FINAL RESULTS (PDF)
EATONTON, Ga. – Playing in one of the strongest fields of the season, the Kennesaw State men’s golf team turned in an impressive second-place showing at the Linger Longer Intercollegiate that concluded Sunday at the par-72, 7,073-yard Great Waters at Reynolds Plantation layout in Eatonton, Ga.
The Owls concluded the rain-shortened 36-hole event with an even-par total of 576 finishing only behind No. 2 Alabama, which claimed the team title for a third consecutive year after posting a 16-under par score of 560.
In a field that included six teams ranked in the current Golfstat Top 50, Kennesaw State placed ahead of No. 14 Oklahoma State (577), No. 10 Georgia Tech (579) and No. 12 Georgia (582), which rounded out the top five.
“It was a great week from start to finish. The guys played outstanding golf,” head coach Jay Moseley said. “We’ve been talking about consistency all year long and we went out on a golf course that we are pretty familiar with. The scoring conditions weren’t ideal but it was a tough weekend for everyone with the weather.
“But we just went out and fought hard. They guys kept their momentum going and they just kept hitting quality shots and we finished off in strong fashion this morning,” Moseley added. “I couldn’t be more proud. This is a huge finish for us; beating some teams we’ve never beaten before, beating a lot of quality teams, a lot of Top 15, and Top 20 teams in a great field. This should definitely help us build on a strong finish to the spring.”
Leading the way for the Owls was sophomore #Austin Vick” (Evans, Ga. / Greenbrier HS), who tied for fifth with 3-under total of 141 following rounds of 70-71.
“I felt like a hit a lot of good iron shots this week and that was the biggest thing for me, hitting a lot of solid shots and not making the mistakes I normally do,” Vick said. “I had a great week and it was a lot of fun for me.”
Vick finished four shots behind Alabama’s Cory Whitsett who captured individual medalist honors for the third consecutive year after shooting rounds of 67-70 for a 7-under total of 137. Whitsett finished one shot ahead of Georgia’s Nicholas Reach and Richard James of South Florida as both players finished at 6-under 138.
James’ second round was highlighted by a hole-in-one on the par-3, 186-yard 14th hole in which he used a 5-iron off the tee.
Georgia Tech’s Anders Anderson placed fourth with a 4-under 140, finishing one shot ahead of a group of four players that included Vick.
The consistency of the play by the Owls proved itself as Kennesaw placed five players in the top 23. In addition to Vick, senior Peder Lunde Hermansson (Gothenburg, Sweden / Katrine lundsgymnasiet) tied for 17th after shooting an even-par 144, while sophomore
Jimmy Beck (Columbus, Ga. / Columbus HS) tied for 21st at 1-over par 145, and junior
Jonathan Klotz (Columbus, Ga. / Columbus HS) finished at 2-over par 146 to tie for 23rd.
Freshman
Carlos Segura Oliva (Malaga, Spain / Colegio El Limonar), who was playing as an individual, tied for 36th following a 5-over par 149. Senior
Ben Greene (Duluth, Ga. / Peachtree Ridge HS) tied for 59th after posting a 10-over par 154.
“We beat a lot of really good teams this week, so I think it is really going to carry over and give us a lot of momentum and confidence that we can do well the rest of the season and hopefully get a few more wins before nationals roll around,” Vick said.
Kennesaw State will play its final regular-season tournament before the Atlantic Sun Conference Championships when it travels to Charlotte, N.C., to compete in the Irish Creek Classic at the Irish Creek Golf Club.
Kennesaw State is celebrating 30 years of intercollegiate athletics during the 2012-13 academic year.
