September 25, 2018

No. 16 Eagles take home Aflac/Cougar Invitational crown

COLUMBUS, Ga. – A 10-under final round helped propel No. 16 Carson-Newman to its first win of the season at the Aflac/Cougar Invitational on Tuesday.

The Eagles carded a season-low 274 total in the last 18 holes for an 843 three-round total. The finish marks the lowest C-N 54-hole total since the University of North Georgia Fall Invitational back in 2015 when the Eagles shot an 840.

C-N was the third best par-4 and par-5 shooting team with +11 and -15 averages, respectively. It also shot the field's third-best amount of pars at 170. The team drained an event-high three eagles through the three rounds.

"This was the best quality field that Carson-Newman has ever beaten," coach Randy Wylie said. "Very excited for our players in the final round with all four counting scores being in the 60s. Tremendous effort!"

Jake Headrick (Maryville, Tenn.) maintained his poise in the final round, matching his opening round score of 69 to conclude the event at five-under. The senior started the day with a pair of birdies before a bogey with another birdie put him at two-under heading into the back nine, where he shot for par the whole way through. He led the Eagles on the leaderboard holding a share of fourth-place with a 208 total.

He was the fourth-best par-4 player in the invitational with a three-under average.

Tom Forster (Oundle, England) was also two-under in Tuesday's round as he shot a pair of one-under performances on both ends of the course. He carded a 211 total that placed him in a tie for 12^th in the field, a pair of shots below par.

Jake Mynatt (Knoxville, Tenn.) carded his lowest round score with a 69 on Tuesday, five strokes better than his second round showing. He started the day with an eagle on the first hole followed by a birdie. While he did shoot four additional birdies and a trio of bogeys, it was a double bogey on 11 that caused some problems. His two-under third helped him finish in a tie for 24^th with a 214 total.

One stroke behind the freshman was Jackson Tyler (Wilmington, N.C.), also finding substantial improvements in the final round of the event. He shaved seven strokes off of his first two round scores to card a career-low 67, also shooting an eagle in the round on the 17^th. With that, he carded four birdies with two bogeys. That final round also helped him to reset his lowest 54-hole score with a 215 in a tie for 28^th.

Individual Fintan McKenna (Aberdeen, Scotland) landed in a tie for 53^rd in the invitational after going four-over on Tuesday. The third round started with struggles as he was five-over heading into the turn thanks to a double bogey and three-straight bogeys. The back nine was kinder for the junior as he made just one bogey with two birdies. He was ten-over through three rounds with a 223 total.

Rounding out the Eagles on the leaderboard was Will Collins (Knoxville, Tenn.) in a tie for 71^st with a 228, 15-shots over par. He carded multiple bogeys and a pair of double bogeys before seeing a birdie on the 17^th-hole. He was nine-over in the final 18, his highest round score of the event.

"Great week by Jake Headrick, fine play by Tom (Forester), great job by freshman Jake Mynatt and unbelievably clutch finish with an eagle birdie from Jackson Tyler," Wylie said. "Great week."

The Eagles were just three-strokes ahead of a No. 4 Florida Southern team that finished at six-under par with an 846. Valdosta State took third at three-under.

On the individual side, No. 10 Lincoln Memorial's won the medalist title over Montevallo's Brady Carman on the first playoff hole. They both concluded the three rounds at seven-under par. Vincent Norrman of Georgia Southwestern took third at six-under.

A week away from competition will set the Eagles up for their final event of the fall with a trip to West Palm Beach, Fla. for No. 6 Nova Southeastern's Shark Invitational on Oct. 8 and 9.

Aflac/Cougar Invitational

Columbus Country Club – Columbus, Ga.

Par 701 – 6,515 yards

Sept. 24-25 2018

Carson-Newman	282	287	274	843	-9	1^st
Jake Headrick	69	70	69	208	-5	T-4^th
Tom Forster	73	69	69	211	-2	T-12^th
Jake Mynatt	71	74	69	214	+1	T-24^th
Jackson Tyler	74	74	67	215	+2	T-28^th
Fintan McKenna *	78	70	75	223	+10	T-53^rd
Will Collins	69	79	80	228	+15	T-71^st