Furman finishes third at Camden Collegiate Invitational
CAMDEN, S.C. – Junior Wehman Hopke (+5) tied for 10th to lead the Furman men’s golf team (+25) to a third-place finish Sunday at the Camden Collegiate Invitational at the par-70, 7,242-yard Camden Country Club to conclude the 2015 fall season.
Hopke scored a birdie on No. 15 to card a 75 on Sunday, finishing 10 strokes back of South Carolina’s Keenan Huskey (-5), who fired a 68 in the final round to claim individual medalist honors.
Paladin senior Preston Cole (+8) and junior Bryce Howell (+8) tied for 22nd. Cole carded three birdies, including back-to-back birdies on No. 6 and No. 7, to score a 68 in the final round, while Howell notched a team-high five birdies in the final round, with consecutive birdies on No. 12 and No. 13, to card a 69 in Sunday’s play.
Paladin freshman Connor Bruns (+9) birdied No. 13, scoring a 73 to tie for 26th, and sophomore Hunter Nichols (+12) shot a 76 to tie for 38th. Redshirt freshman Clayte Hubbard (+35), and sophomore Alex Taylor (+35), who played as individuals, tied for 74th.
South Carolina (-2) won the tournament by 21 strokes over runner-up Charleston Southern (+23). The Paladins (+25) placed third, while USC Aiken (+34) and Wofford (+35) completed the top five.
Furman will open the 2016 spring season at the John Hayt Intercollegiate in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Feb. 26-28.
Wofford finishes fifth at Camden Collegiate Invitational
CAMDEN, S.C. – Andrew Novak led the Wofford men’s golf team to a fifth-place finish at the Camden Collegiate Invitational, which wrapped up Sunday afternoon at Camden Country Club.
Novak carried the 36-hole lead into Sunday’s final round. The Terrier junior posted a 5-over 75 to slip to third but was one of three players in the 78-man field to finish under par. Novak put together a 54-hole score of 1-under 209.
Junior Jeremy Grab also earned a top-five. Grab entered the day in fourth place and held his ground, carding a final round of 1-over 71 to finish the tournament at 1-over 211. It was Grab’s second top-five of the fall season after tying for first two weeks ago at the Donald Ross Intercollegiate.
The rest of Wofford’s team competitors helped earn the Terriers a fifth-place finish. Wofford ended the 54-hole event with a total of 34-over-par 874. Sophomore Drake Cassidy (+16) finished 49th, sophomore Evan Grenus (+18) finished 55th and freshman Ole Martin Davanger (+29) was 72nd.
Competing as individuals, senior Grant Waggoner (+9) and sophomore Patrick Bridges (+15) took 26th and 45th, respectively.
The Terriers wrap up the fall season next Sunday and Monday, Nov. 1-2, at the Hummingbird Intercollegiate. The tournament is hosted by Western Carolina at the Country Club of Sapphire Valley.
UNCG fourth at Bridgestone Golf Collegiate
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The No. 67-ranked UNCG men’s golf team posted two of its four lowest rounds of the fall to sit in fourth place overall at the prestigious Bridgestone Golf Collegiate on Sunday at the Grandover Resort East Course. The highly competitive field boasted seven teams finishing at even-par or better after 36 holes.
The third and final round will have an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start Monday with live scoring available for the event at www.golfstatresults.com. The Spartans will tee off from holes Nos. 4-7.
The Spartans are in fourth place with an 11-under-par 565 score after recording scores of 283 and 282 in the first two rounds. The second-round score of 282 ties their season-low score posted twice already this season. The Spartans had four golfers under par through the first two rounds.
No. 14 Purdue leads the tournament field at 33-under 543 as it recorded scores of 277 and 266. The 22-under-par 266 second-round score for the Boilermakers is the lowest single-round score in the 11-year history of the Bridgestone Golf Collegiate.
Purdue’s Austin Eoff holds a 2-stroke lead individually at 13-under 131 after rounds of 64 and 67.
Junior Jake McGlone led the way for UNCG as he is tied for ninth overall. McGlone is 4-under-par 140 after notching a 1-under par 71 in round one and a 3-under 69 in round two.
Freshman Bryce Hendrix posted his best two rounds of his young career Sunday. Hendrix recorded a career-low 2-under 70 in round one and a 1-under 71 in round two, his first two under-par rounds of his career. He is tied for 11th place overall par 3-under 141.
Senior Taylor Coalson is tied for 16th overall at 2-under 142. He recorded back-to-back rounds of 71 on the afternoon and ranked seventh in the field with 10 birdies in the first 36 holes of play. Sophomore Josh Stockwell rounded out the Spartans in the top 20 as he is also tied for 16th overall at 2-under-par. He, too, posted consecutive rounds at 1-under 71 as the Spartans as a team carded eight rounds under par out of a possible 10 in the lineup.
Senior Luke Haithcock led four Spartans playing as individuals Sunday with a 57th-place showing at 6-over 150. Haithcock posted back-to-back rounds of 3-over 75. Junior Riley Davis was also tied for 57th place with a 6-over 150 as he opened with a 6-over 78 before coming back with an even-par 72.
Freshman James Mishoe posted a 9-over 153 with rounds of 78 and 75 in his first appearance at the Bridgestone Golf Collegiate. Classmate Mark Johnston added a 9-over 153 (81-72), while senior William Thomas notched a 161 (85-76).
The 14-team field at the Bridgestone Golf Collegiate is one of the toughest events this fall with 10 teams ranked in the top 100 by Golf Stat, including seven in the top 75. Joining No. 67 UNCG team in the field are No. 14 Purdue, No. 16 North Carolina, No. 38 Kansas State, No. 64 Northwestern, No. 74 Iowa State, No. 75 VCU, No. 89 Chattanooga, No. 90 Georgia State, No. 95 Virginia Tech, Mercer, South Alabama, Utah and Davidson.
Chattanooga 10th at Bridgestone Golf Collegiate
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Chattanooga Mocs men’s golf team is 10th after 36 holes at the Bridgestone Golf Collegiate on the Grandover Resort East Course. The Scenic City lads are three ahead of Davidson in 11th at 596.
Chattanooga turned in rounds of 294 and 299 for its 593 total. It was led by junior Wes Gosselin, who matched his career 36-hole low of 142 (-2). He followed an opening 72 (E) with a 2-under 70, tallying six birdies over his second 18. He is tied for 16th overall, just two shots out of the top 10.
Senior Kory Webb is second on the Mocs squad at +1 (145), but he is playing as an individual. He had the low first round with a 71 before shooting 74 in the afternoon. His 145 is a career-best over 36 holes.
Stuart Thomas posted 73 and 75 for a 4-over par 148. He is two ahead of Brooks Thomas who had twin 75s for 150. Andrew Weathers is next at 153 (74-79), while Lake Johnson stands at 157 (76-81).
The final round is a shot start at 8:30 a.m. The Mocs, paired with Davidson and Iowa State, open on holes 11-13.
Mercer 13th at Bridgestone Golf Collegiate
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Mercer University men's golf team opened play at the Bridgestone Golf Collegiate on Sunday, finishing 13th after the first two rounds of play.
Jerry Ren got his tournament off to a good start and will head into Monday’s final round in position for the second top-10 finish of the year. The sophomore ranked among the event's leaders with eight birdies through the first round, including four on the first nine holes of his 3-under-par second round.
Sean Smothers had Mercer's hole of the day, sinking an eagle on No. 18. The junior worked around several hazards on the 570-yard par-5 to wrap up his first nine holes of the second with a 3-under tally. He finished the day with a 9-over total of 153.
Mercer showed an 11-stroke improvement in the second round, finishing with a 6-over 294 to close the opening day in 13th place. The Bears head into the final 18 holes of play just six shots away from moving into the top 10. No. 20 Purdue owns four-stroke lead over second-place North Carolina (No. 18), while Northwestern rounds out the top three.
Mercer has 28 birdies so far in the tournament, led by a team-best eight birdies from Ren. Heinicka finished with seven for the Bears, while Smothers and Brennan Bogdanovich had six and five, respectively.
Bogdanovich had the best round of his career, carding a 1-over 73 on Sunday's second round.
The Bears wrap up the Bridgestone Golf Collegiate on Monday, as they finish the second round with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start.
Samford tied for sixth at Fall Beach Classic
GULF SHORES, Ala. – Samford senior golfer Zach Hughes is tied for second out of 62 players after the first round of the Alabama State Fall Beach Classic on Sunday at The Peninsula Golf and Racquet Club.
Hughes fired an opening-round score of 1-under par 71. He sits tied with Cameron McRae of Arkansas State and Graysen Huff of Auburn. Arkansas State’s Seth Garner leads the tournament with a 2-under-par 70.
Samford freshman Jackson Seawell is tied for 26th at 76, while fellow freshman Aaron Walker is tied for 35th with a score of 78. Junior Garrett Moores is currently tied for 42nd with a first-round score of 79, while freshman Crawford Flach is tied for 51st after firing a score of 80 on Sunday. Freshman Austin Rains, playing as an individual, finished the first round in a tie for 55th at 82.
As a team, Samford is tied for sixth in the 11-team tournament. The Bulldogs shot a team-total score of 16-over-par 304, tying the Bulldogs with Murray State. Auburn leads the tournament after the first day with a 2-over-par 290.
The tournament will continue with the second round Monday morning. Monday’s tee times are scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. CT