Eagles Claim Third Place and Three Top-15 Individual Finishes in John Hayt Invitational
Joe Monte carded six birdies in the third round to claim sixth place in the tournament.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - Sophomore Joe Monte finished the John Hayt Invitational with a season-low 2-under par 70 third round score to finish in sole possession of sixth place leading the Georgia Southern golf team to a third place finish overall in the 15-team event. The Eagles combined for a three-day 895 (+31) total. Drew Lethem took 12th place with a 223 as Ryan LeFevre carded a 225, placing him in a tie for 13th.
Georgia Southern shot a team 295 third round tally preceded by first and second rounds of 298 and 302, respectively, to finish with a cumulative total 895. The Eagles finished five strokes ahead of fourth-place Georgia State and two behind second-place Arizona State. LSU claimed the titlist honors eight strokes in front of Arizona State with an 885.
“We hung in there on a tough golf course with greens that were hard to land on and gusty winds the entire tournament,” said head coach Larry Mays. “But we persevered on a championship style course and beat some top ranked teams. We can definitely take some confidence out of it.”
Monte was outstanding in the final round as he fired a 2-under par 70 to earn a sixth place finish with a three-day total 219. The Eagle was one of only five players to shoot a 70 in the entire tournament, the lowest tally except for Arizona State’s James Byrne’s opening round 68.
The Chantilly, Va. native found himself 2-over par after the front six holes before he fired four birdies in a span of five holes to leave him in good position to close out the final six. Monte birdied holes 7 and 8 to finish the front half with an even-par 36. After opening the back nine with a pair of birdies, the sophomore pared the next two holes before a birdie on 14 and bogey on 15 put him 2-under par. Monte pared the final three holes to finish one shot clear of seventh place; Arizona State’s Byrne held a one shot dvantage in fifth.
Just four strokes behind Monte, senior Lethem shot a 4-over par 76 final round for a three-day total 223.
The Eagle opened play with a bogey, but pared the next seven holes before wrapping up the opening half with another bogey on 9 to leave him 2-over par. Lethem carded two birdies and four bogeys in the back nine, finishing strong with a birdie on 18, for an identical 2-over par 38. Lethem’s final round 76 (+4) combined with a 75 and 72 first two rounds took a 12th place finish with a tournament 223 (+7) total.
Closing out Georgia Southern’s top three individuals was LeFevre with a 225 (+9) total. The senior shined in his final round, posting an even-par 72. After a bogey on 5, the Eagle birdied holes 6 and 9 to finish the front half with a 1-under par 35. LeFevre’s back nine consisted of three bogeys and two birdies on 14 and 18 to round out a back half 1-over par 37 and a third round par 72. LeFevre’s third round allowed him to jump from a tie for 29th to finish in a four-way tie for 13th.
“Joe [Monte] and Ryan [LeFevre] carried the team today,” Mays said. “Joe had an amazing day and Ryan bounced back to have a great day.”
After a first round par 72, Logan Blondell finished the tournament 230 (+14) with matching 7-over par 79 second and third rounds. The Eagle tied for 40th as Spencer Fulford finished two strokes back tied for 48th. Fulford carded a tournament 232 (+16) with a personal tournament-low opening round 76.
Georgia Southern takes a short break from play before heading to Hawai’i to compete in the Kauai Collegiate Cup hosted by Western Kentucky. The two-day tournament begins March 13.
JOHN HAYT INVITATIONAL TEAM FINISHES
1.LSU 885 (+21)
2. Arizona State 893 (+21)
3. GEORGIA SOUTHERN 895 (+31)
4. Georgia State 900 (+36)
5. Tennessee 901 (+37)
6. UAB 905 (+41)
7. Alabama 907 (+43)
8. TCU 909 (+45)
9. Coastal Carolina 910 (+46)
10. UNC Wilmington 918 (+54)
11. North Florida 919 (+55)
12. Tulsa 921 (+57)
T13. Furman 927 (+63)
T13. Chattanooga 927 (+63)
15. Duke 932 (+68)
GEORGIA SOUTHERN INDIVIDUALS
6. Joe Monte 76-73-70 - - 219 (+3)
12. Drew Lethem 75-72-76 - - 223 (+7)
T13. Ryan LeFevre 75-78-72 - - 225 (+9)
T40. Logan Blondell 72-79-79 - - 230 (+14)
T48. Spencer Fulford 76-79-77 - - 232 (+16)
84. Sean Brannan 91-82-78 - - 251 (+35)*
*Competed on an individual basis only
Wildcats Finish Ninth at Spring Season Opener
HILTON HEAD, S.C. - Led by senior Michael Saari’s sixth place individual finish, the Davidson men’s golf team kicked off their spring season with a ninth place finish at the Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate in Hilton Head, S.C.
Saari, who entered Tuesday’s final round in a tie for 13th, fired a 73 over the final 18 to move up into sixth place, finishing the tournament with a three-round 224. He was followed by freshman Jackson Taylor, who also carded a 73 in the tournament on his way to a total score of 231 and a spot in 22nd place.
Davidson used a final-round team score of 304 to move into the top ten, finishing with a total score of 72-over par 936. The Wildcats improved their score in each round, going 322-310-304 over the two-day tournament, which was hosted by Francis Marion University and held at the par 72, 6,828-yard Wexford Plantation course.
Rounding out the Wildcat performances were Bobby Urso, who tied for 49th place with a score of 241, David Fowler (248/T-64th), and Adam Lewicki (249/T-67th).
The University of South Carolina-Aiken brought home both the team and individual titles, taking the team championship with a total score of 33-over 897, eight strokes ahead of the University of Richmond. USC-Aiken’s Roberto Diaz, who carded a 70 to open and close the tournament, won the individual title with an overall score of 214.
Up next for the ?Cats will be a trip to Buies Creek, N.C. March 2-3 to compete in the Lonnie D. Small Classic, hosted by Campbell University.
Furman Finishes Tied For 13th At John Hayt Collegiate Invitational
Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. -- The Furman men’s golf team carded a final round 305 to finish with a share of 13th place on Tuesday at the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational at the par-72 Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Freshman Anthony Aloi (79-79-74=232) led Furman with a two-over-par 74 on Tuesday that inlcuded one birdie and just three bogeys. Aloi shot even par on the back nine. Sophomore Austin Reeves (84-81-73=238), playing as an individual, played the final 12 holes at three-under-par to record a final round 73.
Redshirt-Junior Garland Ferrell (77-75-76=228) recorded a four-over 76 to complete the 54-hole event as Furman’s top finisher with a share of 24th place at 12-over-par.
Furman (310-312-305=927) finished in a tie with Southern Conference rival and 20th-ranked Chattanooga. LSU (296-295-294=885) pulled away in the final round to claim an eight-stroke victory over second place Arizona State and finish 10 strokes ahead of third place Georgia Southern.
The Tigers’ John Peterson (71-73-70=214) rallied from fourth place through 36 holes to claim individual medalist honors at two-under-par. Peterson finished two strokes in front of a three-way tie for second between Coastal Carolina’s Zach Byrd (71-70-75=216), Alabama’s Hunter Hamrick (72-72-72=216) and LSU’s Andrew Loupe (73-70-73=216).
Furman returns to action March 9-10, at the Palmetto Intercollegiate in Aiken, S.C.
T13 Furman 310 312 305 927
T24 Garland Ferrell 77 75 76 228
T30 Daniel Bowden 76 77 76 229
T48 Anthony Aloi 79 79 74 232
T71 Matt Broome 79 81 79 239
75 Jonathan Bowden 78 84 79 241
T68 Austin Reeves 84 81 73 238
Mocs Golfers Finish Tied for 13th at John Hayt Collegiate
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.---It was another disappointing day for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s golf team shooting 307 (+19) and finishing tied for 13th at the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational at the Sawgrass Country Club. UTC’s 54-hole total of 927 tied with Furman five shots ahead of Duke.
Stephan Jaeger led the Mocs finishing tied for 24th at 228 (+12) after a final round 74. Derek Rende shot 78 today to fall into a tie for 30th a shot back of Jaeger at 229.
Jonathan Hodge was the low round of the day for Chattanooga with a one-over par 73 to complete his tourney tied for 40th at 230 (+14). Ben Rickett tied for 76th with a score of 242, while Fredrik Qvicker finished tied for 80th at 245.
J.T. Clendenin played as an individual at the event tying Hodge in 40th with a three-day total of 230.
LSU claimed the title shooting 294 (+6) on the day to finish at 885, eight shots ahead of Arizona State (893). Georgia Southern came in third, 10 shots off the pace, shooting 895.
The Tigers’ John Peterson started the day tied for fourth, but his two-under par final round of 70 vaulted him to medalist honors shooting a 54-hole total of 214 (-2). Second round co-leader Zack Byrd (Coastal Carolina) shot a final round 75 (+3) to finish tied for second with Hunter Hamrick (Alabama) and Andrew Loupe (LSU) at even-par 216.
Chattanooga returns to the tee March 22-24 at the Callaway Collegiate Match Play at the Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
UNCG finishes 17th at Rio Pinar Invitational
ORLANDO, Fla. ? Ryan Heisey shot a final round 73 to pace UNC Greensboro on the final day of play at the Rio Pinar Invitational men’s golf tournament.
Heisey’s 73 helped the Spartans to a final round score of 301 and a final tournament score of 900. The Spartans finished tied for 17th place. Central Florida, the tournament host, won the tournament with a score of 851. The Golden Knights turned it on in Tuesday’s final round to pull away from the field. UT-Arlington was second, 14 shots behind. Louisville was third.
Central Florida’s Blayne Barber held on for the individual title by two shots over Bobby Massa of UT-Arlington. Barber followed up yesterday’s second round 64 with a final round 69 and a tournament total of 204. Will Bowman was UNCG’s best finisher in a tie for 41st place, scoring a tournament total 222 after a 76 in the Tuesday’s final round.
UNCG returns to action on March 9 at the Palmas Del Mar Intercollegiate in Puerto Rico.
AGATE
TEAM SCORING: Central Florida 851, UT-Arlington 865, Louisville 870, Augusta State 871, Vanderbilt 871, Mississippi 871, Mercer 873, Kentucky 879, Baylor 879, South Alabama 883, East Carolina 884, Wichita State 889, Ohio State 891, Iowa State 893. VCU 898, Southern Mississippi 899, UNCG 900, Memphis 900, South Florida 903, Akron 907, Connecticut 917,
INDIVIDUAL SCORING
Top 10: 1. Blayne Barber (Central Florida) 71-64-69=204; 2. Bobby Massa (UT-Arlington) 70-69-67=206; 3. Jed Dirksen (Central Florida-indiv.) 73-68-70=211; T-4. David Johnson (Central Florida) 74-70-68=212; T-4. Bill Jones (Mercer) 70-72-70=212; T-6. Joe David (Mississippi) 72-73-68=213; T-6. Justin Dorward (Louisville) 69-74-70=213; 8. Bo Hoag (Ohio State) 72-70-73=215; T-9. Andy Winings (Kentucky) 70-74-72=216; T-9. M. Etienne Bussieres 73-70-73=216.
Other UNCG Golfers: T-41. Will Bowman 72-74-76=222; T-58. Will Almand 76-73-76=225; T-64. Ryan Heisey 79-74-73=226; T-75. Darragh Coghlan 75-77-76=228; T-95. Drew Younts 78-77-78=233.
Elon Ends Up Eighth at Wexford Plantation
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. ? Paced by top-20 finishes by Jayson Judy and Phil Bartholomew, Elon finished in eighth place at the three-round, two-day Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate men's golf tournament Tuesday afternoon on the 6,828-yard Wexford Plantation course.
Judy (73-77-80?230) and Bartholomew (77-74-79?230) ended up in a tie for 16th place in 81-golfer field. The Phoenix (305-311-318?934) finished behind South Carolina ? Aiken (897), Richmond (905), Francis Marion (907), USC Upstate (912), Presbyterian (919), Wofford (928) and Cleveland State (929) in the 54-hole, 16-team event.
Davidson (936), Ohio (939), George Mason (951), Marshall (957), St. Joseph’s (972), Bowling Green State (973), George Washington (974) and Rhode Island (983) also competed in the tournament.
Elon also received scores from Randall Andersen (Tied-35th/80-80-75?235), Mike Fekete (Tied-49th/77-80-84?241) and Stephen Dressel (Tied-56th/78-82-84?244).
Men’s Golf Captures Sixth Place at Wexford Invitational
HILTON HEAD, S.C. ? The Wofford men’s golf team shot a 310 in the third round of the Wexford Collegiate Invitational to claim sixth place with a total score of 928 for the tournament.
Junior Garrett Medeiros led the team with a third-round 74, and finished seventh individually with a total score of 225. Junior Kirk Whitehead tied for 16th after shooting a third-round 79. Drew Perry also recorded a mark of 79 in the third round and finished tied for 29th.
The team score of 928 placed Wofford ahead of Southern Conference rivals Elon (934) and Davidson (936).
USC Aiken, the top-ranked team in NCAA Division II, fired a final-round 306 team score to complete a wire-to-wire win at the fourth-annual Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate Men’s Golf Tournament, held on Hilton Head Island, S.C. USCA’s Roberto Diaz fired a 2-under-par 70, Tuesday’s low round of the day, to capture medalist honors with a 54-hole tally of 214.
The men’s golf team will continue competition on March 9-10 at the Cleveland Golf Palmetto Intercollegiate.