Eagles Take Fifth at SpringHill Suites Intercollegiate
9/15/2010 1:53:00 AM | Men's Golf
FLORENCE, S.C. - A pair of top-15 finishes and a top-10 finish helped the Georgia Southern Golf team post an 874 (+10) to finish in a tie for fifth place with Samford in the SpringHill Suites Intercollegiate tournament at the Country Club of South Carolina. Georgia College and State University took home the title won by the Eagles on the previous two occasions.
"We are a little rough around the edges starting out the year, said Head Coach Larry Mays. "This course plays great for shots that are hit down the middle of the fairway and we started hitting it a little sideways off the tee. We couldn't get any momentum. We have to have some urgency of not giving away shots. Today we made too many big mistakes but overall, this gives us a starting point and we know we have work to do. The guys are disappointed, but they know we have the talent to get better as we go through the season."
Junior Lewis Gruber carded a 1-under 215 that placed the Tallahassee, Fla., native in a tie for seventh place (73-66-76=215) and gave him his first 'Top 10' finish as an Eagle. His second-round 66 was tied with Chattanooga's Chris Robb for the lowest round of the tournament. Gruber's 66 marks the lowest round by an Eagle since Spence Fulford fired a 63 at last year's event. Fulford's second-round 63 marked a tournament record and competitive course record at the Country Club of South Carolina at 9-under par. Fulford also tied with Fred Benton, Richie Bryant and Travis Mobley for share of the all-time lowest round in Georgia Southern golf history.
"Lewis had a good start with a 'Top 10' out of the gate," stated Mays. "He made the 66 he shot in the second round look easy. He is going to be a great addition to the team."
Fellow teammate Florian Sander (Bregenz, Austria) finished one stroke behind Gruber to tie for a11th-place finish (72-70-74=216). The sophomore's eagle on the 11th hole in the second round was only one of 11 eagles that dropped in the tournament.
Logan Blondell's consistent rounds of firing low 70s led the senior to a tie for 15th place (73-72-72=217). The 13 birdies scattered over 54-holes by the Lakeland, Fla., native were tied for second most in the tournament, teammate Gruber was right behind with 12 birdies.
Matt Deal's (Statesboro, Ga.) 39 pars throughout the tournament was fourth best and put the senior in a tie for a 52nd-place finish (73-75-78=226). Freshman Will Evans (McDonough, Ga.) finished 11 spots behind Deal for a tie for a 63rd-place finish (76-76-79=231). Competing as an individual, Drew Guffey's (Bartow, Fla.) final round 73 helped lift the freshman to a tie for 60th (77-79-73=229).
"We will be back at this course in April for the Southern Conference Championship," said Mays. "This tournament gave our new guys great experience for the championship in the spring. I was proud of their attitudes and our guys were pulling for each other -- the good team chemistry from our trip overseas to Scotland carried over to this tournament."
The Georgia Southern Golf team will return to action in October when the Eagles travel to the Sunshine State to play in the Gary Koch Intercollegiate, October 2-3rd. The tournament will take place at Old Memorial Golf Club in Tampa, Fla.
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