Hudson Captures Tournament Victory, Cougars Third
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. - Sophomore John Duke Hudson (Sonora, Texas) earned medalist honors with a two-under par 214 and led the Cougars to a third-place finish Tuesday at The Invitational at the Ocean Course.
Hudson carded rounds of 71-68-75 and was the only player under-par for the tournament. His nearest competitor, Niall Platt from Notre Dame was three strokes back at one-over par, after rounds of 74-70-73.
"I was pleased with the finish," said Hudson of his first collegiate victory. "I was playing really good through the first half of the final round. Even though it was a bit of a rough finish I'm glad to finally win a tournament."
The team title went to No. 42 North Carolina State with a 9-over 873. Notre Dame edged out the Cougars for second with a 15-over 879, with CofC one shot back at 880. Going into the final round the Cougars were four shots back of the Fighting Irish.
Cougar head coach Mark McEntire said he was pleased with the results, especially considering both NC State and Notre Dame were in post-season play last year.
"I was very happy with the way the guys started," he said. I'm excited about where the team is going. I'm happy with a third-place finish in this field. We learned a lot and we are growing up."
Also finishing in the top-25 for the Cougars were seniors Ross Tooley at 19th (+9) and Coy Breen, who tied for 20th (+10) along with freshman Alex Ellis, who also tied for 20th (+10). Rounding out the lineup for CofC was Elliot Lopez with a 42nd place finish (+16) and Parker Allen in 60th (+21).
Hudson said he thinks the team can build on their success from this tournament.
"It's a good start to the season and hopefully we can carry this momentum on to Notre Dame in a couple of weeks," he said.
The Cougars will have another chance to compete against Notre Dame, as they travel to South Bend, Ind., Sept 27-28 for the Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Classic.
FINAL TEAM RESULTS
1, North Carolina State, 289-296-288-873. 2, Notre Dame, 300-284-295-879. 3, College of Charleston, 300-288-292-880. 4, Coastal Carolina, 299-294-291-884. 5, UAB, 300-300-288-888. 6, Vanderbilt, 297-295-297-889. T7, Mercer, 304-299-294-897. T7, Davidson, 298-298-301-897. 9. Texas State, 305-298-302-905. 10. Saint Mary's (Calif.), 302-307-304-913. 11, Maryland, 306-305-304-915. 12, Western Carolina, 298-322-308-928.
FINAL COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
1, John Duke Hudson, 71-68-75-214. 19, Ross Tooley, 79-73-73-225. T20, Coy Breen, 74-81-71-226. T20, Alex Ellis, 76-77-73-226. T42, Elliott Lopez, 79-75-78-232. T60, Parker Allen, 86-72-79-237.
Chattanooga Tops Five SoCon Rivals Finishing Second at Springhill Suites Intercollegiate
Freshman Chris Robb wins medalist honors at -9 (207) shooting 72 (E) for his final round
FLORENCE, S.C. --- Redshirt freshman Chris Robb (Aberdeenshire, Scotland) claimed medalist honors at the Springhill Suites Collegiate at the Country Club of South Carolina Tuesday afternoon. Robb led the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to a second place finish at the site of the Southern Conference Championship.
Robb's level par 72 helped pace the Mocs' 295 (+7) which tied for the sixth lowest round of the day as no player broke 70. He won in just his second collegiate event joining teammate Steven Fox (Hendersonville, Tenn.) who won as a freshman last season (2010 Furman Intercollegiate).
"I'm impressed with what we accomplished," said head coach Mark Guhne. "The freshmen all contributed and played well while getting to see this course for the first time.
"Chris (Robb) was great all three rounds," added Guhne. "His putt on 18 was really hard and under the pressure of a win, it was a great roll."
It was a long five days of golf for the Mocs starting last Friday at the prestigious Carpet Capital Collegiate where they tied for 8th against a stellar field. Chattanooga continued its fine play as four members of the team - Fox, Robb, Davis Bunn and Benni Weilguni - played six rounds of golf over five consecutive days.
"That is a heavy mental grind," noted Guhne. "I thought it was important for our four freshmen who finished in the top six of qualifying to see the course. That's why Jaeger stayed home, so his teammates would be as prepared as possible in April for the SoCon."
Robb won by one shot and did so in exciting fashion. On the always difficult 18th, he drained a slick, downhill left-to-right five-footer for par to earn the one-shot win over Billy Shida of Georgia College.
Weilguni (Langelois, Austria) had the low round of the day for UTC with a one-under par 71, his first par or better collegiate round. He did it with flair eagling the par five 17th and scoring birdie at the last.
True freshmen Bunn (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Jackson Lockhart (Huntsville, Ala.) each carded 76s (+4). The four-over par score is one higher than Bunn accumulated over his first five college rounds. Fox, the elder statesman of the group as a sophomore, had the drop score of 78 (+6).
The Mocs finished second as a team to Georgia College. The Bobcats ran away with the title shooting a 16-under par total of 848 on the par 72 tract. Furman was third, four strokes behind UTC.
Chattanooga returns to action Sept. 24-26 at the Mason Rudolph Invitational in Franklin, Tenn., at the Vanderbilt Legends Club. Middle Tennessee won the 2009 event in a playoff with South Carolina.
LEADERBOARD
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1) Georgia College
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280-282-286
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848 (-16)
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2) Chattanooga
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284-287-295
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866 (+2)
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3) Furman
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287-291-292
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870 (+6)
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4) Jacksonville State
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288-284-299
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871 (+7)
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T5) Georgia Southern
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291-283-300
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874 (+10)
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T5) Samford
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295-283-296
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874 (+10)
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7) Radford
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295-289-293
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877 (+13)
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8) Elon
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294-293-296
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883 (+19)
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9) Gardner-Webb
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289-298-297
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884 (+20)
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10) USC Aiken
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293-290-302
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885 (+21)
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11) Charleston Southern
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298-290-299
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887 (+23)
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12) Presbyterian
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301-288-300
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889 (+25)
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13) Appalachian State
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296-297-300
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893 (+29)
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14) Francis Marion
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299-294-301
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894 (+30)
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15) USC Upstate
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292-296-309
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897 (+33)
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Mocs:
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1) Chris Robb
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66-69-72
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207 (-9)
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T22) Davis Bunn
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71-72-76
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219 (+3)
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T29) Steven Fox
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70-72-78
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220 (+4)
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T44) Benni Weilguni
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80-74-71
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225 (+9)
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T56) Jackson Lockhart
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77-75-76
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228 (+12)
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Paladins Place Third At Season-Opening Spring Hill Suites Intercollegiate
Florence, S.C. - Furman (287-291-292=870) shot a final round four-over 292 and finished in third place on Tuesday at the season-opening Spring Hill Suites Intercollegiate at the par-72, 7,062-yard Country Club of South Carolina.
Sophomore newcomer Matt Brown (76-72-71=219) paced the Paladins with a final round 71 to earn a share of 22nd place while juniors Matt Broome (70-73-72=215) and Anthony Aloi (73-72-72=217) each shot even-par 72 to finish with a share of seventh and 15th, respectively. Newcomer Johnny Kyger (69-75-72=216), playing as an individual, fired even-par to claim 11th place in his first collegiate tournament.
Georgia College (280-282-286=848) finished at 16-under over 54 holes to take the tournament title by 18 strokes over second place Chattanooga (284-287-295=866). Rounding out the top five behind third place Furman were Jacksonville State (4th), Samford (T5th) and Georgia Southern (T5th).
Furman returns to action September 19-21, when it takes part in the GolfWeek Conference Challenge in Burlington, Iowa.
3 Furman 287 291 292 870
T7 Matt Broome 70 73 72 215
T15 Anthony Aloi 73 72 72 217
T22 Matt Brown 76 72 71 219
T40 Evan Muscari 72 74 78 224
T52 J.B. Murphy 72 77 77 226
T11 Johnny Kryger 69 75 72 216
Davidson Takes Seventh at The Invitational at The Ocean Course
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. - The Davidson men's golf team finished in a tie for seventh (897) at The Invitational at The Ocean Course Tuesday, led by one-over-par 73's by senior Bobby Urso and freshman Sam Echikson in the final round.
Echikson (Brussels, Belgium), competing in his first collegiate tournament, was Davidson's top finisher in a tie for 12th at 223 (76+74+73), seven-over-par.
The Ocean Course, one of five courses at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, was ranked No. 25 in Golf Digest's 100 Greatest U.S. Golf Courses List and No. 4 on its Best Public Course List. With beautiful Atlantic coastline views from each hole, the course played host to the 2007 Senior PGA and will host the 2012 PGA Championships.
NC State overtook Notre Dame on the final day to win the team title (873) on the par-72, 7,504 yard-course. Notre Dame finished six strokes off the pace at 879, and was followed by the hosting College of Charleston (880), Coastal Carolina (884), UAB (888), Vanderbilt (889), and tying for seventh Mercer and Davidson (897). Texas State (905), St, Mary's (913), Maryland (915) and Southern Conference foe Western Carolina (928) trailed.
Sophomore John Skeadas (Savannah, Ga.) placed in a tie for 20th with a three-round score of 226, while freshman Richard Fountain (Raleigh, N.C.) placed in a tie for 33rd at 229. Junior Jackson Taylor (Wilmington, N.C.) took 41st at 231.
Davidson will next head to Nashville, Tenn. for the Mason Rudolph Championship, hosted by Vanderbilt, Sept. 24-26.
Two Elon Golfers Place in Top-20 in Season's First Event
FLORENCE, S.C. -- Leif Neijstrom and Jack Adkins both earned top-20 finishes in their collegiate debuts as the Elon Phoenix men's golf team collected an eighth-place finish at the 2010 Springhill Suites Intercollegiate tournament hosted by Francis Marion. The Phoenix carded a 296 during Tuesday's final round of play to post a three-round score of 883 (294-293-296). Georgia College & State claimed the team title with a score of 848 (280-282-286).
Neijstrom fired a final round 74 on his way to a final score of 217 (73-70-74) and a 15th-place tie in the individual standings. Adkins finished just one stroke back at 218 (72-73-73) to tie for 19th out of the 79 golfers in the field. Adkins concluded the tournament with 11 birdies and was -1 on par-four holes.
In a tie for 33rd was John Somers who posted a total score of 222 (74-75-73). Clay Holland's final round of 76 helped him to a 63rd-place tie with a score of 231 (80-75-76). Rounding out the Elon contingent was Stuart Kaufman who placed in a tie for 76th with a 237 (75-82-80).
Placing second to Georgia College & State in the 15-team field was Chattanooga (284-287-295--866). Furman (287-291-292--870) and Jacksonville State (288-284-299--871) finished third and fourth, respectively. Two Southern Conference foes tied for fifth as both Samford (295-283-296) and Georgia Southern (291-283-300) carded final scores of 874.
Chattanooga's Chris Robb claimed the individual title, holding off Georgia College & State's Billy Shida by a stroke. Robb posted a three-round total of 207 (66-69-72) while Shida carded a 208 (70-68-70).
Up next for Elon is the Sea Trails Intercollegiate at Sunset Beach, N.C. from September 24-26.
Men's Golf Opens Season at Spring Hill Suites Invite
FLORENCE, S.C. - Following a trip to historic St. Andrews, Scotland a week ago, Appalachian State University men's golf opened the 2010-11 campaign at the Spring Hill Suites Invitational at the Country Club of South Carolina. The Mountaineers took home 13th place at the event with a team score of 296-297-300=893 (+29).
One year after Casey Johnson won the tournament, the Mountaineer squad featured a much younger look, with one senior, Dustin Hudson (Hildebran, N.C./East Burke), two juniors and a pair of sophomores competing. Only Hudson competed in the event both last season and this week.
A model of consistency over 54 holes, Drew Harris (Lenoir, N.C./Hibriten) led the Apps with a 33rd-place finish at 74-74-74=222 (+6). Fellow junior Daniel Walsh (Wilkesboro, N.C./West Wilkes) finished right behind in a tie for 38th place after improving each round. He carded a 77-74-72=223 (+7) after sinking one of just 11 eagles at the tournament.
Josh Nichols (Kernersville, N.C./Salem Baptist Christian) fired a team-best two-under-par 70 in Monday's opening round and followed up with a 76 and 79 to place 44th at 225 (+9), while Jay Brown (Stoneville, N.C./Dalton L. McMichael) finished the tournament at 82-73-75=230 (+14).
Hudson carded a 75-78-81=234 (+18) for 70th place. Appalachian ranked fifth at the event with 168 pars and also placed fifth on par-3 scoring average (3.23).
Georgia College ran away with the event at 848 (-16) while Chattanooga placed second at 866 (+2). The Mocs' Chris Robb shot a 66-69-72=207 (-9) to win the individual title, holding off GC's Billy Shida by one stroke.
Also on hand from the SoCon to scout out this year's league championship course were third-place Furman (870), fifth-place Georgia Southern and Samford (874) and eighth-place Elon (883).
The fall tournament slate continues on Sept. 24-26 at the Sea Trail Intercollegiate at Sunset Beach, N.C.
Catamount Men's Golf Finishes 12th at The Invitational
WCU returns to action Sept. 24-25 at the Mason Rudolph Championship
Kiawah Island, S.C. - Western Carolina fired a team 308 during its final round on Tuesday, but could not overcome its struggles from Monday's second round, finishing in 12th-place, four strokes in arrears of a two-way tie between St. Mary's (Calif.) and Maryland at The Invitational at The Ocean Course.
"I felt that all of our young guys had at least one good round on a tough golf course in the opener," said first-year head coach Carter Cheves. "We just didn't all put together good rounds on one day, nor did we play consistently. You have to have all four or five guys turning in good rounds and we just didn't put it together which didn't allow us to stay in the tournament."
Junior Kyle Wilson finished tied for 27th with a three-round score of 227 (77-74-76) to pace the Catamounts at the season-opening event at the par-72, 7, 504-yard course. Wilson played the front nine at one-over, but two bogies and a double on the par-5, 579-yard No. 16 dropped him to three-over on the back.
Freshman Jack Walsh led WCU in the final round with his best round of the tournament at one-over, 73, to move into a tie for 48th in the final standings. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native countered four bogeys with three birdies including one on his final hole for the one-over round. Walsh carded rounds of 79, 81 and 73 in his college debut.
Rounding out WCU's finishers were junior transfer Ryan Booth, who played the back nine at one-under but only managed six-over on the front for a 77 on Tuesday to finish tied for 58th with a 236. Freshman Collin Witiak was tied for 63rd with a three-round score of 240 (71-87-82), followed by sophomore Jonathan Davies (69th, 75-84-85=244) and freshman Greg Bunner (70th, 82-83-82=247).
With all four scoring golfers finishing inside the top 12 - and all six competitors inside the top 20 - North Carolina State shot 873 over the 54-hole event to win the team title by six strokes over second place Notre Dame, which edged tournament host College of Charleston by a stroke, 879-to-880. Coastal Carolina placed fourth, 11 strokes off the pace with UAB rounding out the top five with a two-day, 888.
College of Charleston's John Duke Hudson, who led the event after the opening two rounds, held on to claim individual medalist honors by three strokes over the three-way tie between Niall Platt from Notre Dame, Jason Shufflebottam from UAB and Sebastian Soderberg from Coastal Carolina for the runner-up spot.
The Catamounts return to action in two weeks at the Mason Rudolph Championship, hosted by Vanderbilt at the Legend's Club in Nashville, Tenn. The 54-hole event will be spread over three days beginning on Friday, Sept., 24 through Sunday, Sept. 26. In the rain-shortened event last year, WCU finished 13th overall for a second-straight season.