Daniel Bennett won the men’s title at the Home of Golf after a 64-76 week, a lesson worth carrying into your next windy round.
If you have ever walked off the course convinced one bad number ruined your week, Daniel Bennett just gave you a reason to rethink that. The Texas junior opened the St Andrews Links Collegiate with a 6-under 64 on the Jubilee Course, followed it with a 76, and still won the men’s individual title by three shots.
Texas, Washington, Penn and host University of St Andrews brought both their men’s and women’s teams to Scotland for the Oct. 12-14 event. Two rounds of stroke play on the Jubilee Course crowned the individual champions and set the seeds, with six players per team and the low five counting. On Wednesday, all four teams moved to the Old Course for medal match play, where every match goes 18 holes and total strokes decide it.
Tuesday is the round to remember. Texas reported rain, temperatures in the low 50s and gusts above 25 mph, and the men’s field averaged 79.13. Bennett’s teammate Matt Comegys posted the low men’s round of the day, a 72. Bennett finished at even par (140).
The women’s title was shared. Farah O’Keefe of Texas (67-75) and Hannah Ounap of Washington (66-76) tied at 2-under (142), the only two women under par. O’Keefe told Golf Channel that winning at St Andrews is “one of the things you dream of.” It was her seventh college win. Texas freshman Charlotte Naughton finished third at even par in her first college event.
Texas took the top seed in both divisions, and the hosts edged Washington for the other final spot by one stroke on the men’s side and three on the women’s. On the Old Course, Texas finished the sweep: 4.5-1.5 for the men and 5-1 for the women.
The Hub’s take, and this is our opinion: a score means very little until you put it next to the conditions it was shot in. Bennett’s 76 was roughly three shots better than the field average that day. Juniors tend to measure a round against their best one. We’d argue the more useful measure is the field, because that is the comparison that holds up when someone else reads your results.
So what do you do with that? The next time the wind shows up, stop comparing today to yesterday. After the round, look at the field’s scoring average and write down the conditions next to your score. Then practice for those days on purpose: knockdown shots, lag putting from off the green, and a plan for holding a round together when nothing is easy. That is the part of your game that travels, whether you’re playing your home course or the Old Course.
The 2027 edition is already set for Oct. 11-13, with Auburn, Arizona State, Yale and St Andrews in the field, according to Golf Channel. Explore all seven of these programs in the Hub college database and see where each one could fit your Roadmap.