DUBLIN, Ohio – Just about the time that Tiger Woods finished his pro-am round Wednesday at the Memorial Tournament, his alma mater was busy polishing off its first national title in more than a decade.
Stanford secured a 3-2 victory over Texas in the championship match in Fayetteville, Ark., prompting many Cardinal alums to voice their support for the squad that’s bringing the first team NCAA championship back to Palo Alto since 2007.
Included among them was Woods, who won an individual title at Stanford in 1996. He tweeted a short video in the hours after the team’s victory, then expanded on his reaction following an opening-round 70 at Muirfield Village.
“That was awesome,” Woods said. “Just to see not only them come back and win the national championship, but I’m so happy for (coach) Conrad (Ray). Conrad and I were teammates a long time ago, but it’s awesome to see him win another national championship.”
Ray was also coaching the Cardinal back in 2007, when they won by 12 shots over Georgia in Williamsburg, Va. The format for the men’s national championship switched to match play beginning in 2009.
Jordan Spieth won a national title as part of the 2012 squad at Texas, and he shared his support for John Fields’ runner-up squad following an opening-round 66 at the Memorial.
“They used up a lot of energy there in the quarterfinal and semifinal matches,” Spieth said. “What an awesome run by them. And they’re really young and only going to get better.”