Perkovich, Wofford win Donald Ross Intercollegiate
MORGANTON, N.C. – The Wofford College men’s golf team carded the lowest 54-hole score of the program’s NCAA Division I era to win the Donald Ross Intercollegiate on Tuesday from the Mimosa Hills Golf and Country Club, and senior George Perkovich tied for the individual championship.
The Terriers finished the three-round tournament with a winning total of 16-under-par 824, shattering the school record of 846 set at the 2009 Sea Trail Intercollegiate by 22 strokes. Heading into the final round with a 10-stroke lead at 20-under par, Wofford shot a 4-over-par 284 to hold off second-place Davidson, which finished two strokes back at 14-under par with a final-round 4-under 276.
Perkovich highlighted the tournament with his first individual championship, finishing the tournament at 8-under-par 202 to tie with Bethune-Cookman’s Ryan Fricker. Perkovich posted a final-round 1-under 69 and shot under par in all three rounds, marking the first time the senior has ever finished a tournament under par. Perkovich’s final round included five birdies and four bogeys, and the senior stayed composed to par out the final four holes and tie for the championship.
Two other Terriers finished under par for the tournament. Freshman Andrew Novak went into Tuesday at 6-under par and shot 3-over par to post a tournament total of 3-under-par 207 and tie for fifth place. Meanwhile, junior Brannan Hudson shot an ever-par 70 on Tuesday to compile a 54-hole total of 1-under 209 and tie for 13th place. Hudson began his day with three straight bogeys and came all the way back to birdie No. 7 on the front and No. 11, 13 and 14 on the back, before bogeying No. 16 for his even-par round.
Seniors Brent McKenzie and Chandler Brazeal also finished in the top 30 to help Wofford to the championship. McKenzie was 3-under heading into Tuesday, but seven final-round bogeys dropped the senior to a tie for 23rd at 2-over-par 212. Brazeal shot 2-over on his final round to earn a tie for 28th at 4-over-par 214.
The Wofford men’s golf team competes next Monday and Tuesday in Kennesaw, Ga., at the Pinetree Intercollegiate.
Davidson finishes second at Donald Ross Intercollegiate
MORGANTON, N.C. – Highlighted by three individual top-five finishes, the Davidson men’s golf team posted its fourth straight sub-par round to conclude the fall campaign with a runner-up showing at the Donald Ross Intercollegiate on Tuesday.
The 54-hole event hosted by Appalachian State was played on the par-70, 6,718-yard Mimosa Hills Golf and Country Club layout.
Todd Eckstein, who entered the final round tied for the top spot on the leaderboard, grabbed the outright lead with a birdie on the par-5 14th but bogeyed three of his last four holes to come home third. The junior concluded the two-day event at 7-under (67-66-70=203) en route to his lowest finish since the 2013 Conference Championship.
A week after recording his 14th career top-10 finish, Richard Fountain (-3) shot a final-round 1-under 69 to post his 10th top-five in 34 collegiate events. The two-time NCAA participant concludes the fall season with a 71.4 stroke average.
Sam Echikson matched his teammate and fellow senior with a 54-hole total of 207 (-3) to place tied for fifth out of 80 competitors. After making the turn in 1-under, Echikson birdied three of his last four holes to lead the Wildcats with a 3-under 67 Tuesday.
David Sargent backed his personal-best 1-under 69 with an even-par 70 to finish tied for 23rd, while Ralph Blasey ended up at 216 (+6), tied for 33rd.
Davidson (-14), which entered its fall finale 10 strokes behind Wofford, chipped away at the deficit and climbed into a tie for first late in the round but gave a couple strokes back down the stretch to finish two off the pace.
Dating back to their final round at the Firestone Invitational, the Wildcats have played their last four rounds in 18-under par.
Ryan Fricker (Bethune-Cookman) and George Perkovich (Wofford) finished tied atop the individual leaderboard.
Elon (840), Appalachian State (849) and Presbyterian (850) rounded out the top five in the team standings.
Davidson will enjoy a four-month break from tournament action before opening its spring slate at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate on Feb. 17-18 in Mobile, Ala.
Elon finishes third at Donald Ross Intercollegiate
MORGANTON, N.C. – Thanks to a final-round score of 272, the Elon men's golf team concluded the Donald Ross Intercollegiate, just its second fall tournament, in third place with an overall score of 840 (285-283-272).
Only two teams scored better rounds than Elon's 272 over the course of the tournament, as both Wofford and Davidson posted rounds of 271 on Monday.
Pacing the Phoenix to its even-par showing in the 13-team event was Will DiIanni. DiIanni collected his second top-four finish of the season by shooting a 4-under 206 (69-69-68) to place fourth out of 80 players. The junior recorded 11 birdies and 36 pars over his three rounds of play.
Earning a tie for ninth individually was Jeff Krieger, who carded a final-round 64 on his way to a 208 (74-70-64). Krieger had 12 birdies over the course of his 54 holes.
With a final score of 210 (70-71-69), Jack Adkins placed in a tie for 17th. He was followed by John Somers, who tied for 37th with a mark of 217 (73-73-71).
Rounding out the Elon quintet was Raphael Higuet, who tied for 50th after notching a two-day score of 221 (73-74-74).
Wofford's George Perkovich and Bethune-Cookman's Ryan Ficker finished tied atop the individual standings with 8-under 202s.
Wofford also claimed the team title thanks to a 16-under 824 (271-269-284). The Terriers edged out Davidson by two strokes.
Following Elon, the remainder of the top five included Appalachian State (849) and Presbyterian (850).
The maroon and gold will be back on the course beginning Sunday at the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate in Powells Point, N.C.
Appalachian State finishes fourth at Donald Ross Intercollegiate
MORGANTON, N.C. – Appalachian State finished up play at the Donald Ross Intercollegiate on Tuesday afternoon. The Mountaineers finished in fourth place out of 13 teams. In 2012, Appalachian placed 10th in the same tournament.
Appalachian State carded a team score of 849 for a 9-over-par finish. Wofford and Davidson finished first and second, posting 16-under-par and 14-under-par scores, respectively.
The Mountaineers were led by the impressive performance of Caleb Keck on Monday and Tuesday. Keck fired a 69 on the final 18 holes to finish 2-under par and tied for ninth place individually for the tournament.
Casey Komline had a big day to bring his score back to 3-over par. Komline shot a 66 on Tuesday and finished tied for 26th. Not far behind was John Michael Cole, who finished 6-over par after shooting a 72 in the final round to finish tied for 33rd.
Eric Eberspeaker improved from his round-two score to post a 73 in the third and final round to finish the tournament 8-over par. Eberspeaker finished tied for 44th. Lee Mitchell shot a third-round 73 to post a 14-over par for the tournament and a tie for 57th.
Playing as individuals for the Mountaineers, Andrew Furr finished tied for 37th. Furr shot a third-round 71 to finish 7-over par. Patrick Moriarty shot a third-round 74 to finish 13-over par and in a tie for 54th. Dustin Abele finished tied for 64th after he shot a 77 in the final round to post a 16-over par for the tournament. Jake Williams finished in 77th place at 25-over par and a third-round score of 84. Lastly, Kyle Austin finished right behind Williams in 78th with a final round of 80 to finish 32-over par.
The Mountaineers return to action on Nov. 4 for the Hummingbird Intercollegiate in Cashiers, N.C. The tournament will be held at the Country Club of Sapphire.
Samford finishes 12th at Donald Ross Intercollegiate
MORGANTOWN, N.C. – Despite the Bulldogs’ Zach Hughes and Mac Hennessy battling through bouts of the flu, the Samford University men’s golf team earned a 12th-place finish Tuesday at the Donald Ross Intercollegiate hosted by Appalachian State University at the Mimosa Hills Country Club.
Wofford earned the team championship Tuesday with a final score of 824 (271-269-284), while Davidson (826), Elon (840), Appalachian State (849) and Presbyterian (850) rounded out the top five.
Individually, Bethune-Cookman’s Ryan Fricker and Wofford’s George Perkovich shared individual medalist honors with identical scores of 8-under-par 202. Both Fricker and Perkovich concluded the tournament with third-round marks of 1-under-par 69 on Tuesday.
Samford concluded the 54-hole, three-round competition with a total team score of 871 (293-288-290). The Bulldogs finished just three strokes behind 10th-place Stetson (868).
True freshman Garrett Moores paced Samford with a 4-over-par tally of 214 (71-72-71), while sophomore Chris Clouser posted a 7-over-par 217 (75-71-71) and Hughes overcame his severe flu-like symptoms to card a 54-hole score of 222 (71-77-74).
Moores concluded the tournament tied for 28th place as Clouser returned to the clubhouse deadlocked in the 37th position in the individual standings.
The Bulldogs’ scoring was rounded out Tuesday by true freshman Austin Jackson (78-73-74=225) and senior William Catanzaro (76-72-80=228).
The Samford University men’s golf team will next be in action Monday as the Bulldogs continue their 2013 fall schedule in Kennesaw, Ga., at the Pinetree Intercollegiate, which will be held at Pinetree Country Club on Oct. 21-22.
Chattanooga finish fourth at AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic
DULUTH, Ga. – Liam Johnston led the Chattanooga Mocs to a strong fourth-place finish at the AutoTrader.com Collegiate. Johnston’s career-best 8-under-par 208 paced a Mocs effort that resulted in a 54-hole score of 855. The 855 is the team’s lowest tourney total since winning the 2010 Cleveland Golf Palmetto Intercollegiate with the same amount.
Johnston is now 14-under par through two events this season.
Johnston was ever-so-close to winning his first collegiate event, tying for second at minus-8. Playing with eventual winner Chase Koepka from USF, the duo was a stroke apart on the par-5 15th. Koepka chipped in for birdie and Johnston missed a short birdie try for what ended up as the two-shot difference.
He was not alone in his fine play. Freshman Ewan Scott posted a season-high 11 birdies en route to his first collegiate top 10. Scott tied for eighth at minus-5 (211) after shooting 71 for his final 18.
Wes Gosselin, Davis Bunn and Chris Robb rounded out the team scoring. Gosselin had his best finish yet, tying for 25th at 1-over-par 217.
Bunn shot 220, while Robb ended up at 228. Stuart Thomas played as an individual, finishing one shot behind Robb at 229.
Georgia State (845) started the day in third but finished it winning by two over USF (847). Second-round leader South Alabama (849) was third. Koepka shot 10-under 206 for medalist honors.
Chattanooga claimed wins over Kentucky (one shot), No. 22 Mercer (four), Georgia Southern (six), UNCG (12), Ole Miss (14), Furman (27) and Michigan (29).
The Mocs finish the fall portion of the 2013-14 schedule in a little under two weeks. The team returns to the Bridgestone Golf Collegiate in Greensboro, N.C., Oct. 26-27, where Robb is the defending medalist.
Georgia Southern ties for seventh at AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic
DULUTH, Ga. – The Georgia Southern golf team fired a 2-under-par 286 and finished under par for the first time this season as the Eagles tied for seventh with Virginia Commonwealth in the AutoTrader Collegiate Classic at Berkley Hills Country Club on Tuesday.
Host Georgia State (-19) won the tournament, and South Florida (-17) placed second. South Alabama (-15) took third, followed by Chattanooga (-9), Kentucky (-8) and Mercer (-5). Georgia Southern finished 3-under for the tournament. Kentucky was the big mover Tuesday, as the Wildcats fired a tournament-low 275 and jumped from 10th to fifth.
Chase Koepka of South Florida shot a 69 Tuesday to finish 10-under for the tournament and take home individual medalist honors. Sparked by a 67 in the second round, Scott Wolfes was the Eagles’ top individual, as the junior posted a 73 Tuesday and tied for eighth.
Will Evans posted a 71 Tuesday to tie for 25th, and Christian Humber carded a 70 to tie for 30th. Kim Koivu shot a 72 and Charlie Martin logged a 75.
The Eagles took full advantage of the par-5 15th hole, the easiest hole on the course for all three rounds, as the quintet combined to play it at 7-under in the third round. Humber and Wolfes logged eagles, while Evans, Koivu and Martin notched birdies.
Humber’s eagle moved him to 3-under, but the senior logged a bogey on hole 17 for his 70. He played the front nine at even par and finished the tournament 2-over.
Evans birdied his first hole, bogeyed the next two and birdied hole 7 to get back to even par. The senior parred seven consecutive holes and then birdied 15 for a 71 and finished the tournament 1-over.
Koivu birdied holes 6 and 7 and was 1-under at the turn. Bogeys on 11 and 14 dropped the junior to 1-over, but he birdied two of his last four holes, including 18, to finish even.
Wolfes got off to a rough start by posting a 9 on the par-5 third hole. The junior birdied holes 6, 7 and 11 to get back to 1-over. After a bogey on 14, the eagle on 15 got him back to even, but a bogey on 17 put him at 1-over for the day.
Martin couldn’t get back to even after playing the first two holes at 3-over. Birdies on holes 7 and 10 moved the junior to 1-over, but he made bogey on three of his last eight holes for a 75.
Matthew Mierzejewski, playing as an individual and seeing his first tournament action of the season, shot a 79. The junior started on hole 10 and played the back nine even but struggled after the turn, posting a 43 on the front.
The Eagles have a couple weeks off before playing in the Invitational at the Ocean Course Oct. 27-29, at the Ocean Course on Kiawah Island, S.C.
UNCG finishes ninth at AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic
DULUTH, Ga. – UNCG freshman Carter Jenkins continued his strong start to his collegiate career as he finished eighth overall at the third annual AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic hosted by Georgia State at the Berkeley Hills Country Club on Tuesday. Jenkins’ play helped the Spartans place ninth as a team with a 3-over par 867 in the highly competitive field that featured four nationally ranked teams and was won by the host Panthers at 19-under par 845.
Jenkins has posted top-10 finishes in three of his first four collegiate events after this week’s eighth-place showing. He won the Wolfpack Intercollegiate last week and placed ninth at the Tar Heel Intercollegiate in his first career outing. Jenkins notched a 5-under-par 211 this week in Duluth, Ga., his second-lowest score of the year after 54 holes and the 17th-lowest score in UNCG golf history one week after setting the program-record with a 203 at the Wolfpack.
Jenkins opened his tournament with an even-par 72 and a 2-under par 70 Monday on the 36-hole day. He followed that up with his lowest score of the week, firing a 3-under par 69 to move up five spots in the final standings. South Florida’s Chase Koepka, the 21st-ranked golfer in the country, won the event with a 10-under-par 206, while Tyler Gruca of host Georgia State was second with an 8-under-par 208.
UNCG sophomore Luke Haithcock tied his career-low with a 3-over par 219, matching the mark set earlier this season at the VCU Shootout. Haithcock was tied for 36th overall after going 5-over-par 77 in round one, even-par 72 in round two and 2-under-par 70 in round three. He has shot a 76 or lower in 10 of his 12 rounds this season for a 73.50 stroke average.
Classmate Taylor Coalson also placed 36th overall with a 3-over-par 219. Coalson entered the day in 27th place after posting scores of 71 and 73 Monday before carding a 3-over-par 75 Tuesday. He was 1-under through 12 holes in the final round but double-bogeyed two straight holes to fall over par.
Junior Roy Dixon finished the event tied for 50th overall with a 5-over-par 221. Dixon had an up-and-down afternoon Tuesday as he notched two eagles, two birdies, five bogeys and two double-bogeys to finish 3-over par 75 for the round.
Freshman Jake McGlone rounded out the Spartans in the lineup this week with a 6-over-par 222. Redshirt freshman William Thomas played as an individual and also carded a 6-over 222.
The Spartans return to action Oct. 26-27 as they host of the most prestigious events of the fall in the Bridgestone Golf Collegiate at the Grandover Resort.
Furman finishes 12th at AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic
DULUTH, Ga. – Sophomore Preston Cole (+1) fired a career-best 69 Tuesday to lead Furman in the final round of the AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic at the par-72 6,706-yard Berkeley Hills Country Club. Furman (+18) finished the tournament in 12th place.
Cole, who finished the tournament tied for 25th, teed off of 10 and birdied three out of his last four holes before the turn, carding a 34 on the back. On the front, he registered birdies on 3 and 7 to finish the day 11 strokes behind individual medalist Chase Koepka (-10) of South Florida, who is ranked 13th nationally. Koepka shot a 68 in the opening round then tallied 69s in both the second and third rounds.
Furman junior Michael Borton (+5) shot a 73 in Tuesday’s final round after recording back-to-back birdies on 14 and 15 and an additional birdie on 3 to tie for 50th place, and sophomore Preston Heyward (+7), who led the Paladins following the second round, notched a 78 with two birdies in the final round of play to tie for 60th.
Sophomore Wehman Hopke (+8) carded an even 36 with two birdies on the front nine to finish the day tied for 63rd with a third-round 75, while freshman Bryce Howell (+23) also recorded a 75 in Tuesday’s round, registering birdies on 14 and 18 to finish in 83rd place.
Host Georgia State (-19), which shot a final-round 8-under 280, won the tournament by two strokes over 24th-ranked South Florida (-17). South Alabama (-15), Chattanooga (-9), and No. 35 Kentucky (-8) completed the top five.
Furman will conclude its fall season Nov. 4-5 at the UNF/GSU Intercollegiate in Jacksonville, Fla. The Paladins will open the 2014 spring season at the John Hayt Intercollegiate in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Feb. 23-25.