Comeback bid falls short, No. 15/15 Eagles finish eighth at NCAA South/Southeast Regional
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. – No. 15/15 Carson-Newman played close to the NCAA National Championships qualifying line for a majority of the day but just missed the advancement mark with an eighth-place finish at the South/Southeast Regional on Saturday.
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. – No. 15/15 Carson-Newman played close to the NCAA National Championships qualifying line for a majority of the day but just missed the advancement mark with an eighth-place finish at the South/Southeast Regional on Saturday.
The Eagles were five shots shy of snagging a spot in the finals heading into the day after landing in a tie for 11th in the second round. The comeback bid ended three shots out of the seventh-place qualifying position with a 12-over day. The Orange and Blue made it as high as a tie for fifth in the round but fell below the line after a weather delay that lasted just over an hour and a half.
This is the best placement the Eagles have seen in the regional since a sixth-place finish in 2008. They went 40-over for the event with a 904 total.
"The guys fought hard today, got into a great position to make it,' C-N coach Randy Wylie said. "After the rain delay, we came out and looked to lose some of our steam. We came up just short. We had several 3-putts after the lightning delay that really cost us."
For a second-consecutive day, Tom Forster (Northamptonshire, England) made a vast move up in the field, this time in the form of a 29-spot improvement to tie for 23rd at eight-over thanks to his best round of the week. The junior went one-over through his first nine holes with a pair of birdies and a bogey. Past the turn, he put his foot on the gas early with two more birdies but two bogeys in his final three holes left him at one-under for the day.
Forster was the only Eagle to shoot under par in a round for the tournament.
Two shots behind Forster was Jake Mynatt (Knoxville, Tenn.). The freshman entered the clubhouse with his highest round of the week at 77, moving him down into a tie for 34th at 10-over for the event. He was three-over heading into the turn on a pair of bogeys with a single birdie. The freshman added on four bogeys to conclude the day with a five-over showing.
Like Mynatt, Jackson Tyler (Wilmington, N.C.) carded his highest round of the week at 81, giving him a share of 60th with a 14-over 230. His two birdies in the back-nine of the course were overpowered by a trio of bogeys and a double-bogey, placing him at three-over heading into the latter part of his day. The sophomore shot three more double-bogeys with just a birdie and bogey to give him a nine-over day.
Will Collins (Knoxville, Tenn.) went four-over in the final round with a 76, giving him a share of 72nd on a +16 total of 232. The freshman was on par for seven of his first holes with the other two being a birdie and double-bogey, giving him a one-over position at the turn. He shot a pair of birdies in the front-nine on back-to-back par-4 holes but tacked on three bogeys and a double-bogey to go four-over.
Sharing the 72nd spot with Collins was Jake Headrick (Maryville, Tenn.). Saturday brought the best round of the week for the senior after shooting two consecutive rounds of 78. Like Collins, Headrick was on par for all but two of his first nine holes but a birdie and bogey kept him even before the final nine holes of his career. He closed out his day at four-over with a pair of bogeys and a double-bogey on the par-4 seventh.
"Nice final round by Tom Forster," Wylie said. "Apart from that, we will miss Jake Headrick after this since it was the final event for a highly decorated senior leader."
No. 2 Lynn won the regional on a four-under round moving it to a five-over with an 869, giving it a chance to defend its national title. West Florida took second at 14-over while Barry sat third at 19-over. Florida Southern, USC Aiken, Lincoln Memorial and Saint Leo also advanced to the finals.
On the player side, Lynn's Giovanni Manzoni received the top medalist title on a scorecard playoff against LMU's Sam Broadhurst. They each went three-under for the event. Nova Southeastern's Juan Jose Guerra and Georgia Southwestern's Vincent Norman received individual bids to the finals.
For all of the latest news and notes on the Carson-Newman men's golf program during the offseason, be sure to check back to cneagles.com.
|
Carson-Newman |
308 |
296 |
300 |
904 |
+40 |
8th |
|
80 |
73 |
71 |
224 |
+8 |
T-23rd |
|
|
76 |
73 |
77 |
226 |
+10 |
T-34th |
|
|
74 |
75 |
81 |
230 |
+14 |
T-60th |
|
|
81 |
75 |
76 |
232 |
+16 |
T-72nd |
|
|
78 |
78 |
76 |
232 |
+16 |
T-72nd |
