INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — In its first action since the turn of the new year, No. 35 Stanford cruised to victory in The Vintage Club Shootout, dispatching No. 31 Texas A&M on Sunday, 7-1.
Stanford, which won six of the eight matches during Sunday’s contest, held firm control for a majority of the match-play style bout, heading into the turn with six matches in hand - four of which by multi-hole leads. The Cardinal never relinquished its advantage in the remainder of the afternoon, earning six match wins - including three 3&2 decisions - to avenge last season’s outing at Hideaway.
At the No. 1 slot, No. 109 Jay Leng spent his afternoon in close contention against Texas A&M’s No. 89-ranked Wheaton Ennis. Leng, who took an early 1Up lead off the first hole, battled back from 3down through six to hit the turn at 2down. Leng then won three of the final nine holes - including a two-stroke win on hole 11 to finish tied. Elsewhere, Dean Greyserman took on one of the nation’s best in A&M’s No. 29 Aaron Pounds in the No. 2 match. Fresh off a Silicon Valley Amateur victory, Greyserman took charge of the front nine, winning three holes and hitting the turn at 3up. Though Pounds attempted a comeback, Greyserman put the brakes on the attempt with an eagle on hole 15 to close out a 2up win.
Edan Cui and Ethan Gao also held strong on the afternoon with the latter earning the first of Stanford’s 3&2 decisions. Cui, who had fallen down by three holes through seven, won his next two - including an eagle on hole nine - to hit the turn at 1down. Cui continued his pace, winning three of the next four holes and battling back halfway on the back nine to tie the Aggies’ Shiv Parmar. Gao, however, was clinical in the final 13 holes of the afternoon. Having an up and down affair with Alex Long, Gao won five holes along that stretch to close out a 3&2 win.
In the No. 5 and No. 6 matches, Nathan Wang and No. 90 TK Chantananuwat secured wins for the Cardinal with 1up and 3&2 decisions, respectively. Wang never relinquished control of his win on Sunday, leading by as many as three holes before a late comeback by A&M’s Jaime Montojo was stopped by three ties in the final three holes. Chantananuwat also never trailed in his match, making his return to the Stanford lineup with an impressive outing that included four birdies and an eagle to claim a 3&2 win.
Stanford’s final matches saw good outings from freshman Cooper Stearns and junior Kush Arora. Stearns held strong in his second match-play style round of the season, securing the lead through six holes before riding out a 1up win that saw him earn three birdies on the day. Arora, who made his season debut, nabbed six birdies and an eagle on the afternoon to close out a definitive 3&2 win as the Cardinal rode out 7-1 victors.
No. 35 Stanford def. No. 31 Texas A&M, 7-1
1. Jay Leng (STAN) vs. Wheaton Ennis (TAMU), tied
2. Dean Greyserman (STAN) def. Aaron Pounds (TAMU), 2&1
3. Edan Cui (STAN) vs. Shiv Parmar (TAMU), tied
4. Ethan Gao (STAN) def. Alex Long (TAMU), 3&2
5. Nathan Wang (STAN) def. Jaime Montojo (TAMU), 1up
6. TK Chantananuwat (STAN) def. Kris Kruvaas (TAMU), 3&2
7. Cooper Stearns (STAN) def. Jake Maggert (TAMU), 1up
8. Kush Arora (STAN) def. Jack Usner (TAMU), 3&2