In addition, the Dixon Brooke Award is given annually to the Cavalier golfer who best demonstrates leadership, cooperative spirit and unselfish service.

Since the 1990s, the Virginia golf program has again risen to national prominence. The Cavaliers have reached the NCAA East Regional Tournament in 16 of the last 22 years. Virginia reached the NCAA Championships seven times during that span.

Virginia hosted the NCAA East Regional Tournament at Birdwood Golf Course.

In 1996, Lewis Chitengwa turned in Virginia's best NCAA Championship performance since Brooke's historic victory in 1940. Competing as an individual, Chitengwa finished seventh with a 293 in a talented field. His 68 in the third round was the day's low round and missed the course record by only one stroke.

In 2008, 2009 and 2010 the Cavaliers made three consecutive appearances at the NCAA Championships for the first time in school history. Virginia set several school records during the 2010 NCAA Champions where the Cavaliers finished 11th to equal the best showing in school history. Henry Smart tied The Honors Course record with a remarkable 6-under 66 during the final round to set a UVa single-round NCAA scoring records. The team shot 8-under 280 during the second round, the best single-round team score at the NCAAs.