Davidson Golf Takes Fourth in Spring Opening Wexford Intercollegiate
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. - The Davidson men's golf team opened the 2011 spring season on a strong note, placing fourth out of 14 teams at 898 (300+293+305) Tuesday at the Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate hosted by Francis Marion on the Wexford Plantation Course on Hilton Head Island. Freshman Sam Echikson and sophomore John Skeadas led the Wildcats with top-10 finishes.
Skeadas improved on his 10th-place standing after the first two rounds Monday by leading the 'Cats with a three-over-par 75 in the final round to finish in a six-way tie for eighth place at 223 (78+70+75). Echikson also tied for eighth (73+73+78) after firing a 78, six-over-par. He had led Davidson after the first two rounds at one-over-par to stand in third, two strokes off the lead.
No. 28 Indiana combined for a final round 288, the lowest score of the tournament on the 6,828-yard, par-72 course, to turn a two-stroke deficit to William & Mary into a 12-stroke lead for the tournament crown at 877. William & Mary finished second at 889, while Richmond fired a final-round 297 to slip past Davidson for third at 892. South Carolina-Aiken finished fifth, one stroke behind the 'Cats at 899. Indiana's Brant Peaper claimed medalist honors with a three-under-par 213.
Davidson freshman Richard Fountain and senior Bobby Urso both fired 76's in the final round to place in ties for 33rd (229=74+79+76) and 45th (232=82+74+76), respectively. Junior Jackson Taylor finished one stroke behind Urso at 233 to tie for 50th.
The Wildcats led four Southern Conference teams, defeating the closest competitor, Furman, by 12 strokes. The Paladins claimed seventh at 910, while Samford trailed in eighth at 912, and was followed by Elon (10th, 914) and Western Carolina (11th, 921).
Davidson will next compete in the Seahawk Intercollegiate, hosted by UNC Wilmington,Sunday and Monday.
Broome Leads Furman In Final Round At Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate
Hilton Head Island, S.C. - Furman's Matt Broome (80-73-73=226) carded a final round 73 to finish 19th as the Paladins (304-297-309=910) placed seventh on Tuesday at the Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate at the par-72 Wexford Plantation.
Furman slipped from sixth to seventh in the 14-team field after shooting 21-over par during final round play. Indiana (289-300-288=877) used an even=par 288 on Tuesday to claim a 12-stroke victory over second place William & Mary (296-291-302=889). Richmond, Davidson and USC Aiken rounded out the top five finishers in the 14-team field.
Broome bolted up the standings to a 19th place tie after posting his second consecutive one of 73. Furman's Anthony Aloi (76-71-80=227) and Matt Brown (73-76-78=227) each earned a share of 27th.
Second round co-leader Brant Peaper (72-71-70=213) of Indiana fired a two-under 70 on Tuesday morning to claim individual medalist honors.
Furman is idle until March 7-8, when it travels to the Palmetto Intercollegiate in Aiken, S.C.
7 Furman 304 297 309 910
T19 Matt Broome 80 73 73 226
T24 Anthony Aloi 76 71 80 227
T24 Matt Brown 73 76 78 227
T37 Johnny Kyger 75 77 78 230
T64 J.B. Murphy 81 80 80 241
SAMFORD MEN'S GOLF: BULLDOGS CHARGE TO EIGHTH-PLACE FINISH AT WEXFORD INTERCOLLEGIATE
--- Samford improves three positions on the final day of competition ---
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. --- The Samford University men's golf team turned in its best round of the 2011 Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate Tuesday as the Bulldogs rallied for an eighth-place finish at the annual tournament hosted by Francis Marion University.
As a team, Samford carded a final-round total of 299 to jump three positions to finish tied for eighth place. The Bulldogs concluded the two-day competition with a total team score of 912, as did both host-school Francis Marion and Southern Conference-rival Furman. Samford entered Tuesday's final round as the 11th-place team in the tournament.
Individually, the Bulldogs were paced by sophomore Casey O'Toole who garnered a 19th-place finish at the 2011 Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate. Samford's talented native of Oneonta, Ala., turned in a three-round total of 226 (78-75-73) and improved in each round of the competition.
The Bulldogs' Drew Aimone and Gabe Hyde both finished tied for 33rd place in the individual standings with identical 54-hole scores of 229. Samford's Hyde closed out the competition with a tournament-best mark of 73 and also improved each round of the event.
Aimone, the Bulldogs' sophomore from Savannah, Ga., turned in round-by-round scores of 75, 76 and 78.
Rounding out Samford's scoring Tuesday were Bill Nabors (76-79-75=230) and Martin Bunt (83-77-78=238).
Indiana University claimed the championship team title of the 2011 Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate and finished the three-round competition with a total score of 877 (289-300-288). The Hoosiers' Brant Pepper paced his team to victory and added the individual championship title with a 3-under 213 (72-71-70).
William and Mary placed second in the team competition, while Richmond earned a third-place finish. Zach Glassman of William and Mary, and Daniel Walker of Richmond both finished tied for second in the individual standings.
The Samford University men's golf team will next be in action March 7-8 as the Bulldogs begin play in the annual Samford Invitational to be held at Limestone Springs Golf Club in Oneonta, Ala.
Somers Paces Phoenix to 10th at Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate
HILTON HEAD, S.C. -- The Elon men's golf program opened its spring campaign with a 10th-place showing at the Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate tournament thanks to the efforts of John Somers who finished seventh in the event with a three-round score of 222 (73-76-73). The Phoenix posted an event total of 914 (302-309-303).
Somers' score placed him seventh out of 75 golfers in the 14-team field.
Tanner Norton posted the second-best three-round total for the Phoenix, posting a 228 (78-74-76) to finish 32nd. In a tie for 45th were Stephen Dressel (74-79-79) and teammate Leif Neijstrom (77-80-75) who both carded a 232. Rounding out the event for Elon was Jack Adkins who scored a 240 (78-83-79) to place 63rd.
Indiana's Brant Peaper took home the individual title after carding a two-day mark of 213 (72-71-70). He held a seven-stroke advantage over his nearest competitor.
Indiana also claimed the team title with a score of 877 (289-300-288), besting William & Mary by 12 strokes. Richmond (892), Davidson (898) and USC Aiken (899) rounded out the top five teams.
Elon topped one SoCon rival, as Western Carolina placed 11th with a score of 921.
ASU Men's Golf Opens Spring at Old North State Invite
BADIN, N.C. - In just his second collegiate competition, freshman Casey Komline (Dorset, Vt./Burr and Burton Academy) fired a 75-82=157 (+13) to pace Appalachian State University men's golf at the Old North State Invitational on Monday and Tuesday. The Mountaineers did not compete as a team in the event, but all four ASU competitors placed in the top half of the competition.
Komline tied for fourth among the 55 participants on par-fives, with a 4.88 average on the eight holes.
Drew Harris (Lenoir, N.C./Hibriten) tied for 17th with an 83-77=160 (+16), while the other two Mountaineers tied for 22nd place, just two strokes back. Harris ranked 11th with 20 pars over the 36-hole tournament.
Web Grubb (Trinity, N.C./Trinity) shot a pair of 81-stroke rounds for an 18-over 162, while Daniel Walsh (Wilkesboro, N.C./West Wilkes) shot an 80 on Monday and followed with an 82 on Tuesday. Grubb's 81s - including 21 pars - were his lowest round of the 2010-11 season and 22nd place was the best finish for both juniors this season.
Pfeiffer University's "A" team held on in Tuesday's final round to claim the team title with a two-day total of 622 to outlast Guilford College by seven shots. High Point's Curtis Brotherton claimed medalist honors after an even par 72 in the final round.
ASU was the only Southern Conference squad represented at the spring opener.
The Mountaineers return to action March 6-8 at the Bash at the Beach in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
WCU Men's Golf Concludes Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate
The Catamounts moved up in the team rankings to finish 11th.
HILTON HEAD, S.C. - Western Carolina's men's golf team jumped up a spot in the team standings to conclude the Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate in 11th place. Indiana University rallied behind three top ten finishes to win the tournament in Hilton Head, S.C.
Freshman Collin Witiak finished Tuesday with the best round for the Catamounts. Following a 78 (+6) and an 81 (+9) on Monday, Witiak went into the clubhouse with a 74 (+2) for the final day of the tournament.
Michael Fitzgerald also hit the ball better Tuesday putting up a 75 after posting first and second round scores of 82 and 81, respectively.
The top overall finisher for the tournament was freshman Jack Walsh. Walsh shot a final round 78 (+6), putting him tied for 24th.
After a hole-in-one yesterday, Trey White concluded the tournament with an 82 (+10). Freshman Greg Bunner carded a 77 to finish the tournament tied for 37th.
The Catamounts will be back in action March 3rd as WCU will travel to Morganton, N.C. for The University Cup.
UNCG finishes 14th in Puerto Rico Classic
DEL MAR, Puerto Rico - Sophomore Robert Hoadley maintained his steady play with a 2-over-par 74 in Tuesday's final round of the Puerto Rico Classic, but other UNCG golfers found more difficult circumstances as the Spartans finished 14th in the elite, 15-team field.
The Spartans, facing 13 teams ranked in the nation's Top 50 in the tournament, finished ahead of East Tennessee State but fell behind the four Big Ten programs they had led after 36 holes: Purdue, Northwestern, Ohio State and Michigan.
Hoadley, one of 12 semifinalists for the Sullivan Award, the oldest individual prize in American amateur athletics, tied for 40th among individuals at the 6,904-yard River Course at Rio Mar Country Club. His three-day total of 220 was 4-over-par.
Freshman Andy Knox, who had been step for step with Hoadley through 36, did not make a birdie on Tuesday and settled for a 5-over-par 77. He and teammate Will Almand finished the event tied for 49th place at 7-over 223.
The Spartans, who improved on their showing in this event a year ago, hope to use it as they did then. They tied for third place in the Pinehurst Intercollegiate and won the Towson Invitational in their two events following Puerto Rico last year.
UNCG returns to action in Pinehurst from March 11-13. That's home turf for Hoadley, a Southern Pines resident whose combination of golf skill, community service and academic excellence made him a Sullivan semifinalist. The field of 12 will be trimmed to finalists who will attend a ceremony in New York on March 14. If Hoadley makes the cut, he'll be the first college golfer so honored since Stanford's Tiger Woods in 1997.
Two programs on The Golf Channel, Morning Drive and Golf Central, were expected to discuss Hoadley's achievements on Tuesday.
PUERTO RICO CLASSIC
Rio Mar CC, River Course (Par-72, 6904 yards)
Del Mar, PR
Team scores
1. Alabama 836; 2, Georgia Tech 841; 3. Oklahoma State 847; 4. Georgia 858; 5. Virginia Tech 863; 6. Oklahoma 864; 7. Texas 867; 8. NC State 871; 9. Clemson 873; 10. Ohio State 875; 11. Purdue 880; 12. Michigan 888; 13. Northwestern 889; 14. UNCG 890; 15. East Tennessee State 893.
Individual scores
Top 10: 1. James White (Georgia Tech) 69-69--206; 2. Bud Cauley (Alabama) 69-68-70-207; 3, Kyle Scott (Georgia Tech) 70-69-69--208; t4. Marshall Bailey (Virginia Tech) 69-71-69-209; t4, Peter Uihlein (Oklahoma State) 72-72-65-209; t4. Bobby Wyatt (Alabama) 69-71-69-209; 7. Morgan Hoffmann (Oklahoma State) 71-67-72-210; t8. J.T. Griffin (Georgia Tech) 70-72-70-212; t8. Hunter Hamrick (Alabama) 70-72-70-212. T8. Riley Pumphrey (Oklahoma) 70-71-71-212.
UNCG golfers: t40. Robert Hoadley 73-73-74--220; t49. Andy Knox 73-73-77--223; t49. Will Almand 74-75-74--223; 70. Colin Chapman 74-74-83--231; 71. Justin Clement 81-75-76--232.