ADMINISTAFF AUGUSTA STATE INVITATIONAL
Chattanooga
AUGUSTA, Ga.---A final round 282 (-6) provided the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s golf team with a second-place finish in the Administaff Augusta State Invitational played at Forest Hills Golf Club. The Mocs were led by Derek Rende who finished second individually as well.
Augusta State ran away with the title on its home course with a 54-hole total of 828 (-36). ASU shot a 277 (-11) Sunday to claim a 13-stroke victory. The Mocs finished at 23-under par, 841, with three sub-par rounds for the weekend. Kent State finished third at 843 (-21).
ASU’s Taylor Floyd won medalist honors with a 14-under par total of 202. Floyd shot a final round 67 (-5) to win by four strokes over Rende. Rende shot rounds of 66, 69 and 71 to shoot 10 under (206).
Chattanooga got off to an “even” start on Sunday. Rende and Stephan Jaeger both turned in 35, one-under par, while Jonathan Hodge, Ben Rickett and Fredrik Qvicker each shot 37 (+1). The Mocs were tied for second with a surging Kent State squad at 17-under par.
The Mocs made a move to open the back nine shooting five-under par on holes 10-12 to move into sole position of second. UTC carded a few more birdies on the way in to clinch second, its best finish since winning the Carpet Capital Collegiate Classic in September.
Rende’s 71 featured three birdies against two bogeys. He scored 13 birdies for the weekend en route to his second-place finish.
Jaeger led the Mocs for the final round with a 69 (-3) to finish tied for 39th at even par, 216. Jaeger was two-under for the day through 15 before a bogey four on 16 dropped him to one under. Back-to-back birdies closed his round to complete his 69. Jaeger carded five birdies on his round.
It was a slow start to the day for Qvicker. He was two over through eight holes before rattling off four birdies in five holes to get to two under. A bogey and birdie on the way in gave him a 70 for the round and 211 for the tournament. His five-under par finish gave him a tie for 12th overall.
Rickett and Hodge each shot 72 (E). Rickett finished tied for 18th at 212 (-4), while Hodge tied for 36th at 215 (-1). Hodge led the Mocs with 39 pars in 54 holes.
Redshirt freshman Hudson Keener carded a 75 (+3) playing as an individual. Keener finished tied for 78th with a nine-over par 225.
The Mocs are off until April 19-21 when they travel to the Country Club of South Carolina in Florence for the Southern Conference Championship. The three-day event is 54 holes, 18 per day. Chattanooga is the two-time defending champion.
NOTES:
>Chattanooga shot -11 on the front nine and -16 on the back, seven under on Sunday alone. This is based on the low four scores for the particular side each round.
>Chattanooga beat the likes of No. 12 Tennessee by 18 shots, No. 20 UCF by eight, Duke by 12, SoCon-rival Georgia Southern by 24 and Virginia Tech by 21.
>Today’s 282 give the Mocs nine par or better rounds in 2008-09.
>The low drop score of the season entering this weekend was a 73 by Derek Rende (round one) and Jonathan Hodge (round three) at the Aldila Scenic City Invitational. The Mocs dropped even par rounds of 72 in the first and second round this weekend.
>Rende registered just three bogeys for the tournament while scoring 13 birdies.
>Nine of the 17 teams shot par or better in the first round...all 17 teams bettered par in round two...just seven of 17 finished par or better for the final round. In total, 10 teams finished par or better for 54 holes.
>Scoring breakdown (1st round/2nd/3rd): Eagles 0 (0/0), Birdies 61 (22/17/22), Pars 171 (61/57/53), Bogeys 35 (7/14/14), Double Bogeys 3 (0/2/1), Others 0 (0/0/0).
Georgia Southern
AUGUSTA, GA ? On the final day of tournament play at the Administaff Augusta State Invitational, the Georgia Southern golf team shot a 10-over par 298 for an 865 (+1) aggregated score to finish 11th in the 17-team field. The Eagles were one shot out of a 10th place finish as Ryan LeFevre was the top finisher for Georgia Southern. The senior carded a 2-under par 214 to finish tied for 31st at the Forest Hills Golf Club.
Augusta State, host to the tournament, ran away from the field with a 36-under par 828. ASU finished 13 strokes ahead of second-place Chattanooga who completed the tournament 23-under par (841). Kent State took third with a three-round total 843 (-21), while UCF and Coastal Carolina tied for fourth at 15-under par (849).
ASU’s own Taylor Floyd captured the individualist honors after a 14-under par 202 total. Floyd carded three sub-par rounds to win by four strokes over Chattanooga’s Derek Rende who took second place. For the tournament, Rende shot a 10-under 206.
The Eagles teed off on the front nine alongside Georgia State and VCU for the final round. Senior LeFevre led the Eagles’ lineup for the tournament. After an opening day 5-under 139, the Boca Raton, Fla. native carded a 3-over par 75 third round for a 31st place tie with a three-day total 214 (-2). LeFevre finished 2-over on the front nine off an opening bogey, double bogey on five and birdie on six. The senior cut off one stroke on the back nine with two bogeys and a birdie on 11.
Just one stroke back, sophomore Logan Blondell tied for 36th place shooting a tournament 215 (-1). Blondell was 2-over heading into the back nine with consecutive bogeys on seven and eight, but a sub-par back nine gave the Lakeland, Fla. native a 1-over for the day. The Eagle rounded out his third round tally after firing off eight pars and a birdie on 17.
Finishing tied for 47th, senior Drew Lethem was 5-over on the day, but tallied a 2-over 218 for the tournament. Lethem opened on hole one with a double bogey but bounced back with seven pars and a bogey on three. The Eagle’s 3-over front nine, combined with a 2-over back nine closed out a 5-over 77 third round for Lethem. The Missouri native shot a 218 for the tournament with 71, 70 and 77 rounds, respectively.
Closing out Georgia Southern’s lineup were Joe Monte and Jordan Johnstun. Monte finished tied for 65th after a third round 76, 221 (+5) total, while Johnstun’s 8-over par 224 placed him in a tie for 73rd. Johnstun offset two double bogeys on the final day with three birdies to finish the day 2-over par.
After opening tournament play with 67 and 73 first two rounds, Spencer Fulford, competing as an individual, stumbled on the final day, carding an 8-over 80. Fulford tied for 60th with a three-day 220 (+4) total.
Georgia Southern concluded regular season play with the tournament. Next up for the Eagles is the Southern Conference Tournament to take place April 19-21 in Florence, S.C.
IRONWOOD PIRATE INTERCOLLEGIATE
Wofford
GREENVILLE, N.C. ? The Terrier men’s golf team improved to fourth place in the Ironwood Pirate Intercollegiate following a season-best team score of 288 in the final round on Sunday.
Three Terriers shot a one-under-par on the 7,076-yard course at the Ironwood Golf and Country Club. The third round 71 propelled freshman Brent Whitehead to a tie for ninth place and the Terrier lead with a score of 220 for the weekend. Senior Neil O’Briain and junior Garrett Medeiros also carded a one-under, and O’Briain tied for twelfth with a 221, while Medeiros totaled a 222 and tied for fifteenth.
Rounding out the Terrier lineup was senior Drew Perry, who recorded a 75, while freshman John Gault earned a score of 77 on the final day.
East Carolina carded a four-over 292 in the final round of the Ironwood Pirate Intercollegiate on Sunday to win the tournament by 10 strokes over rival UNC Wilmington. The win gave the Pirates their second consecutive tournament title after taking home the trophy from the Furman Intercollegiate a week ago.
Wofford finished in fourth place overall, with a total score of 888, only three strokes behind second-place UNC Wilmington.
The Terriers will be in action for the final time this season at the Southern Conference Championships in Florence, S.C. on April 19-21.
Samford
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Samford's Andrew Villarreal fired a team-best score of 70 on Sunday to help lead the Bulldogs to an eighth-place finish at the 2009 Ironwood Pirate Intercollegiate held at the Ironwood Golf and Country Club. Samford recorded a third-round score of 295 to jump two positions in the 17-team field.
Samford's Villarreal, a native of Decatur, Ala., finished the three-day competition as the 15th-place player in the individual standings. His final-round score of 70 was the Bulldogs' best 18-hole outing of the tournament. Villarreal concluded the Ironwood Pirate Intercollegiate with a final score of 222 (78-74-70).
Following Villarreal, Samford's Ian Cutting placed second on the team with a three-round score of 224 (73-75-76). The Bulldogs' native of Fayetteville, Ga., ended the tournament in a tie for 22nd place in the individual standings.
Rounding out the scoring for Samford on Sunday were Jeremy Cox (79-75-75--229), Bobby Baird (78-78-74--230) and Martin Bunt (77-80-77--234).
Host East Carolina won the team title of the 2009 Ironwood Pirate Intercollegiate with a final score of 875. UNC Wilmington placed second in the three-day competition at 885, while James Madison followed closely for a third-place finish at 886.
James Madison's Tim Driver fired a third-round score of 65 on Sunday to win the individual medalist honors with a final tally of 211. He came from behind to knock off UNC Wilmington's Josh Brock (72-70-70--212) by a single stroke.
The Samford men's golf team will next be in action April 19-21 in Florence, S.C., as the Bulldogs compete in the 2009 Southern Conference Championships.
Furman
Greenville, N.C. -- A final round 293 helped the Furman (310-297-293=900) men’s golf team claim seventh place on Sunday at the Ironwood Pirate Intercollegiate at the par-72 Ironwood Golf and Country Club in Greenville, N.C.
Junior Daniel Bowden (73-70-72=215), a native of Easley, S.C., led the Paladins by claiming a share of fourth place at one-under par after carding a final round 72. Jonathan Bowden (82-78-73=233) and Austin Reeves (79-76-75=230) each shot one-over 73 during the final round to key Furman to its five-over 293 on Sunday afternoon.
East Carolina (291-292-292=875), the tournament hosts, wrapped up the team title by cruising to a 10-stroke victory over second place UNC Wilmington and 11-stroke advantage over third place James Madison. Wofford, Rhode Island and Newberry rounded out the top six ahead of seventh place Furman.
Tim Driver (73-73-65=211) of James Madison shot a tournament-low round of seven-under 65 on Sunday to claim individual medalist honors at five-under par. He finished one shot ahead of Josh Brock of UNC Wilmington and three shots in front of third place Taylor Fontaine of Rhode Island.
Furman will take a week off before taking part in the Southern Conference Championship April 19-21, at the Country Club of South Carolina in Florence, S.C.
MARSHALL INVITATIONAL
Davidson
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. - The Davidson men’s golf team used a pair of sub-300 rounds to take home a 13th place finish at the Marshall Invitational April 3-4 at the Guyan Country Club.
The Wildcats fired a first-round team score of 313, but followed up with a 299 in the second round, and then carded a 297 over the final 18 holes to finish the tournament with a 57-over par 909 and sole possession of 13th place.
Leading the ?Cats was freshman Jackson Taylor, who shot back-to-back 73s to start the tournament and finished with a three-round score of eight-over 221 and a tie for 25th place.
Senior Michael Saari fired a 72 in the final round on his way to an overall score of 228, good for a tie for 52nd place. Christopher Rollins also tied for 52nd with a 228, going 76-80-72 for the tournament.
Rounding out the scores for Davidson were Bobby Urso (235/T-69th) and David Fowler (214/T-71st). Urso’s second-round 72 tied for the lowest single-round score on the team.
Illinois junior Zach Barlow recorded a three-round total of 211 (-2) to capture medalist honors and lead the Illini to its second consecutive Marshall Invitational Team Championship.
The nationally-ranked Illini turned in a strong final round with Barlow, Chris DeForest and Scott Langley all shooting par and Luke Guthrie carding a four-under par 67. Illinois posted a three round total of 855 with second-place finishers Xavier and Ball State finishing 14-strokes back at 869.
Next week, the Wildcats will return home to co-host the Palisades Intercollegiate with Charlotte, held at the Palisades Country Club in Charlotte, N.C. on April 13-14.
ASU vs. GARDNER-WEBB
Appalachian State
MORGANTON, N.C. - Casey Johnson was the overall winner but Gardner-Webb was able to beat Appalachian State University golf 5.5 to 4.5 yesterday afternoon at Mimosa Hills Golf Course.
The ASU men, led by Johnson, defeated the men from Gardner-Webb 288-298, but the ASU women fell to Gardner-Webb 334-340.
Johnson easily defeated Gardner-Webb's Geordie Hagerman by 17 strokes in the first match of the day to get ASU started on the foot. Alex Finke edged out Taylor Hines in match two by a stroke, 78-79, but Jacob Eggers returned the favor in match three defeating Marco Mathe 72-73. Gardner-Webb's J.J. Regan finished match play with a five stroke win over Joey Squires to split the singles matches at two apiece.
All but one mixed doubles match was decided by one point or less while two were halved. Mary Kate Bowman and Dustin Hudson shot a 72 but the Bulldogs Immu Korvenmaa and Yayoi Garcia shot a 71 to earn Gardner-Webb a point.
Lance Wheeler and Kerri Dice earned the Mountaineers' a point by shooting a 69 and earning another one point victory.
The pairings of Darren Cook and Brooke DeHart and Web Grubb and Amy Harris both halved for ASU while Jake Wieshan and Emily McGonagle lost 71-76.
Both the ASU men and women are in action Monday, the women are playing in a 10 team field at Mimosa Hills while the men are playing in the Charleston Southern Inviational.
Match 1 (ASU) Casey Johnson (66) def. (G-W) Geordie Hagerman (83)
Match 2 (G-W) Alex Finke (78) def. (ASU) Taylor Hines (79)
Match 3 (ASU) Jacob Eggers (72) def. (G-W) Marco Mathe (73)
Match 4 (G-W) J.J. Regan (80) def. (ASU) Joey Squires (85)
Match 5 (G-W) Immu Korvenmaa & Yayoi Garcia (71) def. (ASU) Dustin Hudson & Mary Kate Bowman (72)
Match 6 (ASU) Lance Wheeler & Kerri Dice (69) def. (G-W) Blake Palmer & MacKenzie Renner (70)
Match 7 (G-W) Kris Gray & Courtney Finocchario (74) halved (ASU) Colin Hobbs & Jordan Kreuter (74)
Match 8 (G-W) Ryan Bell & Dana Prozeller (71) halved (ASU) Darren Cook & Brooke DeHart (71)
Match 9 (G-W) Andrew Rickard & Courtney Meyer (71) def. (ASU) Jake Wiesehan & Emily McGonagle (76)
Match 10 (G-W) Scott Wheeler & Molly Wilson (76) halved (ASU) Web Grubb & Amy Harris (76)