Coastal Carolina might want to start paying for the flights from Europe of parents coming to see their sons play golf in home tournaments.
The results are inarguable.
For the second time this season, a Chanticleer has won his first tournament at CCU when their parents have taken rare trips to see them play.
In the fall, junior Jack Lee won the Myrtle Beach Golf Trips Intercollegiate at the Grande Dunes Resort Course with his parents in attendance from England.
On Tuesday, senior Max Bengtsson was a co-medalist at the 25th Michael A. Marino at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club, tying a CCU program record in the process with his father Per following along from Sweden.
In both cases, the parents were watching their sons play in America for just the second time.
“[Monday] with the school record and today with the individual win, I’m so proud of him,” said Per, who traveled with his wife last year but was solo this week. “It’s nice to be here to support him and be by his side.”
Bengtsson shot a second-round 63 to help CCU finish third, along with sophomore Drew Sykes of England, who shot a 5-under 67 Tuesday for the lowest round of the day by two shots to move up 15 spots into a seventh-place finish at 6 under.
“He did save our bacon today to go out and shoot 67,” CCU coach Jacob Wilner said of Sykes.
N.C. State won the team title by four shots at 15 under over runner-up Louisville, the tournament’s highest ranked team at No. 33 in Scoreboard by Clippd’s national rankings, while CCU tied Charleston for third at 3 under.
The 16-team, 90-player Marino, formerly known as the General James Hackler Championship, featured 11 programs ranked in the top 100 in the nation and was played Sunday through Tuesday, March 15-17.
Anatomy of a win
Bengtsson tied for medalist honors at 10-under 206 with Louisville junior Cooper Claycomb with a 1-under 71 in the final round.
Bengtsson’s 9-under 63 in the second round tied the CCU men’s single-round record that was shared by Zack Taylor (2021), Morgan Deneen (2018) and Zack Byrd (2009).
His 63 was very different from the others, however. Because of anticipated inclement weather Monday afternoon, nine holes of the second round were played Sunday afternoon, and nine were played Monday morning.
Bengtsson shot a front-nine 5-under 31 Sunday with birdies on holes 1, 2 and 7 and an eagle on the par-5 eighth. He shot a back-nine 4-under 32 Monday with birdies on holes 10, 13, 15, 17 and 18, and a bogey on 16.
“I got really on fire that nine holes and wanted to continue but obviously we had to finish the day after,” Bengtsson said. “I just knew I was playing good golf and just kind of visualized how I was playing that round before I got on to the next one.”
Bengtsson, a member of the Swedish National Junior Team in 2021, came to the United States to play at Tarleton State in Texas and transferred after two seasons to CCU prior to the 2024-25 season.
He was voted the Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year and second team all-conference last season after leading the Chants with a 72.33 scoring average. His scoring average this year is 70.29.
“I kind of had a plan already when I went to college that after my second year I would transfer to a new place,” Bengtsson said. “I wanted to find something new, better opportunities, better schedule, tougher competition. So it turned out well.”
The Marino is Bengtsson’s second collegiate title, as he won the Monterey Invitational with a 15-under 201 as a sophomore at Tarleton State.
“It’s always awesome. I put a lot of work in so it’s awesome to see it pay off, for sure,” Bengtsson said.
Last March, with his parents in attendance at The Dunes Club, he finished third for his best finish at CCU prior to Tuesday. “Having him here is pretty special,” Bengtsson said. “It brings for sure just an extra will to play good.”
The 63 in the second round helped Bengtsson overcome slow starts in both the first and final rounds.
In Sunday’s opening round, he was 3-over par following a double bogey on the par-4 11th hole before making three birdies in his final seven holes to get back to even.
“It’s always about not giving up,” Bengtsson said. “You’re always going to have a bad stretch of holes, it can happen anytime. I felt I was still playing decent golf, just a bit of a bad swing cost me two shots. I trust myself and believe in myself.”
Bengtsson entered Tuesday’s final round with a one-stroke lead. He started on the 10th hole and was 2 over through 11 holes before making birdies on the par-5 fourth hole with a chip from the rough to tap-in range, the par-3 fifth with a 20-foot putt, and par-5 eighth with a 4-iron to 12 feet and two-putt.
“I knew I had some birdie opportunities coming in, and I felt I was still playing fine,” Bengtsson said. “. . . I knew I had some good golf in me, just trusting myself and made three birdies coming in.”
Bengtsson plans to turn professional at the end of CCU’s season.
“Max is just an incredible ball-striker,” Wilner said. “His putting has vastly improved. He’s really matured since he’s been here and he had a fantastic week.”
Per is sticking around to watch him play in the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate outside Charleston this upcoming Sunday through Tuesday.
Maybe another win?
“Why not,” Per said.
Wolfpack pull ahead
N.C. State pulled away from a crowded team leaderboard on Tuesday by shooting 3 under as a team. It entered the final round tied with Liberty at 12 under, one shot ahead of both Louisville and Charleston, and three shots ahead of CCU.
Three of N.C. State’s four scores that counted Tuesday were under par.
“When you have a bunch of good teams at the top, a team like Coastal that obviously has played here, and Louisville has a lot of firepower, . . . I think we had the correct mindset,” Wolfpack coach Bo Andrews said. “We were just trying to hit some great shots and hit them one at a time and where that stacks up, it stacks up.“
The win is the first for Andrews as N.C. State head coach. The Raleigh, N.C., native was hired last May after seven years as an assistant at Tennessee.
“It’s my first victory as a head coach, so it’s certainly a special one and one I’ll remember forever, and to do it at a place like The Dunes Club is certainly incredibly memorable,” Andrews said.
In addition to Bengtsson and Sykes, CCU received a tie for 58th at 8-over 224 by Lee with a final-round 79, tie for 52nd at 7 over by freshman Harrison James of Chapin with a final-round 77, and tie for 74th by freshman Lucas Arntsen of Pawleys Island with an 81 Tuesday. CCU senior Owen Kim tied for 22nd at even-par 216 while playing as an individual.
CCU shot 6 over as a team Tuesday.
“We did have a chance and didn’t play our best [Tuesday], but overall we did our jobs this week so I’m happy,” Wilner said. “I’m very happy with where we are. We’re in a good spot.
“. . . We’ve had three guys contend to win on our team, and we have some freshmen in the 4 and 5 spots that are learning but getting better. Between Jack, Drew and Max, we’re getting production from our top three at a very high level, which makes me happy with where we stand as a program right now.”
