By: by Jason Hanes
MOBILE, Ala. - The Kennesaw State men's golf team wrapped up play at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate in the same place they started the final round, finishing in a tie for 13th place after three rounds of competition at the Magnolia Grove Crossings Golf Course.
The Owls (300-303-305-609; + 44) finished just four shots off the third-round pace set by eventual champion Mississippi, but the damage had already been done by two rounds of 300 or over as a team. The Owls finished in a tie for 13th with Jacksonville State after the Gamecocks edged out KSU by three strokes in the final round.
"We got off to a good start
today, but we struggled finishing our rounds off," said head coach Jay Moseley. "This was not the start we were looking for, but we will regroup for our next event."
Peder Hermansson, the only kennesaw State golfer to improve his scores in each of the final two rounds, fired a 2-over par 74 for his best round of the tournament, leading the Owls in the final round. J.P. Putnam finished as the low Owl on the leaderboard after three rounds, firing a 4-over par 76 in the final round to finish at +8 (73-75-76-224), with Sam Curtis firing a 77 (+5) to finish one stroke behind Putnam in the final standings (73-75-77-225).
Mississippi edged out a hard-charging Illinois State team for the top spot, as the Rebels held on by a stroke for the victory. Kent Bulle of Middle Tennessee State and Jack Hiluta of South Alabama tied for medalist honors after posting an aggregate score of 213 for the tournament.
The Owls will return to action March 8 and 9 when they travel to Oneonta, Ala., for the Samford Intercollegiate.
