WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Vanderbilt sophomore Jon Curran finished eighth in the 110th NCAA Men’s Golf Championship at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club.
The Hopkinton, Mass., native shot a six-under 64 on Thursday on his way to becoming one of six individuals to make the 54-hole cut.
Coming into Saturday’s fourth and final round, Curran stood two strokes behind the pace. He shot even-par on the day, but Southern California’s Jamie Lovemark carded a six-under 64 to vault from 11th to first and take individual medalist honors by two strokes.
A regional All-American, Curran becomes the Commodores’ highest finisher at the NCAA Championships. He ended the 2007 season on a tear, finishing in the Top 10 of four consecutive tournaments — including the SEC Championship, the NCAA West Regional and the NCAA Championship.
Below is the complete release on the event from the NCAA:
Stanford had the most consistent play during the week and claimed a 12-shot victory in the 2007 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships at the Golden Horseshoe (par 70, 6,803 yards). The championships were hosted by Virginia Commonwealth University.
This was Stanford’s eighth NCAA team championship and first since 1994, when head coach Conrad Ray was a member of the squad. The Cardinal led after each round and was the only team to shoot under par each of the first three days. Stanford had a one-over 281 for Saturday’s final round for a four-day total of 11-under 1109 (275-278-275-281).
Top-seeded Georgia finished second at one-over 1121. Lamar had the best round of the day at five-under 275 to finish in a tie for third with Charlotte at five-over 1125. Coastal Carolina placed fifth at eight-over 1128. Lamar, Charlotte and Coastal Carolina all had their best finishes at the NCAA Championships.
Freshman Jamie Lovemark (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) of Southern California had the top individual round of the day at six-under 64 to claim the individual title with a nine-under 271 (72-71-64-64). He was three-over after two round, but carded a pair of 64s over the final two rounds. Lovemark was tied for 11th at the start of the day, three shots behind the leaders. The victory was the fourth of the year for Lovemark and his third straight strong finish. Lovemark finished first at the Pac-10 Championships and tied for second at the NCAA West Regional.
Freshman Kyle Stanley (Gig Harbor, Wash.) of Clemson finished two shots behind Lovemark at seven-under 273 (70-69-65-69). Junior Rob Grube (Hinsdale, Ill.) of Stanford was third at six-under 274 (64-71-69-70). Grube finished tied for fifth in the 2005 NCAA Championships.
The 2008 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship will be held at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex Kampen Course in West Lafayette, Ind. Purdue University will be the host institution.
