Saint Leo University can point to plenty of good play this week at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club as a big reason why the Lions won their first Men’s NCAA Division II national golf title on Saturday. But it should not be lost that the foundation for the championship was laid in a phone call from one French Canadian to another last year.

When Hugo Bernard couldn’t play golf for the University of Tennessee because of NCAA issues, it was fellow Quebec amateur Joey Savoie — a golfer at Saint Leo (Fla.) — who placed a recruiting call to his friend that ended up paying handsome dividends.

As Bernard recalls, “(He said) for DII we’ve got a pretty good program, so if you come maybe we’ve got a shot at nationals.”

Truer words were never spoken as Bernard not only won the DII individual national title as a freshman this week, but he helped Saint Leo claim the team championship — with the help of teammates Savoie and Ryan Gendron (both juniors), Liam Ainsworth (a senior) and Griffin Clark (a sophomore). The top-seeded Lions defeated Chico State (Calif.) in Saturday’s title match, 3-2.

“You know what? It turned out good,” said Savoie (below). “Me and Hugo have played a lot of junior golf and amateur golf together. He’s a good rival, an amazing player obviously. When it didn’t turn out for Tennessee, I gave him a call. ‘Why don’t you come to Saint Leo? If you’re not eligible for DI, why don’t you come play for us? We can have the French Connection and do something good.’ It turned out great, especially this week. He came out strong.”

Added Bernard: “We predicted (the national title) at the beginning of the year. It’s a good feeling because we are two good friends. We’re both pretty happy about it.”

After winning the individual national title on Thursday, Bernard went 2-0-1 in his three medal-match play performances on Friday and Saturday. In Saturday’s final, Bernard was three strokes down to Chico State’s Alistair Docherty after two holes and things were all square through nine. But on the first three holes of the back nine, Bernard picked up five strokes on Docherty, who hit his approach left into the hazard on 10 and pulled his tee shot out of bounds on 11 — resulting in two straight double bogeys — then Bernhard birdied 12 while Docherty made a three-put par.

When Docherty’s tee shot went OB on 11, he was upset with Bernard.

“I don’t know,” Bernard said when asked about the reason. “I just started walking after he hit it out of bounds. Maybe he was a little pissed about it.”

Bernard (left) ended up beating Docherty by seven strokes (69-76). Docherty, who had won both his quarterfinal and semifinal matches, shot a 6-over-par 42 on the back nine of the final.

Chico State, which claimed seven team titles this year including one at GVR in September, actually won two of the first three matches on Saturday, with Lee Gearhart completing a 3-0 record in medal-match play and Justin Wiles also prevailing. But seven-stroke victories by both Gendron and Bernard made Saint Leo a virtual lock for the title as the Lions were in very good position had things gone to the tiebreaker of team aggregate. But it didn’t come to that as Clark defeated Chico’s Kelley Sullivan in the fifth and final match.

“It’s amazing,” said Savoie, who went 2-1 in medal-match play despite a loss on Saturday. “We battled so hard this week. We established a record (for 54 holes of stroke play in the DII Finals, at 26 under par). In match play, you never know what will happen if you’re the first seed. We got our biggest rival Lynn (in the semifinals, prevailing by one stroke in a tiebreaker), which was almost a preview for today. It feels great to get it done. It was the goal the whole year.”

The entire match play bracket went according to form, with the higher-seeded team winning all seven matches.

Saturday’s victory was just Saint Leo’s third team win in 12 tournaments this season. Only Bernard and Ainsworth have captured individual titles this season for the Lions.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Saint Leo coach Chris Greenwood said of the run to the title. “To be the first in school history is unbelievable.”

Championship Match Results
Saint Leo 3, Chico State 2
Justin Wiles, CS, def. Liam Ainsworth, 76-77
Ryan Gendron, SL, def. Matt Hutchins, 70-77
Lee Gearhart, CS, def. Joey Savoie, 72-75
Hugo Bernard, SL, def. Alistair Docherty 69-76
Griffin Clark, SL, def. Kelley Sullivan, 71-74

To read about Bernard claiming the NCAA DII individual title on Thursday, CLICK HERE.

The men’s tourney — and the women’s DII finals at CommonGround Golf Course — were part of the NCAA Division II National Championships Festival in which titles in six sports (M&W golf, M&W tennis, softball and women’s lacrosse) were decided.

For results from the men’s tournament at GVR, CLICK HERE.
 

In Friday afternoon’s semifinals, Saint Leo and fellow Florida school Lynn University finished regulation play with each team winning two matches and halving another. The tiebreaker in such an event is total number of strokes for the teams, and Saint Leo prevailed — by a single shot. The Lions posted an even-par 360 total, while Lynn had 361.

That keeps Saint Leo in the running for its first NCAA DII men’s golf title.

In Saturday morning’s title match at GVR, the Lions will face Chico State (Calif.) in a battle of the top two ranked teams in Division II. (Chico State came in No. 1, according to Golfstat.) Chico State defeated third-seeded Florida Southern in the other semi, 4-1.

The Chico State-Saint Leo match will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday at GVR.

After Saint Leo and Lynn split their first four individual matches Friday, the Lions trailed through 15 holes of the fifth and deciding match. But SLU’s Ryan Gendron squared things up with a par (vs. a bogey) on No. 16, then put himself (and Saint Leo) ahead with another stroke-gaining par on 17. But Lynn’s Jose Andres Miranda prevailed by one stroke on the 18th hole with a par to see the team match finish 2-2-1. But, by the narrowest of margins, Saint Leo prevailed in the tiebreaker.

Saint Leo earlier beat Wilmington 3-2 in the quarterfinals. Winning both their quarterfinal and semifinal matches Friday for the Lions was Joey Savoie. NCAA individual champion Hugo Bernard of Saint Leo halved with Wilmington’s Ryan Rucinski at 2-under 70 in the quarters, then beat Lynn’s Elliott Whitley 69-74 in the semis.

Winning both their quarterfinal and semifinal matches for Chico State were Lee Gearhart, Matt Hutchins and Alistair Docherty.

In all six matches on Friday, the higher-seeded team prevailed. In the quarterfinals, Saint Leo defeated Wilmington 3-0-2, Lynn beat Barry 3-2, Chico State overcame West Florida 3-1-1, and Florida Southern took down California Baptist 3-2.

While Saint Leo has never won a DII men’s golf national title, Chico State has one to its credit, but that came 50 years ago, in 1966.

To read about Saint Leo freshman Bernard claiming the NCAA DII individual title on Thursday, CLICK HERE.

The men’s tourney — and the women’s DII finals at CommonGround Golf Course — are part of the NCAA Division II National Championships Festival in which titles in six sports (M&W golf, M&W tennis, softball and women’s lacrosse) will be decided.

Tickets for the DII National Festival are $5 per person per day, or $15 for an all-session pass for the week. Tickets purchased at one site will be valid at all other competition sites.

For more information on the Spring Sports Festival, CLICK HERE.
 

For results from the men’s tournament, CLICK HERE.

The University of Tennessee announced in November 2014 that Hugo Bernard had signed a national letter of intent to be a UT golfer beginning in the fall of 2015.

But Bernard never did become a Vol. “I had some issue with the NCAA, so I wasn’t eligible for DI,” he said Thursday. But that very well may have turned out for the best as far as Bernard is concerned.

After all, in the wake of getting a recruiting call from friend Joey Savoie, a fellow resident of Quebec, Canada who was playing college golf for Saint Leo in Florida, Bernard came to the NCAA Division II program. And after not playing in the fall — more NCAA issues, he said — he came on like gangbusters in the spring, culminated by him winning the NCAA DII individual national title on Thursday at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver.

And he not only won, but he set a DII championship 54-hole scoring record in the process, finishing at 13-under-par 203 (65-66-72). The record he broke had been held by two locals, Coloradan Jim Knous and Cheyenne product Josh Creel, who both were 10 under in 2012. But Bernard did it all as a freshman.

“It’s fun,” he said. “I’m pretty confident about my abilities, so I don’t care if I’m a freshman or sophomore or whatever.”

Indeed, before ever competing in college golf, Bernard won a professional mini-tour event in Florida and finished runner-up in the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur.

And in his one semester of college golf at Saint Leo, he’s played well enough to rank 21st among all college players in the nation, Division I included, according to Golfstat. Just since the beginning of March, he’s had six top-four individual finishes, including two wins and a national DII title.

“I’m pretty happy, pretty proud of myself,” he said on Thursday. “I was nervous this morning, but I knew if I played well and stayed patient, my chances were good, so that’s what I did.”

The left-hander played the par-5s at GVR in 9 under par for three rounds — despite bogeying the final hole on Thursday — and led the tournament wire-to-wire. After taking a four-shot lead into the final round, he was never caught on day 3 despite a rather routine two-birdie, two-bogey 72.

Calum Hill of Western New Mexico, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year, closed with a bogey-free 67 to place second at 205. Griffin Brown of Limestone College finished third at 206. In all, 26 players ended up under par for 54 holes. (Hill and Brown are pictured together, with Hill at right.)

“I hit it absurdly well today,” said Hill, a Scot who has had two individual wins to his credit this spring. “I just didn’t hole many putts. The only putts I holed were inside 8 feet. I hit it close a lot. I hit 16 greens and had 32 putts.

“It would have been nice to get one (place) better. But I figured unless I shot something like 9 under (in round 3), it wouldn’t really be within my reach. I was just going out there to have fun today and see if I could finish off my career as a Mustang well.”

Meanwhile, after Thursday’s third and final round of straight stroke play, the top eight teams advanced to the medal-match play portion of the event.

The teams still alive for the national team title are, in order of stroke-play finish: Saint Leo, Chico State, Florida Southern, Lynn, Barry, California Baptist, West Florida and Wilmington. While Saint Leo easily broke the NCAA DII Championships 54-hole scoring record — by 10 with a 26-under-par total — the final teams which advanced went right down to the wire on Thursday. California Baptist finished at 863, West Florida at 864 and Wilmington at 866 to move on, while Central Oklahoma (867) and Dallas Baptist (868) were edged out of the top eight.

In Friday morning’s quarterfinals, it will be Saint Leo vs. Wilmington, Lynn vs. Barry, Chico State vs. West Florida, and Florida Southern vs. California Baptist. The winners will square off in the semifinals Friday afternoon. The title match will be held Saturday morning.

The men’s tourney — and the women’s DII finals at CommonGround Golf Course — are part of the NCAA Division II National Championships Festival in which titles in six sports (M&W golf, M&W tennis, softball and women’s lacrosse) will be decided.

Tickets for the DII National Festival are $5 per person per day, or $15 for an all-session pass for the week. Tickets purchased at one site will be valid at all other competition sites.

For more information on the Spring Sports Festival, CLICK HERE.
 

For scores from the men’s tournament, CLICK HERE.

Freshman Hugo Bernard and junior Saint Leo (Fla.) teammate Joey Savoie — both Canadians — stand 1-2 on the individual leaderboard after Wednesday’s second round of the DII nationals, and the individual portion of the event will conclude with Thursday’s third round.

Then again, if things continue as they have been, Bernard might run away with the championship. The freshman, who led after round 1, expanded his advantage to four strokes on Wednesday by firing a 6-under-par 66, leaving him at 13-under 131 overall. He made seven birdies in round 2, giving him 15 for two days.

Savoie backed up his first-round 69 with a 66 Wednesday to trail Bernard by four. Savoie carded seven birdies in the second round. Another stroke back, at 136, is South Carolina’s Limestone College’s Griffin Brown (69-67).

Not surpringly, in the team competition, Saint Leo leads the way — by 11 strokes over top-ranked Chico State (Calif.). The Lions are 25 under par for two rounds.

At the men’s DII finals, the format calls for three rounds of stroke play, followed by two days of medal-match play. The individual champion will be determined after the first three rounds. The top eight teams after 54 holes of stroke play will advance to the medal-match play portion of the championship.

The men’s tourney — and the women’s DII finals at CommonGround Golf Course — are part of the NCAA Division II National Championships Festival in which titles in six sports (M&W golf, M&W tennis, softball and women’s lacrosse) will be decided.

Tickets for the DII National Festival are $5 per person per day, or $15 for an all-session pass for the week. Tickets purchased at one site will be valid at all other competition sites.

For more information on the Spring Sports Festival, CLICK HERE.
 

For scores from the men’s tournament, CLICK HERE.

Bernard, a Canadian, made eight birdies and a bogey Tuesday to take a two-stroke advantage over Freddy Braun of Wilmington (Del.). John VanDerLaan of Florida Southern and Matt Hutchins of Chico State (Calif.) share third place at 68.

Saint Leo, ranked No. 2 among DII teams, posted a 10-under-par 278 total to grab a four-shot advantage over top-seeded Chico State (Calif.) and Florida Southern in the 20-team field.

At the men’s DII finals at GVR, the format calls for three rounds of stroke play, followed by two days of medal-match play. The individual champion will be determined after the first three rounds. The top eight teams after 54 holes of stroke play will advance to the medal-match play portion of the championship.

The women’s NCAA Division II finals will begin Wednesday at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora. Both tournaments will conclude on Saturday.

The men’s and women’s tourneys are part of the NCAA Division II National Championships Festival in which titles in six sports (M&W golf, M&W tennis, softball and women’s lacrosse) will be decided.

Tickets for the DII National Festival will be $5 per person per day, or $15 for an all-session pass for the week. Tickets purchased at one site will be valid at all other competition sites.

For scores from the men’s DII finals, CLICK HERE.