Tait Shines as Pirates Claim Ross Collegiate Classic Title

Tuesday, March 8

Pinehurst, N.C. / Mid Pines Golf Club

All Day

Seton Hall University

Third Round

Tait Shines as Pirates Claim Ross Collegiate Classic Title

3/8/2022 4:03:00 PM | Men's Golf

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Sun, Acevedo and Xie all register top-10 finishes among 108 individual golfers.

PINEHURST, N.C. – Graduate student Gregor Tait (Martlesham Heath, England) fired a 4-under-par, 68, in Tuesday's final round to lift the Seton Hall men's golf team to the team title of the Ross Collegiate Classic.

Tait had no blemishes on one of the finest individual rounds of his career. He had four birdies and 14 pars on Tuesday to register the Pirates' top round of the day. His effort vaulted him up the final leader board to a 17^th place finish with a 4-over-par, 75-77-68-220.

Seton Hall finished up a stellar second round on Tuesday since darkness halted competition on Monday. The Pirates' even-par, 288, in round two enabled them to pass Elon for the team lead. In the afternoon, The Hall put the finishing touches on a 1-under-par, 287, in round three to solidify the Pirates' second team victory of the year. It's the program's 30^th tournament victory all-time.

For the tournament, the Pirates shot a 9-over-par, 298-288-287-873, out-pacing the field by four strokes. Elon finished second at 13-over-par. Three other BIG EAST schools were also participating. Connecticut finish fifth at 22-over-par, St. John's was seventh at 27-over-par and Villanova placed ninth at 32-over-par.

Graduate student Andres Acevedo (San Antonio, Texas) had another strong round, using three birdies to fuel a 1-over-par, 73, on Tuesday. He finished even-par for the tournament with a 71-72-73-216. Acevedo tied for seventh among 108 individual golfers for his fourth career top-10 finish.

Finishing only one stroke behind Acevedo was Wenliang Xie (Zhaoqing, China). The junior had three birdies and 12 pars in route to an even-par, 72, on Tuesday. For the tournament, Xie tied for 10^th with a 1-over-par, 75-70-72-217. Like Acevedo, it's Xie's fourth top-10 effort.

Freshman Angus O'Brien (Barwon Heads, Australia) used a birdie and 14 pars to power a 2-over-par, 74, in round three. For the event, he tied for 31^st place with a 9-over-par, 77-74-74-225.

Only one stroke behind O'Brien, senior Deven Ramachandran (San Rafael, Calif.) completed his tournament at 10-over-par with a 78-72-76-226. Ramachandran had a strong start to his final round, birdying three of his first eight holes, but faded late on the back nine.

Seton Hall also sent two additional golfers to the tournament to compete as individuals. Sophomore Wanxi Sun (Danville, Calif.) ended up being the top individual finisher for the tournament. On Tuesday, he started slow, but finished his round without a blemish over his final 13 holes, which included four birdies. Round three was his second-consecutive 2-under-par, 70. For the tournament, Sun placed sixth with a 1-under-par, 75-70-70-215.

It's Sun's second career top-10 finish and sub-par tournament.

Sophomore Brody Hanley (Lantana, Texas) turned in his best round of the tournament, shooting a 4-over-par, 76, in round three. For the event, he was 16-over-par with a 77-79-76-232.

Tournament Details:
ROSS COLLEGIATE CLASSIC
Host: George Mason University
Location: Pinehurst, N.C.
Course: Mid Pines Golf Club
Course Vitals: Par-72, 6,633 yards
Dates: February 7-8, 2021

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THE CAUSE
During this tournament the Pirates will all wore "Leuk the Duck" pins on their hats to support "Challenge," an auspice program of the Australian Red Cross. Started in 1983, and for over 30 years, Challenge has supported children and families living with cancer. A major ambassador for the program was Australian professional golfer Jarrod Lyle, who tragically passed away after a long battle with Leukemia in 2018.

A passionate supporter of "Challenge" is Seton Hall freshman Angus O'Brien (Barwon Heads, Australia), who brought awareness of the program to the Pirates.

THE COURSE
A rarity among Donald Ross masterpieces, Mid Pines Golf Course remains exactly as the world-renowned architect built it in 1921 and impeccably restored by Kyle Franz in 2013. The renovation was honored with GOLF Magazine's Best U.S. Resort Renovation and Restoration of the Year. The course, often characterized as "pure Donald Ross," was designed to fit perfectly into the natural landscape, as was Ross's signature approach.

Mid Pines was not intended to be a daunting challenge for the finest players competing under championship conditions, but was envisioned as a course that would offer friendly competition for members and guests of a private club and resort. However, fanatics and pros have taken note of the perfectly preserved course and Mid Pines has become a classic gem, which has now played host to many national competitions including the 2002 USGA Senior Women's Amateur Championship.

THE FIELD
In addition to Seton Hall and host George Mason, the large field featured 15 other teams including: Elon, George Washington, Loyola (Md.), Ohio University, Old Dominion, Princeton, Richmond, St. Bonaventure, Saint Joseph's, Towson, William & Mary and Winthrop. Three other BIG EAST competitors, Connecticut, St. John's and Villanova, are also in the field.

UP NEXT:
Seton Hall will return to tournament play March 21-22 for three rounds of golf at The Big Texan at Comanche Trace in Kerrville, Texas.

2022 ROSS COLLEGIATE CLASSIC - Team Scores
Pos.	Team	R1	R2	R3	TOTAL	PAR
1	SETON HALL	298	288	287	873	+9
2	Elon	292	296	289	877	+13
3	Richmond	293	305	284	882	+18
4	Loyola (Md.)	293	300	291	884	+20
5	Connecticut	296	297	293	886	+22
6	George Mason	299	295	295	889	++25
7	St. John's	310	299	282	891	+27
8	Winthrop	308	300	287	895	+31
9	Villanova	299	300	297	896	+32
T10	Towson	299	305	297	901	+37
T10	Princeton	312	296	293	901	+37
12	William & Mary	312	292	298	902	+38
13	Old Dominion	304	303	297	904	+40
14	George Washington	299	301	309	909	+45
15	Ohio	321	311	292	924	+60
16	St. Bonaventure	317	311	303	931	+67
17	Saint Joseph's	312	313	310	935	+71

2022 ROSS COLLEGIATE CLASSIC - Seton Hall Individual Scores
Pos.	Player	R1	R2	R3	TOTAL	PAR
T7	Andres Acevedo	71	72	73	216	E
T10	Wenliang Xie	75	70	72	217	+1
T17	Gregor Tait	75	77	68	220	+4
T31	Angus O'Brien	77	74	74	225	+9
T39	Deven Ramachandran	78	72	76	226	+10
6	Wanxi Sun (Ind.)	75	70	70	215	-1
T66	Brody Hanley (Ind.)	77	79	76	232	+16