Spring to RememberSpring to Remember
Walt Beazley, Razorbacks Athletic Communications
Men's Golf

Spring to Remember

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Few considered 12th-ranked Stanford a serious threat entering the NCAA Championships. Although the Cardinal arrived with four consecutive team wins, powerhouse Oklahoma NCAA State was the prohibitive favorite and boat-raced the 30-team field by 31 strokes in 72-hole stroke play qualifying.
 
After a strong start, Stanford sputtered the last two rounds on the steep and punishing 7,500-yard layout and seemed in danger in missing of one of the eight match play berths. But as has been the case all year, different players stepped up when it mattered the most and the Cardinal secured the sixth spot.
 
After knocking off higher seeds Wake Forest and Vanderbilt on Tuesday in dramatic 3-2 finishes, Stanford drew fifth-seeded Texas in Wednesday's final. The Longhorns upset Oklahoma in near darkness Tuesday night and felt confident about their chances. But once again, the Cardinal took care of business.
 

 
Falling behind early for the second straight match, which began at 4:45 a.m. PT to beat thunderstorms, Conrad Ray, the Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf, sent off upperclassmen Henry Shimp, Isaiah Salinda and Brandon Wu first and each delivered a win in the 3-2 victory.
 
"I'm just so proud of these guys," said Ray. "We battled all week. It is the longest week in golf and to play that fine Texas team and do what we did today, I can't say enough about my guys."
 

 
First-year assistant coach Matt Bortis competed for Arkansas for three years and the Blessings Golf Club was his home course. He transferred – wait for it – to Texas and played for the Longhorns his senior season.
 
"Pretty special," he said.
 
The Cardinal utilized his home course knowledge to full advantage.
 
"I give a ton of credit to Coach Bortis," said Shimp, who clinched the title on 17 with a 2 and 1 victory against Spencer Soosman in the leadoff spot. "He does a great job of keeping me calm out there. I just stayed confident and tried to hit good shots."
 

 
The win was especially satisfying for seniors Salinda and Wu, who competed for Stanford for the last time. Both went 3-0 in match play.
 
"I couldn't think of a better way to end," said Salinda.
 
Added Wu, "It's crazy. You can't script a better ending to your career. This whole week we knew that every round could be our last so to end up on a high note is great."
 

 
It was the program's ninth NCAA title and first since 2007, Ray's third at the helm. He also played on the team that won the 1994 NCAA crown.
 
The team jelled in early March at the Southern Highlands Intercollegiate, finishing third against a quality field. It didn't lose again.

Stanford reeled off consecutive victories at The Goodwin, Western Intercollegiate, Pac-12 Championships and NCAA Stanford Regional. The five consecutive wins are the most to end an NCAA Men's Division I title season since Alabama (6) in 2013.
 
"It is unbelievable," said Shimp, who rebounded from a 2-down deficit. "To win with this group of guys is so cool. Two of my teammates who weren't even on the trip (Chris Meyers and Ethan Ng) flew in last night and bought their own tickets. It's amazing to do it with your teammates like this."
 

 
The team relished its underdog role and it provided added incentive.
 
"Once you get here, you have to think you have a chance," Salinda said. "Once we made match play, I thought we could win. It was pretty cool."
 
The Cardinal concluded stroke play at 53-over par, once again proving anything can happen in match play. The previous high total for a champion was 20 over.
 


Ray thinks this team has worked harder than any team he has coached, on and off the course. The effort paid off big, along with the steady play of Salinda and Wu.
 
"They were rock solid all year, so we lean on them a lot," he said. "They left a strong legacy of leadership. I'm happy they could end their career like this because they are a huge part of our success."
 


Stanford has won six NCAA championships in 2018-19, also claiming titles in women's volleyball, women's swimming, men's gymnastics, women's water polo and women's tennis. The six NCAA titles matches the most for an academic year, with the Cardinal also winning six in 1996-97.

Men's golf becomes only the fourth men's program in the last 15 years to win an NCAA title, joining men's gymnastics (2009, 2011, 2019), men's volleyball (2010) and men's soccer (2015, 2016, 2017).
 


Stanford has won at least one NCAA championship during each of the last 43 years, dating back to the 1976-77 campaign. In all, Stanford varsity teams have won 123 NCAA championships (66 men, 57 women). Among the NCAA Championships, 32 have been won in the fall, 28 in the winter and 63 in the spring, including 47 NCAA crowns and 61 national team championships since 2000.

Stanford 3, Texas 2
 
1) Henry Shimp (STAN) d. Spencer Soosman (TEX) 2 and 1
2) Isaiah Salinda (STAN) d. Cole Hammer (STAN) 4 and 3 
3) Brandon Wu (STAN) d. Pierceson Coody (TEX) 4 and 3
4) Parker Coody (TEX) d. Daulet Tuleubayev (STAN) 6 and 5
5) Steven Chervony (TEX) d. David Snyder (STAN) 1 up