Providence College Wins the PGA NCCGA Invitational;
Hayden Russ, North Carolina wins Invitational Medalist Honors in a Playoff
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PINEHURST, N.C. – Grand Canyon University added another championship to its resume defending its title at the 2024 PGA National Collegiate Club Golf Association (NCCGA) Fall Championship at Pinehurst Resort. Grand Canyon entered Sunday’s final round in fourth place after a 381 on No. 5 in first round action, five shots behind Day One leader James Madison. Grand Canyon shot the best score of the weekend on No. 8 with a final round 374 to capture the championship.
“I knew as long as we could stay in the mix in the first round, that we had a better chance on No. 8,” Grand Canyon Head Club Golf Coach Ryan Woodworth said. “No. 5 was tough on us because we are not used to narrow courses. No. 8 is a little more open where we can miss a little more left and right, so I knew we had a better scoring opportunity out here.”
This is the third PGA NCCGA national title for Grand Canyon, which also won the 2023 Fall Championship in a one-hole playoff at Dancing Rabbit Golf Club in Philadelphia, Miss. They were co-champions in the Spring (2024) Championship at WinStar Resort (Oklahoma), sharing the title with Miami University (Ohio), after the tournament was shortened to one day due to inclement weather.
Grand Canyon scored a +35 (755, 381-374), 11 shots better than second place finisher Arizona State (+46, 766, 377-389). University of Mississippi (+51, 771, 383-388) and Clemson (+51, 771, 388-383) finished tied for third, followed by University of Florida with a +53 (773, 387-386)
Patrick Burhop of James Madison won the individual medalist honors with a two-day score of 146 (+2, 73-73). Miles Merlin (SMU) and Alex Kling (Arizona State) finished second with a +3, followed by Alex Landry (Clemson) and Dillyn Schmidke (Grand Canyon) in a tie for fourth place with a +4. All five golfers earned All-Tournament Team honors.
“I made my putts when I needed to down the stretch,” Burhop said. “I couldn’t ask for a better weekend. Playing Pinehurst is such a special moment.”
Club golf teams competed in their respective regions throughout September and October for the chance to advance to the Championship.
The Invitational, held in conjunction with the Fall Championship, provides an additional opportunity for more students to compete in a national event. Invitations are extended to one team from each of the 27 regions that did not qualify for the Championship as well as the top individuals not competing on a team.
Providence College won the PGA NCCGA Invitational with a three-shot advantage over the University of Tampa Club team. Providence shot a two-round total of 758 (388-370) on No. 5 for the +38. Tampa finished second with a +41 (761, 386-375), followed by North Carolina, +53, (773, 389-384), Stanford, +57 (777, 399-378) and New Hampshire, +58 (778, 388-390).
“These guys work so hard on their own and we just keep it low stress,” said Providence Coach John Simmons, PGA, about his team’s strategy. “I just make sure we get the right distances and try to help them out in their game, but they do a lot by themselves,” he added.
Hayden Russ won the Invitational Individual Medalist honors on a one-hole playoff on No. 18. Russ, in his second year on the University of North Carolina club team, fired the best round of the event with a 69 after shooting a 75 in the first round. He made a birdie on his last hole of the day to force a playoff with Nolan Nicklas of Tampa who had birdied his 17th hole to take a one shot lead.
“I’m just so super grateful to be here in my home state here at Pinehurst,” Russ said. “I didn’t think I would be in a position or even have a chance at the championship but came out positive today and hit some good drives down the middle, made some birdies and made an eagle on 10 to give myself the lead and then held strong throughout.”
2024 PGA National Collegiate Club Golf Association Championship
Top Team: Grand Canyon University
Individual Medalist: Patrick Burhop, James Madison
All-Tournament Team (awarded to the Top 5 individual finishers (including ties)
Patrick Burhop, James Madison
Miles Merlin, SMU
Alex Kling, Arizona State
Alex Landry, Clemson
Dillyn Schmidke, Grand Canyon
2024 PGA National Collegiate Club Golf Association Invitational
Top Team: Providence College
Individual Medalist: Hayden Russ, North Carolina
All-Tournament Team (awarded to the Top 5 individual finishers (including ties):
Hayden Russ, North Carolina
Nolan Nicklas, Tampa
Logan Jaeger, Providence
Joseph Halferty, Providence
Jake Myre, Air Force Academy
Zach Knight, Kansas
About the PGA NCCGA Championship
Held in the fall and spring, the PGA NCCGA Championship features more than 300 of the nation’s best collegiate club golfers. As the governing body for collegiate club golf, the NCCGA ensures every student can play golf in college and assists them in starting, maintaining, and facilitating club golf tournaments regionally and nationally.
The PGA NCCGA Championship gives collegiate club golfers not participating in a varsity golf program an opportunity to play in a competitive setting. Club golf teams competed in their respective regions throughout September and October for the chance to advance to the Championship and Invitational. The NCCGA operates three 36-hole tournaments in each of the 27 regions across the country. The top teams and individuals in the country receive an automatic bid to the Championship. All tournaments are co-ed and open to active college students of all skill levels, and individual students can represent their schools if they don’t have the required five students to form a team.
The Invitational, held in conjunction with the annual Fall Championship, provides an additional opportunity for more students to compete in a national event. Invitations are extended to one team from each of the 27 regions that did not qualify for the Championship as well as the top individuals not competing on a team.
More than 225 colleges across the United States field club golf teams. Individual students can represent their schools if they don’t have the required five students to form a team.
2024 PGA NCCGA Fall Championship Competing Teams:
Grand Canyon University, 2023 Fall National Champion and 2024 Spring Co-National Champion (automatic qualifier)
Miami University (Ohio), 2023 Fall Invitational Champion and 2024 Spring Co-National Champion (automatic qualifier)
Arizona State
Auburn
Brown
Cincinnati
Clemson
Fairfield
Florida
High Point
James Madison
Maryland
Massachusetts-Amherst
Michigan State
Northeastern
Notre Dame
Ohio State
Ole Miss
Purdue
SMU
SUNY Cortland
Texas A&M
Utah
Virginia
Virginia Tech
West Virginia
Wisconsin
2024 PGA NCCGA Fall Invitational Competing Teams
Air Force Academy
Arkansas
Bowling Green
Buffalo
Delaware
Kansas
Loyola Chicago
New Hampshire
North Carolina Chapel Hill
North Carolina State
Oregon
Providence
Rutgers
Stanford
Tampa
2024 PGA NCCGA Fall Championship Competing Individuals:
John Barry – Fordham
Cohen Beebe – University of Kentucky
Brady Davidson – Penn State University
Gage Foddrell – Parker University
Sawyer Klein – University of Arizona
Cam Kooi – University of Tennessee
Ethan Kringen – University of Minnesota
Harrison Lloyd – Central Washington University
Riley Morton – University of Michigan
Bryant Yarborough – University of Alabama
About Pinehurst Resort & Country Club:
Established in 1895 in the Sandhills of North Carolina, Pinehurst Resort & Country Club is a 2,200-acre property featuring 10 outstanding golf courses, The Cradle nine-hole par-3 short course, 75,000 square-foot putting course (Thistle Dhu), 16 clay tennis courts, an award-winning spa, other recreation and social activities for families, and elegant accommodations across one hotel, two inns, villas and condos. Widely known as the Cradle of American Golf, Pinehurst hosted more single golf championships – including the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open, PGA Championship, the Ryder Cup and PGA TOUR Championship – than any other site in North America. Golfers enjoy layouts designed by the game’s greatest architects, including Donald Ross, Tom Doak, Gil Hanse, Jack Nicklaus, Rees Jones, Tom Fazio and Ellis Maples. Pinehurst Resort, in concert with the United States Golf Association (USGA), was recently selected as the first U.S. Open Anchor Site and will host the championship in 2024, 2029, 2035, 2041 and 2047. The resort is slightly more than an hour from Raleigh-Durham International Airport, 90 minutes from Charlotte Douglas International Airport and only a half-day drive from many East Coast cities. To book tee times and golf packages: www.pinehurst.com, 855.235.8507.
About the PGA of America
The PGA of America is one of the world’s largest sports organizations, composed of more than 31,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals who love the game, are expert coaches, operators and business leaders, and work daily to drive interest, inclusion and participation in the sport. The PGA of America owns and operates numerous championships and events, including major championships for men, women, seniors and the Ryder Cup, one of the world’s foremost sporting events. For more information, visit PGA.com and follow us on X, Instagram and Facebook.
