FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Steven Fisk birdied four holes on the back nine and shot a 71 in Monday's fourth round to finish second at the NCAA Men's Golf Championships at The Blessings Golf Club.
Fisk finished 5-under for the tournament and was second to Oklahoma State sophomore Matthew Wolff, who shot 10-under for the tournament. Arizona State's Chun An Yu was third at 3-under. It's the best finish for an Eagle in program history.
On a windy day with gusts up to 29 miles per hour, Fisk made the turn 3-over for the day and in third place, but the senior made a charge on the back, shooting 4-under on the side.
The run started after a perfect layup on the par 5 10th, when he backed up a wedge to within six feet and went on to make birdie. A good drive to the middle of the 11th fairway set him up for an approach into the green that left him four feet to the hole. He rolled it in for consecutive birdies, putting him at 1-over on the day.
After he almost chipped in for birdie on 12, his second shot on the par-5 15th bounced off the green. He came up with another excellent chip and had a tap-in for birdie. Fisk threw a dart into the par-3 17th green that almost went into the cup but rolled onto the fringe behind the green. He made the 15-foot downhill putt going back for his final birdie of the day.
"It's been such a great week to be able to prove to myself that I could do it," said Fisk. "It's been a wonderful four years, and I couldn't have had a better time anywhere else."
After making par on the first two holes, Fisk had to scramble for a bogey on the par-3 3rd after his tee shot was short and rolled back into the water. His tee shot on 4 found the fairway bunker, and his approach into the wind was also short, rolling back into the hazard. A pitch from the drop zone left him 12 feet downhill to the cup, and his first putt rolled just by the hole, giving him a double bogey.
"I was able to get into the zone on the back nine because I had patience," said Fisk. "A few of my shots didn't work out but I kept my cool and that really helped me. I waited for birdie opportunities to come and was grinding."
It was the 13th top-5 finish in his stellar Georgia Southern career, which includes a school record nine victories, and his 25th career top-10.
