UNCG ties for third at Bridgestone Golf Collegiate
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The 67th-ranked UNCG men’s golf team posted its best finish in the 11-year history of the prestigious Bridgestone Golf Collegiate as the Spartans finished tied for third overall Monday at the Grandover Resort East Course.
The Spartans posted a 4-under-par 860, their lowest three-round score this season to finish in a tie with Northwestern. UNCG opened the event with a 283 in round one and a 282 in round two Sunday before closing the week in tough conditions with a 297 Monday.
No. 20 Purdue won the team championship as the Boilermakers finished an impressive 30-under-par at 834. Purdue posted rounds of 277-266-291. Austin Eoff of Purdue won the individual title with a 13-under 203 (64-67-72), while Henry Do of North Carolina was second at 11-under 205 (65-68-72).
Senior Taylor Coalson led the Spartans with his best showing of his career at the Bridgestone Golf Collegiate in his fourth career appearance. Coalson finished fifth overall with a 5-under 211, as he was under par all three rounds with back-to-back rounds of 71 Sunday before closing it out with a 3-under 69 Monday. Coalson has now finished in the top 10 for three straight tournaments this season, including back-to-back top-five finishes.
Junior Jake McGlone gave the Spartans two top-10 finishers this week as he was tied for sixth overall. McGlone carded a 4-under 212 this week with all three rounds at or under par at 71-69-72.
Freshman Bryce Hendrix notched the best finish of his young career, placing 24th this week. Hendrix tallied a 2-over 218 score as he opened the week with a career-low 2-under 70 before following that up with a 71 and a 77.
Sophomore Josh Stockwell tied for 28th overall with a 3-over 219. He opened the weekend with back-to-back rounds of 1-under 71 before closing it out with a 5-over 77 Monday. Senior Luke Haithcock added a 62nd-place finish as an individual with a 12-over 228. Haithcock posted rounds of 75-75-78.
Freshmen James Mishoe and Mark Johnston and junior Riley Davis finished tied for 67th overall at 14-over 230. Mishoe posted rounds of 78-75-77 and tallied 37 par scores, Davis went 78-72-80, and Johnston ended the week with 81-72-77. Senior William Thomas rounded out the nine Spartans in the field with a 34-over 250 (85-76-89).
Mercer ties for 11th at Bridgestone Golf Collegiate
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Mercer University sophomore Jerry Ren recorded his second top-10 finish of the season to lead the men's golf team in its final event of the 2015 schedule, the Bridgestone Golf Collegiate at the Grandover Resort.
Ren finished under par for the second straight round, carding a 1-under-par 71 on Monday's final 18 holes to move up five places on the individual leaderboard and into sixth place for the tournament. The Auckland, New Zealand, native tallied four birdies in his final round to finish with a team-best 12 for the tournament, while wrapping up the 54 holes of golf with a 4-under total of 212.
Mercer shot a 12-over 300 in the final round to move into a tie for 11th place overall with a team total of 899. No. 18 Purdue claimed the team title, while No. 18 North Carolina and Northwestern rounded out the top three.
Ren now has a pair of top-10 performances this season after finishing eighth at the Golfweek Program Challenge.
Ren was at his best on par-5 holes, finishing 4-under in those situations with an average score of 4.67. He was also below par on par-3 holes, ranking third in the tournament with a 2-under total.
Mercer tallied 38 birdies in the event behind Ren's team-high 12. Jeffrey Heinicka added nine birdies for the Bears, while Sean Smothers and Brennan Bogdanovich finished with seven and six, respectively.
Chattanooga finishes 13th at Bridgestone Golf Collegiate
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Chattanooga Mocs men’s golf team finished the fall portion of the schedule with a 13th-place finish at the Bridgestone Golf Collegiate on the Grandover Resort East Course. The squad shot 308 Monday for a 54-hole total of 901.
Senior Kory Webb had the team’s best finish playing as an individual. He tied for 24th, tying his career-low total of 2-over-par 218 after a final round 73 (+1).
Junior Wes Gosselin paced the team effort, tying for 35th at 222. That was one clear of sophomore Stuart Thomas, who tied for 41st at 223. Brooks Thomas (T59, 227), Lake Johnson (T73, 233) and Andrew Weathers (76, 235) rounded out the team’s scoring.
The Mocs return to the tee Feb. 22-23 at the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate.