STATESBORO, Ga. – The ETSU men’s golf team completed its second tournament of the season, this time an individual tournament in Statesboro, Ga. The Bucs sent four representatives to take part in the 2021 Thomas Sharkey Individual Collegiate hosted by Georgia Southern. Sam Espinosa and Ben Carberry recorded top-10 finishes for the Bucs. Meanwhile, Austin Carter and Campbell Wolf finished tied for 20th and tied for 28th, respectively.
The 54-hole event began on Sunday with 36 holes of action at the Georgia Southern Golf Course. Espinosa, who tied for ninth at this event last season, led the charge for the Bucs with an eighth-place finish and an overall score of 10-over-par (226). The Spain native began the event with a 3-over-par (75) round before rebounding with a 1-under-par (71) performance to cap off Sunday’s festivities, sitting in fifth overall. However, a rough Monday final-round performance saw Espinosa drop three spots to eighth following an 8-over-par (80). The eighth-place finish ties Espinosa’s best collegiate finish, matching his finish at the General Hackler Championship on March 10, 2020.
Carberry, making his collegiate debut, finished two spots behind Espinosa in solo 10th at 12-over-par (228). The Scotland product began his first collegiate tournament with an opening round of 2-over-par (74) before firing a 4-over-par (76) to sit in eighth place following the first day. The ETSU freshman concluded his first career tournament with a final-round score of 6-over-par (78) to drop two spots into 10th.
Carter, making his season debut, finished tied for 20th in Statesboro with an overall performance of 19-over-par (235). The ETSU senior began his first tournament of the new year at 6-over-par (78), followed by a 3-over-par (75) performance to close Sunday’s action. The Kingsport, Tennessee, native struggled through his final round on Monday, carding a 10-over-par (82).
Wolf struggled to gain any momentum this weekend as he finished the individual tournament tied for 28th at 29-over-par (245). Sunday’s rounds saw the DePaul transfer card a 6-over-par (78) performance and later conclude the day with a 13-over-par (85) round. Wolf tied Carter on the final day, shooting 10-over-par (82).
Dawson Peters of USC Beaufort took home medalist honors as the only player under par, finishing 1-under-par (215) for the event. Peters was closely followed by Chattanooga’s Connor Nolan (E) and Tim Tillmanns (+2) of Kansas State.
ETSU will swing back into team play on Sunday, Feb. 14, as the Bucs travel to Kiawah Island, South Carolina, to take part in the 2021 Kiawah Invitational hosted by College of Charleston. The event will be a three-day tournament, playing 18 holes each day and concluding the event on Tuesday, Feb. 16.