Hosts finish second in VCU shootout
Junior Lanto Griffin (Blacksburg/Blacksburg) shot 11-under, good for a third-place tie, to lead the VCU Rams to a second-place finish at the VCU Shootout. The tournament took place at Hermitage Country Club in Manakin-Sabot.
“Lanto has played well all year, he’s really starting to believe in himself,” said VCU golf coach Matt Ball.
Junior Lanto Griffin (Blacksburg/Blacksburg) shot 11-under, good for a third-place tie, to lead the VCU Rams to a second-place finish at the VCU Shootout. The tournament took place at Hermitage Country Club in Manakin-Sabot.
“Lanto has played well all year, he’s really starting to believe in himself,” said VCU golf coach Matt Ball. “He has yet to win a college tournament, but he played well enough to win this one.”
Griffin finished his round on the 10th hole after starting on No. 11 in the shotgun start format (everyone starts at the same time). The Blacksburg native had an opportunity to tie for the lead or win with a par or birdie, but an unfortunate circumstance led to a bogey and the third-place finish. Griffin’s second shot on the 412-yard par 4 landed on the fringe in a patch of mud. Because the ball was not on the green, Griffin was not allowed to lift and clean his ball, causing what coach Ball called “a mediocre at best shot.”
“It didn’t give him a great chance to tie,” he said.
Griffin tied for third with Wake Forest’s Dustin Groves and Augusta State’s Henrik Norlander. Rafael Campos (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Baldwin School) and Mark Jargren (Helsingborg, Sweden/Tycho Brahe) tied with three other players at 1-under par while Vincent Nadeau tied for 27th at 2-over. It was the Rams third top-three finish in as many tournaments this season, which has helped propel the team into the top 40 and has bolstered Ball’s expectations in terms of reaching the NCAA Tournament.
“I don’t think there’s any question that talent-wise we are good enough to get there.”