Georgia Southern Golf Stays Put at 11th at the Cleveland Golf Palmetto
3/9/2011 12:20:00 AM | Men's Golf
AIKEN, S.C. - On the final and toughest round of the Cleveland Golf Palmetto Intercollegiate that saw a rise in the course play to a stroke average of 76.11, the Georgia Southern Golf team held its ground, finishing 11th in the 18-team field. Alabama, carding a 9-over 849 tournament total at the 6,617-yard, par-70 Palmetto Golf Club, finished in first place. The Tide's Bud Cauley took home individual medalist honors by firing a 9-under 201 (66-66-69) over three rounds, a tournament record.
The Eagles finished the tournament with an 893 (296-291-306) tournament total. Sophomore Florian Sander (Bregenz, Austria), one stroke off from his 22nd-place tie a year ago at the Palmetto, finished in a tie for 30th with an 11-over 221 (74-71-76). Senior Matt Deal (Statesboro, Ga.), coming off his best round at the tournament in two appearances, signed for a 7-over 77 to finish in a tie for 42nd place (75-72-77).
Logan Blondell (Lakeland, Fla.) and Lewis Gruber (Tallahassee, Fla.) both finished back-to-back behind Deal. Blondell finished in a tie for 46th place (72-74-79) while Gruber recorded the team's best round, shooting a five-over 75, to finish tied for 55th (77-74-75). Hayden Anderson (Knoxville, Tenn.) concluded the tournament in a tie for 71st place (75-78-78).
"The course showed its teeth today and we had too many doubles on the card," said Head Coach Larry Mays. "We need to clean that up and work on some other aspects of our game as we look forward to coming home for the Schenkel."
Georgia Southern will return to action next week in familiar surroundings as the Statesboro community plays host to the 32nd Schenkel Invitational March 18-20th. The tournament will feature one of the nation's best fields. Eight of the 15 teams are ranked in the Top 50 according to the latest golfweek/sargarin rankings and will compete for the prestigious team and individual titles.
For more information on the teams and the events surrounding the 32nd Schenkel Invitational, please visit the official tournament website: www.SchenkelInvitational.com.
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