RICHMOND HILL, Ga. - The Georgia Southern men's golf team concluded play Tuesday at the Inaugural Invitational at the Ford, shooting a three-round score of 859 (-5) at the tough and prestigious Ford River & Field Club as five players finished in the top 25. Two of the team rounds were under par as the squad continues to gain traction for the back half of the season.
The Eagles came out in the first round on Monday, shooting a 281 for their lowest opening-round effort of the season. Reece Coleman used six birdies to shoot a 67 to tie for the tournament lead. Bryce Jones and Hogan Ingram both shot a 71 (-1), while Hayden Carner shot an even-par 72. Brantley Baker had an eagle for the second straight tournament to post a 70 and Luke Dasher shot a 71.
In the second round, Luke Koenig blitzed his way to a clean card with six birdies to post a 66, while Ian Glanton shot a 69. Jones carded another 71 and Parker Claxton used an eagle to help him to a 72. While the Eagles finished, the round was eventually halted due to darkness and resumed Tuesday morning.
Tuesday's third round was highlighted by a pair of 70s (2-under) from Hayden Carner and Coleman and the team posted a 1-under-par 287. Carner had four birdies and an eagle and Coleman posted six birdies to finish the tournament on a strong note. The team shot a 1-under, 287, marking the second-lowest final-round score of the season.
Koenig posted the low score of the week with a 212 (-4) to tie for 12th place, while Jones and Coleman both shot even-par 216s to tie for 20th. Coleman led the way with 13 birdies while Baker and Glanton both had 12. Koenig tied for third out of 54 players with 38 pars. Ingram led the way on par 3s, going -2 for the tournament to tie for fifth in the field. Carner and Koenig both played the par 5s at 7-under for the tournament (T7th), while Claxton played them at 6-under.
Wisconsin's Cameron Huss (69-66-66=201) won the event with a 15-under-par score. Wisconsin won the team title with an 840 (-24), rallying on the final day to beat Wake Forest by one shot.
Words From Coach Carter Collins:
"What an amazing few days at The Ford! We are proud to host the first ever men's collegiate event at The Ford Field & River Club, and cannot wait for this event to grow in the future.
"Our performance was close to being extremely good. We had our lowest opening round, and played very well from tee to green at a demanding golf course. We did not have our best stuff with the scoring clubs, but we know exactly what to work on to improve. Great golf is right around the corner for us.
I cannot think the staff at The Ford, and especially the membership, for embracing and supporting the event as well as they did."
The Scores
Team: 281-291-287=859 (-5), 6
Luke Koenig*: 74-66-72=212 (-4), T12
Brycen Jones: 71-71-74=216 (E), T20
Reece Coleman: 67-79-70=216 (E), T20
Hayden Carner: 72-75-70=217 (+1), T25
Ian Glanton*: 74-69-74=217 (+1), T25
Brantley Baker*: 70-76-73=219 (+3), T33
Hogan Ingram: 71-73-75=219 (+3), T33
Parker Claxton: 75-72-73=220 (+4), T38
Lindsey Cordell*: 73-78-77=228 (+12), T51
Luke Dasher*: 71-81-76=228 (+12), T51
*Played as an individual
