BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Virginia Tech men's golf team will bring back a veteran roster for the 2021-2022 season as the Hokies have eight returners and one freshman on the lineup.
Tech had an abbreviated 2021 season due to COVID-19 with only seven events leading up to the ACC Championships. During the regular season, the Hokies won the Oldfield Invitational for their first team title under head coach Brian Sharp. Two golfers finished inside the top three of that tournament – Daniel Azallion, who won the individual title, and Charlie Hanson, who tied for third.
Sharp, who will be entering his third year as head coach at his alma mater, has one of the more experienced rosters in the ACC entering the 2021-22 season. Overall, Tech's returners have combined to play in 120 events, led by Connor Burgess' 34 appearances.
Hanson ended his freshman campaign last season with the second-best scoring average on the team with a 73.12. He had an incredible summer, highlighted by his victory at the Myrtle Beach Am in June.
Hanson not only ended the 2021 season second on the team for scoring average, but also had the second-most rounds of par-or-better with nine. The sophomore placed third at the Oldfield Invitational in February as an individual and tied for 14th at the Stitch Intercollegiate with a season-best, 7-under 209 where all three rounds were in the red.
Bradley de Beer, a senior from South Africa, competed in four events last season finishing with a 75.33 scoring average. He tied for 20th as an individual at the Oldfield Invitational, firing a 4-under 68 in the second round.
Sophomore Kobe Valociek competed twice as an individual during the 2021 season, finishing with a 74.67 scoring average and tying for 20th at the Oldfield Invitational with a 6-over 222. Valociek's summer was highlighted by his round of 32 run in the Arizona Amateur.
Another returner, Cameron Moore, compiled a 73.43 scoring average, fourth-best on the team, in the seven events he played. He had six rounds of par-or-better, including a season-best, 5-under 67 in the Oldfield Invitational where he placed ninth with a 2-under 214.
Connor Johnson Jr. competed in four events, registering a 75.44 scoring average. The senior shot a 1-under 215 to tie for 10th at the Oldfield Invitational. He notched three rounds of par-or-better.
Fellow senior Drew Brockwell competed in three events last season, compiling a 77.44 scoring average. He has played in 47 rounds during his career at Tech.
The most experienced of the returners is Burgess, who competed in all seven events last season, registering a 73.29 scoring average, third-best on the team. He finished in the red three times, including a career-best 10-under 206 at the Stitch Intercollegiate to tie for ninth. Burgess notched eight rounds of par-or-better, with four of those being in the 60s and tied for 10th at the Oldfield Invitational.
Azallion recorded a 74.33 scoring average, fifth-best on the team. The junior competed in seven events last season, posting five rounds of par-or-better and should be one to watch this season.
The Hokies may have lost Mark Lawrence Jr., who graduated as one of the all-time greats to ever play for Tech, but the addition of talented freshman, David Stanford, should help ease the loss. Stanford was ranked third in Virginia and 88th overall in the class of 2021, according to National Junior Golf Scoreboard Rankings. The Vienna, Virginia native was the 2021 VSGA Junior Stroke Play Champion for the second time and the 2021 VSGA Junior Match Play Champion. Stanford qualified for the 2021 U.S. Amateur where he also tied for medalist honors at James River Country Club in Newport News, Va.
The Hokies are set for their first tee-off of the season at the Rod Myers Invitational in Durham, N.C., September 11th and 12th. The Duke University Golf Club is a par 72 course measuring at 7,154 yards. The field will play 36 holes on Saturday and 18 holes on Sunday. Tech will be paired with host Duke and Elon on Saturday. Live stats will be available through Golfstat.
Rod Myers Invitational
Date: September 11-12
Host Course: Duke University Golf Club (Durham, N.C.)
Par: 72
Yardage: 7,154
Live Scoring
Tournament Lineup
