ASU Men's Golf Wins Hummingbird Intercollegiate Title
CASHIERS, N.C. - On the strength of the best team round in program history, Appalachian State University men's golf powered from seventh place Tuesday morning to win the Hummingbird Intercollegiate, 292-273=565 (-3).
Sophomore Casey Komline (Dorset, Vt./Burr and Burton Academy) led the Apps with a third-place finish at 73-65=138 (-4). His 65 on Tuesday was the lowest of any player at the event, the lowest of his career and ties the lowest round ever by a Mountaineer. His round included an eagle on the Country Club of Sapphire Valley's sixth hole. The Dorset, Vt. native also holed 10 birdies at the event.
Dustin Hudson (Hildebran, N.C./East Burke) followed with a 73-70=143 (+1) to tie for 11th place with newcomer John Michael Cole (Fayetteville, N.C./Cape Fear). Cole finished with a 75-68=143, including an eagle of his own. The sophomore also led the 92-player field in par-3 scoring with a 2.75 average on the course's short holes.
Josh Nichols (Kernersville, N.C./Salem Baptist Christian) carded a 71-76=147 (+5) to tie for 31st and Darren Cook (Boone, N.C./Watauga) shot a 78-70=148 (+6) for 38th.
Competing as an individual, Daniel Walsh (Wilkesboro, N.C./West Wilkes) finished 63rd with a 76-76=152 (+10).
ASU won by two strokes over second-place UAB, while Gardner-Webb surrendered its first-round lead to finish third, eight strokes behind the Apps.
GWU's Kristopher Gray held on for the individual medal at 67-68=135 (-7), two strokes ahead of UAB's Paul Dunne.
From the Southern Conference, Furman placed fourth at 583 (+15), Samford and host Western Carolina tied for eighth at 586 (+18), Wofford finished 11th at 592 (+24) and Elon rounded out the league in 14th with a 596 (+28).
The win is the Mountaineers' first since last spring's Don Benbow North-South Invitational. ASU's previous best team round was 281, which the team had shot three times, and as recently as 2009.
Head coach Bill Dicus' squad wraps up the fall next week on Nov. 8-9 at the Stetson University Invitational at DeLand, Fla.'s Victoria Hills Country Club.
Cougars Finish Third at Kauai Collegiate Invitational
KAUAI, HAWAII - The College of Charleston men's golf team wrapped up play by shooting a final round 1-over 289 and finished third at the Kauai Collegiate Invitational.
Junior John Duke Hudson shot a 1-under 71 on the day and finished third for the tournament with rounds of 70-70-71=211 (-5).
San Diego shot 18-under in the final round to earn a one stroke victory over host Hawaii. The Cougars (1-under for tournament) finished 12 shots back of Hawaii, who had a golfer win the tournament shooting 14-under.
"We played well these last few days," Head Coach Mark McEntire said. "We needed a couple guys to shoot lower, but we accomplished a lot this week."
This tournament concludes the fall season for the Cougars. They open the spring season with the Pat Hicks Invitational Feb. 13-14 at Sunbrook Golf Club in St. George, Utah.
3 Charleston, Coll. of 289 285 289 863
3 John Duke Hudson 70 70 71 211
T 10 Alex Ellis 75 69 74 218
T 10 Cabe Prieskorn 71 74 73 218
T 10 Neil Gowan 73 74 71 218
T 17 Henry Smart 75 72 74 221
T 14 Seth Stuart 73 71 75 219 (Finished second among individuals out of 13)
1 San Diego, U. of 296 284 270 850 -14
2 Hawaii, Univ. of 285 282 284 851 -13
3 Charleston, Coll. of 289 285 289 863 -1
4 Utah Valley Univ. 300 291 288 879 +15
5 Seattle University 296 299 297 892 +28
6 North Dakota State 308 293 302 903 +39
Reeves' 67 Propels Furman To Sixth Place Finish At The Hummingbird Intercollegiate
Sapphire, N.C. -- Senior Austin Reeves (-1) fired a final round 67 to finish with a share of seventh place and guide the Furman men's golf team to a sixth place finish in The Hummingbird Intercollegiate on Tuesday at the par-71, 6,767-yard Country Club of Sapphire Valley.
Reeves, a native of Greenville, S.C., birdied three holes on the front nine to make the turn at three-under and recorded an eagle on the par-5, No. 14 to shoot one-under on the back nine. Fellow senior J.B. Murphy birdied three of his final five holes to card an even-par 71 while Johnny Kyger notched a final round 73.
Appalachian State (-3) shot an 11-under 273 on Tuesday to edge UAB (-1) by two strokes for the tournament title while Gardner-Webb (+5) claimed third place. Vanderbilt (+6), Francis Marion (+13) and Furman (+15) rounded out the top six teams in the 17-team field.
Kristopher Gray of Gardner-Webb shot a three-under 68 over the final 18 holes to capture individual medalist honors at seven-under par.
Furman concludes its fall schedule at the Amelia National Intercollegiate in Fernandina Beach, Fla., November 7-8.
Log onto www.FurmanPaladins.com for updates on the Furman Men's golf team throughout the 2011 season.
6 Furman 295 288 583
T7 Austin Reeves 74 67 141
T31 Johnny Kyger 74 73 147
T42 J.B. Murphy 78 71 149
T50 Greg Carrier 73 77 150
T82 Matt Broome 74 82 156
*T50 Josh Chay 76 74 150
Appalachian Wins Hummingbird Intercollegiate; WCU Finishes Tied for Eighth
J.T. Poston cards career-low round Tuesday to lead Catamounts with ninth-place finish
Sapphire, N.C. - On the strength of a tournament record-low, single-round on Tuesday, Appalachian State rallied from a seventh-place tie after the opening 18 holes to win the 2011 Hummingbird Intercollegiate, hosted by Western Carolina at the par-71, 6,767-yard Country Club of Sapphire Valley.
First-round individual leader Kristopher Gray from Gardner-Webb followed-up his four-under 67 opening round with a three-under 68 on Tuesday to claim medalist honors. Gray paced the 93-golfer field with 25 par scores with nine birdies through his 36 holes. He started his final round at one-over through four holes, but finished the final 14 at four-under to win by two strokes.
Showing as high as fifth-place in the team standings down the stretch of the final round, WCU struggled to the finish, placing in a two-way tie for eighth with fellow Southern Conference foe, Samford. The Catamounts recorded rounds of 298 and 288 for a 36-holes core of 586.
ASU becomes the sixth-different team to capture tournament championship honors at the event all-time. The Mountaineers' final round, 11-under 273 was two-strokes lower than the previous tournament record of 275 carded by Vanderbilt in 2008. UAB, which stood second after the opening round, charged back to the top of the leader board before finishing in the runner-up spot, two-strokes in arrears of Appalachian, 565-to-567. First-round Gardner-Webb (573) slipped to third place with Vanderbilt (574) and Francis Marion (581) rounding out the top five teams.
Other notables included SoCon foe - and 2009 event champion - Furman in sixth-place with defending team champion, Jacksonville, in seventh. Two other SoCon squads in Wofford (592) and Elon (596) finished tied for 11th and 14th, respectively.
Behind Gray, UAB's Paul Dunn (137) advanced 10 spots into the runner-up position with a five-under, 66, to go along with his even-par 71 from Monday. ASU's Casey Komline (138) was the big mover, jumping from a tie for 23rd into third place with a tournament-low round of 65.
Catamount freshman J.T. Poston erased 10 strokes off his opening round 76 to card a career-low round of 66 on Tuesday, roaring from a tie for 57th on Monday to finish in a two-way tie for ninth-place at even-par, 142. Poston recorded four of his team-leading nine tournament birdies through his first nine holes in the final round before a bogey on the par-4 fourth moved him to three-under. The Hickory, N.C., native finished with two more birdies over his final five holes.
For Poston, the ninth-place finish is the third, top-10 of the first semester of his rookie season.
Sophomore Jack Walsh carded rounds of two-over 73 and one-over 72 to finish tied for 21st with a 36-hole score of 145. A native of Lawrenceville, Ga., Walsh made the turn at three-under par after a birdie on the par-4 18th. However, he couldn't maintain the momentum with four bogies on the front nine.
Junior Trey White likewise had a bumpy final nine holes after making the turn from the back at two-over in the final round. Three-consecutive bogies on holes two-through-four dropped him to five-over for the round. He was able to rally with birdies on three of his final four holes of the event to shoot seven-over, 149, his best showing in two previous Hummingbird Intercollegiate tournaments.
Rounding out WCU's finishers were sophomore Greg Bunner in a tie for 50th at 150 (74-76) and freshman Charlie Kilzer in a tie for 85th at 157 (77-80). Bunner saw his two-under start through five holes erased by a double-bogey on the par-4 No. 15. After making the turn at one-over par, Bunner went bogey, double-bogey, bogey on holes five through seven to move to five-over which is where he finished on Tuesday.
Kilzer, on the other hand, had a roller coaster opening round with two double-bogies and two bogies countered by a trio of birdies to turn at three-over. However, two bogies and a pair of doubles on the front nine relegated him to nine-over, 80, in the final round.
Playing unattached as an individual, WCU freshman Matthew Turner trimmed 11 strokes off his opening round, posting a final round, two-over 73, to finish tied for 85th overall, tied with his classmate Kilzer. Turner countered six bogies with four birdies, answering all but two of his one-over par scores with a birdie through his final round.
The Hummingbird Intercollegiate concludes the fall portion of Western Carolina's 2011-12 schedule. The Catamounts return to action in late February at the Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate, Feb. 20-21 in Hilton Head Island, S.C.
SAMFORD MEN'S GOLF PLACES EIGHTH AT 2011 HUMMINGBIRD INTERCOLLEGIATE
--- The Bulldogs' Hughes paced the team with a 36-hole score of 145 ---
CULLOWHEE, N.C. --- The Samford University men's golf team concluded its 2011 fall schedule with an eighth-place finish Tuesday as the Bulldogs carded a two-round total of 586 (290-296) at the talent-laden Hummingbird Intercollegiate hosted by Western Carolina University at the Country Club of Sapphire Valley.
Samford was led in the two-day, 36-hole tournament by true freshman Zac Hughes. Hughes, the Bulldogs' talented native of Mobile, Ala., finished tied for 21st place in the individual standings and closed out the competition with a 1-over-par 145 (72-73).
Following Hughes in Samford's scoring was junior Casey O'Toole with a 36-hole mark of 147 (74-73). The Bulldogs rounded out the 2011 Hummingbird Intercollegiate with totals of 148 (74-74) from Bill Nabors, 149 (70-79) from Gabe Hyde and 151 (75-76) from junior Drew Aimone.
On Tuesday's final round of action, Appalachian State rallied from a seventh-place tie to earn the championship title of the 17-team tournament. Appalachian State carded a single-round record low of 273 to hold off 19th-ranked UAB for a two-stroke victory at the 2011 Hummingbird Intercollegiate at the par-71, 6,767-yard Country Club of Sapphire Valley.
Gardner Webb dropped from first place to third place Tuesday, while nationally-ranked Vanderbilt and Francis Marion rounded out the top five.
Individually, Gardner-Webb's Kristopher Gray earned the championship title with a two-round total of 7-under-par 135 (67-68). Gray finished two strokes ahead of UAB's Paul Dunne (71-66=137) and four strokes better than third-place Casey Komline (73-65=138) from Appalachian State.
Tuesday's second round of play in the Hummingbird Intercollegiate marked Samford's final competition of the 2011 fall season. The Bulldogs will next be in action Feb. 20-21, as they travel to Hilton Head Island, S.C., for the 2012 Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate to be held at the stately Wexford Plantation Golf Course.
Norton Finishes in Top 20 at Hummingbird Intercollegiate
SAPPHIRE, N.C. -- Tanner Norton finished the 2011 Hummingbird Intercollegiate with a 144 (68-76) to earn a top-20 finish while helping the Elon men's golf team to a tie for 14th with a 596 (298-298) on Tuesday.
Norton ended the event with eight birdies on his way to tying for 17th individually with his 144. It marked his best finish in five fall events.
The next finisher among Elon's scoring team members was John Somers. Somers tied for 28th in the field of 93 with a score of 146 (74-72). After shooting a three-over with three birdies on Monday, Somers went one-over par with four birdies and an eagle on Tuesday. He began his final round on the back nine and posted birdies on both the 12th and 15th holes with an eagle on the par-five 14th. He added birdies on both the fifth and sixth holes after the turn.
In a tie for 63rd was Erick Stone who shot a 152 (77-75) in his first collegiate event. Stone had three birdies over his 36 holes of play in the tournament.
Matthew Brady finished in a tie for 82nd with a 156 (81-75). Brady notched four birdies, all on day two of the event. He was followed by Blayze DiPasquale who shot a 162 (79-83) to place 93rd.
Elon individuals Stuart Kaufman and Dylan Morgan finished tied for 21st and tied for 82nd, respectively. Kaufman posted a score of 145 (69-76) with six birdies while Morgan shot a 156 (78-78) with three birdies.
The individual title went to Gardner-Webb's Kristopher Gray who shot a seven-under 135 (67-68).
Appalachian State rallied to claim the team title after posting a tournament record-low round of 273 on Tuesday. The Mountaineers finished the event with a 565 (292-273) and held off 19th-ranked UAB (287-280--567) by two strokes.
The rest of the top five consisted of Gardner-Webb (282-291--573), Vanderbilt (291-283--574) and Francis Marion (291-290--581).
Four other SoCon teams competed in the event. Furman placed sixth with a 583 (295-288), Samford (290-296--586) and Western Carolina (298-288--586) tied for eighth and Wofford (291-301--592) tied for 11th in the field of 17 teams.
Elon was tied for 14th with IPFW and edged out High Point (298-299--597) and Colgate (311-300--611).
Men's Golf Wraps Up Hummingbird Intercollegiate in Eleventh
SAPPHIRE, NC. - The Wofford men's golf team finished the Hummingbird Intercollegiate in a tie for 11th after a final round score of 291 wrapping up the tournament at 592 Tuesday afternoon over the Country Club of Sapphire Valley.
The Terriers were tied for fourth after the opening round with a score of 291 but dropped seven spots after their final round of 301. Appalachian State vaulted from a tie for seventh after round one to win the event with a 292-273-565.
Chandler Brazeal led the way for Wofford with a 75-70-145, while Zach Capps followed with a 72-77-149. Charles Moore carded a 69-80-149, and Brent Whitehead completed the tournament with a 78-74-152. Hayes Brown rounded out the Wofford scorers with a 75-80-155.
Mark Joye competed as an individual and finished with a 76-78-156.
Wofford will tee off again at the Amelia National Intercollegiate in Fernandina Beach, Fla. for its final tournament of the fall season on November 7.