UNCG ties for ninth at Puerto Rico Classic
RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico – The No. 62 UNCG men’s golf team conclude a solid spring-opening tournament Tuesday afternoon, finishing tied for ninth overall at the 16th annual Puerto Rico Classic. The Spartans fired a 1-under-par 287 in the third and final round to finish with an 868 (296-285-287) at the Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa’s River Course.
UNCG was tied with No. 25 SMU, Missouri and East Tennessee State while defeating No. 33 Northwestern, No. 43 North Carolina and NC State.
The country’s top-ranked team, Alabama, led from start to finish in the tournament, finishing with a 45-under-par 819 to edge out No. 3 Georgia Tech by four strokes at 41-under 823. The Yellow Jackets posted the top round of the tournament Tuesday with a 20-under 268. Robby Shelton of Alabama and Miller Capps of Clemson tied for the individual lead at 12-under par 204.
Sophomore Taylor Coalson was the Spartans’ top finishers in the prestigious event as he was tied for 16th overall with a 4-under-par 212. Coalson opened the week with a 1-under-par 71 in round one and followed that up with a 2-under-par 70 Monday before notching his third under-par score of the week with a 1-under-par 71.
Freshman Carter Jenkins continued his long climb up the leaderboard with his second straight under-par score Tuesday, carding a 3-under-par 69. Jenkins finished with tournament tied for 43rd place with a 219, overcoming a tough 83 score in round one with a round-two score of 67, which was the fourth-lowest score Monday.
Junior Roy Dixon had his best day of the week Tuesday, firing a 2-under-par 70 to move into a tie for 47th place overall. He finished with a 220 score with a round-one total of 73 and a second-round score of 77 to go along with his under-par score Tuesday afternoon.
Junior Alex Ehlert, who was even-par after the first two days, finished the event in 57th place with a 223 (72-72-79). Sophomore Luke Haithcock added a 233 (80-76-77) to place 72nd in the field.
Additionally, the Spartans sent two players to the individual tournament played on the Ocean Course Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa. Freshman Jake McGlone led the way with a 224 (75-72-77), while William Thomas added a 243 (80-80-83).
The Puerto Rico Classic is one of the elite tournaments of the season as it featured five top-10 teams, 10 top-50 teams and 14 top-100 teams in the Golf Stat rankings.
Furman finishes 14th at John Hayt Collegiate Invitational
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Sophomore Preston Cole (+1) fired a final-round 71 to tie for 15th, leading Furman on Tuesday at the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational at the par-72, 7,001-yard Sawgrass Country Club. The Paladins finished 14th as a team.
Cole, a native of Greer, S.C., and a product of Riverside High, teed off of No. 10 and birdied four holes on the back and one on the front, posting a career-best 15th-place finish for the tournament. Freshman Bryce Howell (+4) carded a 75 with two birdies on Tuesday to finish in a tie for 30th.
Sophomore Wehman Hopke (+21) shot a 78 in the final round after birdieing No. 18, tying with junior Michael Borton (+21) for 78th. Borton, who played as an individual, registered three birdies on Tuesday, carding a 77 in the tournament’s final round. Sophomore Preston Heyward (+24) placed 83rd after recording a final-round 79, just one spot ahead of senior Greg Carrier (+29), who finished 84th.
No. 2 Oklahoma State (-19) set a new tournament record with a 54-hole score of 845 (282-281-282), beating No. 6 UCF (-9) by 10 strokes. No. 13 UAB (-5), North Texas (+6), and Troy (+14) rounded out the top five teams. UCF’s Greg Eason (-11) claimed individual medalist honors, setting a new tournament record with a 54-hole score of 205 (71-65-69).
The Paladins will compete at the Palmetto Intercollegiate in Aiken, S.C., March 10-11.