Lamar University saved its best for last as the Cardinals fired a 5-under-par 275 in the final round to post a school-best third-place finish at the 2007 NCAA Golf Championships. Virginia Commonwealth University hosted the tournament on the Gold Course at Golden Horseshoe Golf Club (Par-70, 6,803 yards).
Lamar, which entered the round tied for 12th place, posted the lowest round of the day as three Cardinals finished below par individually. The Cardinals played the last two rounds at 7-under to post a 54-hole score of 5-over 285-287-278-275—1,125. Lamar’s previous best NCAA championship finish was a tie for seventh place in 1986 at Winston-Salem, N.C. The team score of 1,125 also set a new 72-hole record at the NCAA Championships, surpassing last year’s 1,158 total when the Cardinals tied for ninth place at Sunriver, Ore.
“It was a good round, and we finally played well as a team,” said Lamar coach Brian White. “We played like I know we can play, and that was good to see. Our goal was to win, but this sure was a pretty good finish. The boys in red pants showed some pretty good golf today.
“Dawie (Van Der Walt) birdied the last hole to shoot 67 in his final college tournament before he turns professional. Dusty finished his career with a final-round 2-under 68. It was nice to see those guys finish on such a positive note. The whole team brought a lot of pride to the school, and the city and the community should be proud of them.”
“I know we lose some good players off this team, but that’s college golf,” said White. You don’t get them forever. You just have to enjoy them while you have them. I hope they all have success in golf and in life.”
Stanford, which held the 54-hole lead, closed with a 1-over 281 to win over Georgia, which finished in second place at 1,121. Lamar and Charlotte, which shot a final round 287, tied for third at 1,125.
Van Der Walt, a native of Cape Town, South Africa, turned in the Cardinals’ best round of the day at 3-under 6, posting a 72-hole score of 1-over 73-73-68-67—281 to tie for 22nd place. He was named to the 2007 Ping All-America first team in a ceremony on the 18th green after the final round and is the only three-time Ping All-American in school history.
“I really had fun out there today,” said Van Der Walt, who plans to turn professional in the next week. “There is nothing better than playing golf, and I want to do this the rest of my life.”
Dusty Smith, a senior from The Woodlands, said, “We beat our ninth-place finish last year, and to finish in the Top 5 is just awesome, especially after we had to fight to just make the cut. When I came to Lamar as a freshman I didn’t even know if I was going to make the team, but I ended up playing in all but one tournament. The coaching I’ve received has been great, and I improved every year.”
Championship team members are Oliver Bekker, a sophomore from Stellenbosch, South Africa; Casey Clendenon, junior, Katy; Justin Harding, sophomore, Cape Town, South Africa; Russell Helson, junior, Georgetown; and Ryan Kornmann, senior, Kingwood.
