ETSU wins Inverness Intercollegiate
TOLEDO, Ohio – For the third time in the last year and a half and the 47th time under the watch of head coach Fred Warren, the ETSU men’s golf team captured a tournament title as the Bucs held off top-ranked South Florida to win the Inverness Intercollegiate on Tuesday. The Bucs made it a clean sweep as junior Adrian Meronk won his first collegiate event by firing an even-par 213 (73-70-70) in the two-day tournament at the Inverness Golf Club.
ETSU and South Florida entered the final round tied for first at 11-over, but the Bucs quickly moved into sole possession of the lead at the beginning of the round and never relinquished the top spot. In the end, the Blue and Gold defeated the Bulls – who entered the week as the No. 1 ranked team in the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings – by two strokes, 878-880. The Bucs carded a 15-over-par 299 on Tuesday, becoming the 10th different team to win the tournament, which has been in existence for 11 years.
Overall, ETSU had three players finish in the top 15, while Meronk became the first Buccaneer to win an individual title since Rhys Enoch claimed a share of the 2010 NCAA Regional Championship. Meronk, who was coming off a very strong showing at the World Amateur Team Championship, posted his second straight round of 1-under-par 70 on Tuesday and won the tournament by three strokes over UAB’s Lee Hodges. Meronk’s previous best collegiate finish was back in 2013, when the Buccaneer tied for third at the Sea Best Invitational. Overall, Meronk tallied nine birdies for the tournament and led all players in par-4 scoring at even-par.
Joining Meronk in the top 10 was Rhys Pugh, as the Buccaneer senior tied for seventh at 6-over-par 219 (67-77-75). Pugh was one of eight golfers to record an eagle in the tournament and he also tied for first among the field in par-5 scoring (4.33).
The Bucs also used the scores of juniors Gudmundur Kristjansson and Chris Hickman. Kristjansson led all ETSU golfers with 11 birdies for the tournament and finished 15th at 10-over 223 (76-71-76), while Hickman tied for 27th at 16-over 229 (71-76-82).
Over the past year and a half, ETSU has also won the Wolfpack Intercollegiate (October 2013) and the Wofford Invitational (April 2013).
Of the 12 teams in the tournament field, seven (including ETSU) appeared in the NCAAs last year.
ETSU looks to continue its success this weekend as the Bucs remain in the Buckeye state for the Jack Nicklaus Invitational, which gets underway Sunday in Columbus, Ohio.
Mercer finishes fifth at Inverness Intercollegiate
TOLEDO, Ohio – Trey Rule and Emmanuel Kountakis each recorded top-10 finishes to pace the Mercer men’s golf team at the Inverness Intercollegiate, as the Bears finished the 12-team event in fifth place.
Mercer finished the closing round with a score of 300 to push past Golfweek.com Top 100 teams Charlotte and Michigan State on Tuesday and into fifth place with a three-round total of 897. ETSU won the event with a score 878, while South Florida finished two strokes behind in second place at 880.
Rule wrapped up the event with a 5-over 218 to finish in three-way tie for fourth place after posting a score of 73 on the final day of action. Kountakis continued his hot streak to end the event, shooting an even-par 71 in Tuesday’s closing round to place seventh with a three-round total of 219.
Jeffrey Heinicka Jr. had his best round of the tournament, firing a 76 on Tuesday to finish 48th overall with a score of 237. Freshman Jerry Ren rounded out the scoring for the Bears in a tie for 55th at 243.
Mercer returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 4, when it travels to Baton Rouge, La., to compete in the David Toms Intercollegiate at the University Club.
UNCG finishes sixth at VCU Shootout
RICHMOND, Va. – The UNCG men’s golf team placed three in the top 25 of the final standings Tuesday at the Janney VCU Shootout as the Spartans finished tied for sixth overall at the Hermitage Country Club Manakin Course.
The Spartans finished tied for sixth overall with a 25-over-par 889 (299-296-294) as three of their five scores in the lineup finished in the top 25. Virginia Tech won the VCU Shootout for the third time in the 10-year history of the event with a 1-over-par 865 (287-292-286), while Iowa State was second at 7-over-par 871 (296-293-282).
Senior Roy Dixon made the biggest move of the final round, as he jumped up to 18th place by firing a 4-under-par 68 in the third round. Dixon’s 68 tied for the lowest round of the entire tournament as he posted seven birdies, including a stretch of five straight birdies on his back nine on holes Nos. 1-5. He finished 6-over-par 222 (75-79-68), while Nike Voke of Iowa State won the event with a 3-under-par 213 (74-68-71).
Sophomore Jake McGlone was the Spartans’ second finisher at the VCU Shootout, placing 20th overall. McGlone carded a 7-over-par 223, as he opened with a 73 and 72 Monday in the first two rounds before posting a 6-over-par 78 in the final round Tuesday.
Junior Taylor Coalson rounded out the top-25 finishes, as he placed tied for 23rd on the week. Coalson carded an 8-over-par 224, as he posted a 74 in round one, 73 in round two and a 77 in round three.
Sophomore Carter Jenkins and freshman Josh Stockwell each finished tied for 41st with a 12-over-par 228. Jenkins posted a 79-73-76, while Stockwell added a 77-78-73 with his final round coming in at 15 pars, two birdies and just one bogey. Junior Luke Haithcock finished with a 232 (83-72-77) playing as an individual.
The Spartans return to action Oct. 6-7 at the Wolfpack Intercollegiate hosted at the Lonnie Poole Golf Club. UNCG finished second in the event last season, while Jenkins claimed the individual title at the Wolfpack.