Feb. 10, 2009
Final Stats
NEW ORLEANS, La. - The drizzly morning and blustery afternoon conditions got the better of the Kennesaw State men's golf team on Tuesday, leading to a slide down the leaderboard and a tenth place finish at the season-opening Mardi Gras Invitational.
Jeff Karlsson turned in his lowest score of the tournament to lead the Owls in the final round, shooting a two-over par 74 to put a cap on a 227 54-hole total. The freshman from Gothenburg, Sweden held it together nicely at the difficult 7,028-yard, par 72 TPC Louisiana, finishing tied for 27th.
Matthew Nagy came back to the pack after carding his highest round of the event but still managed to come in with a top 20 finish. His 77 in the final round resulted in a 223 total and a solo 17th finish, just three strokes out of the top 10.
The Owls also turned in their highest team total of the event, falling from eighth to tenth place after recording a 309 in the final round. Their 915 total was nearly 20 strokes more than fifth place Saint Mary's (CA) (303-295-299-897) and over 30 strokes behind first place New Orleans (301-298-284-883).
J.P. Putnam came in tied for 45th after closing with a 78, while Chad Wilson's final round 84 slid him into a tie for 65th. Michael Tulacz continued his uncharacteristic play, carding a 239 total to tie for 62nd after finishing with an 80.
The host Privateers' own Ken Looper recorded an impressive four-under par 68 to edge out St. Marys' Robert McRae and capture the individual title at 214. The Owls Atlantic Sun Conference rival Mercer finished seven strokes from the top in third at 890.
The Black and Gold will take nearly a month off before returning to the course on March 9th and 10th at the Samford Intercollegiate. Stay tuned to www.ksuowls.com for breaking news and updates on the men's golf program and Kennesaw State's 13 other athletic teams.
