Western Carolina finishes eighth at Southern Intercollegiate
ATHENS, Ga. – With its two seniors placing inside the individual top 20 on Monday, the Western Carolina men’s golf team finished in eighth place at the 36-hole Southern Intercollegiate, hosted by the University of Georgia at the par-72, 6,917-yard Athens Country Club. WCU turned in rounds of 314 and 290 for an event total of 604, rallying four spots over the final round.
The Catamounts’ score of 290 was tied for the lowest team score in the final round.
Senior J.T. Poston led the Catamounts by tallying a runner-up finish with a two-round score of 3-under-par 141, while classmate Matthew Turner finished tied for 19th – his third-best career individual finish – firing a one-day, 36-hole score of 4-over-par 148.
Rounding out Western Carolina’s scoring five were freshmen Jackson Bishop in a tie for 57th overall with a two-round score of 157 (81-76), followed by junior Tyler Lail in a tie for 64th with a 159 (83-76). Freshman Bright Julamool came home in a tie for 66th overall after rounds of 82 and 78 for a total of 160.
Poston was edged by one stroke by Georgia State’s J.J. Grey, who moved seven spots in the final finishing order. Grey and Poston were tied after 18 holes with even-par 72s, with Grey shooting 4-under 68 in the second round to claim individual medalist honors by a stroke. Stoney Crouch of Lipscomb was two strokes off the leader’s pace to finish third overall.
Tournament host No. 30 Georgia claimed the team championship honors over in-state rival Georgia State by 13 strokes. The Bulldogs carded rounds of 285 and 290 for a total of 575, while the Panthers shot 588 to finish second. GRU Augusta (592) placed third, with Lipscomb (596) in fourth place and Youngstown State (600) rounding out the top five.
The only other Southern Conference team in the 14-team field was Furman, which finished 10th overall in the final team standings.
Western Carolina returns to action at the Furman Intercollegiate, March 27-29 at the on-campus Furman University Golf Course in Greenville, S.C. The 54-hole event will be spread over three days with one 18-hole round per day. Led by Poston in a tie for 11th overall, WCU finished tied for 14th at last year’s tournament.
Furman finishes 10th at Southern Intercollegiate
ATHENS, Ga. – Junior Wehman Hopke (+3) tied for 17th place to lead the Furman men’s golf team at the Southern Intercollegiate on Monday at the par-72, 6,917-yard Athens Country Club.
Hopke, who eagled the par-5 No. 6 and recorded two birdies on the back for a 74 in the morning round then added a 73 in the afternoon round, finished the 36-hole tournament seven strokes back of individual medalist J.J. Grey of Georgia State, who shot a 72 in the morning and a 68 in the afternoon.
Junior Bryce Howell (+6) carded three birdies in the morning and four in the afternoon to tie for 28th with a two-round score of 150, while junior Preston Heyward (+11) tallied five birdies on the day to tie for 45th with rounds of 77 and 78. Junior Preston Cole (+16) tied for 65th and freshman Hunter Nichols (+24) tied for 73rd overall.
No. 30 Georgia (-1) won the tournament by 11 strokes over Georgia State (+12), while GRU Augusta (+16) completed the top three. The Paladins (+13) finished 10th overall after posting a 308 in the morning round and 303 in the afternoon.
Following an off weekend, the Paladins will compete at the Furman Intercollegiate on March 27-29.