SUGAR GROVE, Ill. – The careers of two of the finest student-athletes to play for the Stanford men's golf program came to a close Sunday after the third round of the NCAA Championships.
Seniors Maverick McNealy and Viraat Badhwar, who represented Stanford with class on and off the course, sank their final putts in a Cardinal uniform and tipped their caps to the crowd on the 18th green at Rich Harvest Farms. The pair helped lead Stanford to three Pac-12 tournament titles and four NCAA appearances over the past four seasons.
McNealy, this year's Ben Hogan Award winner who leaves Stanford tied for the program record with 11 career wins, posted rounds of 76-71-74 to finish tied for 76th at 5-over on the par-72 track. His final 18 holes included four birdies.
Badhwar (73-73-74) tied for 71st at 4-over and rolled in an eight-footer for birdie on his final hole.
Fourth-seeded Stanford (293-287-299) missed out on the 15-team cut and a chance to advance to Monday's final round of stroke play by eight shots. The Cardinal placed 20th and was 15-over through 54 holes of play.
.@StanfordMGolf created a lasting bond for two golfers from different worlds.#GoStanford https://t.co/4f2gauqMvD
— Stanford Athletics (@GoStanford) May 15, 2017
"We fought hard and we were in the mix today," said Conrad Ray, Stanford's Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf. "We got off to a decent start, but we hit it into some bad spots when the wind got tough out there.
"Maverick and Viraat have been amazing role models and a pleasure to coach. They're student-athletes through and through, and they've definitely left their marks on our program."
Stanford's highest finisher was Isaiah Salinda, who made most of his NCAA debut. Salinda (71-71-74) tied for 44th, and followed a double-bogey on 17 with a 55-foot birdie putt on the 18th to put the finishing touches on his sophomore season.
Franklin Huang (74-73-77) was 8-over and tied for 104th. Brandon Wu (75-72-81) was 12-over for the tournament and tied for 125th.
Stanford finished the season with two team wins, including a share of the title at the NCAA Regional Championships contested at Stanford Golf Course.