Wake Forest claims Jackson T. Stephens Cup title, ends Stanford's stroke-play streak in process

It's hard to imagine a better start to the season than what Wake Forest has had the past eight days.

A week ago, the Demon Deacons won the Annika Intercollegiate in Minnesota, and this week they added victory No. 2, knocking off top-ranked Stanford 3-2 in the match-play final to win the Jackson T. Stephens Cup at Shoreacres in Illinois. It's the second time in the past five months that Wake Forest has beaten Stanford in match play, the other coming in the semifinals of the ACC Championship in April.

But that's not the only significant part of Wake Forest's win. Tuesday, the Demon Deacons finished first after the 54-hole, stroke-play portion of the tournament with Stanford finishing second. It's the first time in 535 days the Cardinal, the defending national runners-up with four of the top five players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking in its lineup, did not finished first in a stroke-play event, dating to the 2024 PING/ASU Invitational.

Since then, the Cardinal have finished behind only four teams in competition, and three of those are to Wake Forest.

“This team has shown that they can win, but everyone contributes," Wake Forest coach Kim Lewellen said. "That’s what’s so amazing about this team, the depth of the team. Everyone contributes and works hard.”

Junior Macy Pate won the medalist honors after stroke play, but it was transfers Morgan Ketchum and Casey Weidenfeld earning wins in match play, with senior Anne-Sterre den Dunnen beating Stanford's Kelly Xu in 21 holes to get the decisive point.

On the men's side, LSU knocked off North Carolina 4-1, not losing a single match. Sophomore and preseason first-team All-America selection Arni Sveinsson earned the clinching point for the Tigers.

“I think the talent we have is elite, and I knew that if we could perform today, we could win,” LSU coach Jake Amos said. “We had some comfortable matches, but some uncomfortable ones, too. North Carolina is really good, and it has just been a great experience for us.”

SMU's William Sides, who plays right handed but putts left, won medalist honors on the men's side after stroke play, the first player to win consecutive Stephens Cup titles.