Lakewood Ranch High alumnus Danny Walker excels at Virginia

Lakewood Ranch High alumnus Danny Walker tied for second place at the Cleveland Golf Palmetto Intercollegiate on Tuesday in Aiken, S.C.

The University of Virginia junior fired a three-round 207 to tie for second with Clemson’s Doc Redman. The duo finished three shots behind Walker’s Virginia teammate Derek Bard, who won on the strength of a second-round 65.

The Cavaliers combined for a 4-under 836 total for the 54-hole tournament, which left them one behind Clemson for the title.

UVA and Walker are on a spring break tournament trail and next play in this weekend’s General Hackler Championship in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

No locals qualify for area PGA Tour stop

No Manatee County golfers made it through qualifying for the PGA Tour’s stop in Palm Harbor this week. Only one local advanced from the pre-qualifiers last week to play in Monday’s qualifier for the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead course.

Lakewood Ranch’s Chris Kennedy posted a 4-under 68 in a pre-qualifier held at Brooksville’s Southern Hills Plantation Club on Feb. 28. That score secured one of the final berths into Monday’s qualifier, which also was held at Southern Hills.

Kennedy needed to duplicate that score on Monday to get into a sudden-death playoff for the final qualifying berth into the PGA Tour event that starts Thursday. However, he posted a 74.

IMG Academy alumnus Casey Wittenberg also didn’t qualify after carding a 75.

U.S. Kids Tour area schedule looms

There are eight U.S. Kids Golf Tour tournaments this spring and summer in the Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte county area. The first is at The Meadows Country Club’s Highlands course on April 23. Registration is open and lasts until April 18. The cost is $47 for the 18-hole division and $37 for 9-hole division. Tee times are posted two days before the tournament on uskidsgolf.com.

Other tournaments are contested at Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club, Kingsway Country Club, Venetian Golf and River Club and Bradenton Country Club.

Each event, aside from a tournament on Saturday, May 20, is held on a Sunday beginning with The Meadows event and wrapping up with the Tour Championship at Bradenton Country Club on June 4.

For more information, visit uskidsgolf.com.

Holes-in-one

On Feb. 16 at Pinebrook/Ironwood Golf Club, Darl Gilliand aced the 109-yard third hole with an 8-iron. Witnessed by John Glessner.

On Feb. 26 at River Wilderness Golf and Country Club, Marilyn Stinson aced the 104-yard seventh hole with an 8-iron. Witnesses were John Stinson, Patty Slaton and Jim Slaton.

This story was originally published March 8, 2017 at 11:33 AM with the headline "Lakewood Ranch High alumnus Danny Walker excels at Virginia."