Jenkins leads, UNCG tied for third at Middleburg Bank Intercollegiate
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. –The No. 48 UNCG men’s golf team sits in a tie for third place in the team standings and freshman Carter Jenkins holds the individual lead after the first round of the Middleburg Bank Intercollegiate hosted by William & Mary at the Kingsmill Resort River Course.
The River Course plays a par-70 at 6,765 yards and the Spartans will tee off round two Monday with a 1:45 p.m. shotgun start in the afternoon wave of golfers.
The Spartans fired a 13-over-par 293 in the first round and are tied for third place with host William & Mary and Dayton. UNCG trails two teams by five strokes, as Eastern Michigan and No. 50 Texas Tech both posted 8-over par 288s on the first day of a three-day, 54-hole event.
Jenkins was just one of four golfers on the day to shoot under par in round one, as he carded a 2-under-par 68 for the outright lead. He posted four birdies on holes No. 7, 9, 11 and 15 to go along with two bogeys and 12 par scores. He holds a one-shot lead on three golfers – John Michal Cole (Appalachian State), Ryan Rettburg (Radford) and Jacob Groninger (IPFW) – who all posted 1-under-par 69 scores Sunday.
Junior Roy Dixon continued his best golf of his career Sunday, posting a 2-over par 72 to sit in a tie for 15th place, four shots off the lead. Dixon has shot 75 or under in six of his last seven rounds this spring. He started slowly, sitting 4-over par through five holes, but regrouped to go 2-under over the final 14 holes to remain in contention.
Sophomore Taylor Coalson is tied for 65th place after posting a 6-over 76 in round one, while freshman Jake McGlone posted a 7-over-par 77 to sit in a tie for 75th place. Junior Alex Ehlert had to withdraw Sunday after coming down with an illness.
Appalachian State tied for eighth place at Middleburg Bank Intercollegiate
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Senior John Michael Cole tied his season low round of 69 in the first round of the Middleburg Bank Intercollegiate at the par-70, 6,765-yard River Course of the Kingsmill Resort.
Cole is currently tied for second in the tournament, trailing UNCG's Carter Jenkins by one stroke.
Appalachian sits tied for eighth place after the first round. With a score of 295, the Mountaineers trail tournament leaders Eastern Michigan and Texas Tech by seven strokes.
Eric Eberspeaker is in second for the Mountaineers and tied for 21st overall with a first-round score of 73 (+3).
Freshman Lee Mitchell is currently tied for 47th place overall after going 5-over-par in the tournament thus far.
The last counting score came from Caleb Keck, who carded a 78 (+8) in the round.
The Mountaineers will continue round two Monday with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m.
Chattanooga finishes eighth at Linger Longer Invitational
EATONTON, Ga. – The Chattanooga Mocs men’s golf team wound up eighth at the Linger Longer Invitational. Its total of 878 was one ahead of Kennesaw State and eight clear of Yale. The Mocs shot 306 over the final 18 on a tough day to score.
Liam Johnston, a native of Dumfries, Scotland, tied for 13th at 1-under-par 215. He cobbled together a level-par 72 over his final 18 holes. He balanced four birdies and four bogeys and ended up one shy of his career high of 13 with 12 birdies for the event.
Ewan Scott ended up tied for 23rd at 218 after Sunday’s 76. Wes Gosselin and Chris Robb rounded out the counting scores with 79s.
No. 5 Georgia (837) broke a tie at the top of the leaderboard to win by 10 over Alabama (847). No. 15 Oklahoma (867) was a distant third. The Bulldogs Michael Comrie made it a clean sweep of titles, topping the Crimson Tide’s Robbie Shelton on the first playoff hole. The duo tied at minus-9.
The final tune-up prior to championship play comes in two weeks for the Mocs. They travel to West Point, Miss., for the Old Waverly Collegiate hosted April 7-8 by Mississippi State.
Furman finishes 15th at Linger Longer Invitational
EATONTON, Ga. – Sophomore Preston Cole (+17) birdied No. 18 to card a final-round 80 and tie for 70th place to lead Furman on Sunday in the Linger Longer Invitational at the par-72, 7,073-yard Great Waters Golf Club at Reynolds Plantation.
Georgia’s Michael Cromie, ranked 61st nationally, won a one-hole playoff over second-ranked Robby Shelton of Alabama to win individual medalist honors. No. 5 Georgia (-27) carded a final-round 281 to beat No. 1 Alabama (-17) by 10 strokes after the teams were tied heading into Sunday’s play. No. 15 Oklahoma (+3) finished third, followed by No. 26 Clemson (+6), No. 33 Mercer (+10) and No. 41 Liberty (+10).
Paladin rookie Bryce Howell (+19) registered birdies on No. 1 and No. 3 to card a 79 in Sunday’s round and finish the tournament in 76th place, while sophomore Wehman Hopke (+21) shot an 81 in the final round to tie for 77th place. Sophomore Preston Heyward (+24) notched a birdie on No. 6 to tie for 79th after scoring an 81 in the final round, and senior Greg Carrier (+38) birdied No. 16 to place 83rd with a final-round 87.
The Paladins will compete against 17 teams at the 45th annual Furman Intercollegiate next weekend at the Furman University Golf Course. Teams will tee off beginning at 8 a.m. on Friday with play continuing on Saturday and Sunday. Admission to the tournament is free and fans are welcome.