Chattanooga, Tenn. – After daylight ran out on Monday's second round of play at the Battle at Black Creek, the Stetson men's golf team returned to the course early on Tuesday to finish out their second round before rolling into the final round of competition.
 
After posting an opening round 299 on Monday, the Hatters finished off their second round with a 297. A final round score of 303 left the Hatters 17^th in the 18-team field.
 
The host team from Chattanooga trailed UT-Martin by four shots going into the final round, and by six shots going into the 54^th hole of the tournament. The Mocs got a trio of birdies and a par on that last hole while the Skyhawks let a six-stroke lead evaporate when their top player, Tate Chumley, had a triple-bogey on that last hole, leaving the teams tied.
 
Because of the late hour by the end of the round, no playoff was held and the teams shared the tournament title with matching scores of seven-under par 857.
 
Chumley's triple on the last hole also cost him second place in the tournament, dropping him into fifth, seven shots behind medalist Nick Sutton from Tennessee Tech. Sutton posted rounds of 71, 66 and 67 to take a five shot victory over second place Max Dupree of USC Upstate.
 
Redshirt sophomore Mason Quagliata was the top finisher for Stetson, earning a tie for 36^th place. After opening the tournament with a four-over par 76, he bounced back with his best round of the fall season, posting a three-under par 69 in the second round. He closed out the tournament with a 76 on Tuesday to finish with a five over par total of 221.
 
Freshman Ian Ball finished with an 11-over par score of 227 after posting rounds of 74, 77 and 76. He tied for 67^th in the tournament.
 
Redshirt sophomore Jon Lumley, playing in his first event of the fall, opened with a 74, but a second round 80 knocked him down the leaderboard. He closed out with a final round 75 to finish tied for 71^st.
 
Redshirt junior Ryan Peters had scores of 75 and 76 in the first two rounds, but finished with an 83 on Tuesday to fall to a tie for 79^th place in the field.
 
Redshirt freshman Matthew Cooper, who was also playing in his first event of the year, struggled in the first round, posting an 85, before bouncing back with rounds of 75 and 76. He finished tied for 84^th.
 
The Hatters will now have plenty of time off to work on their game with new coach Danny Forshey before the start of the spring season. The first event on the schedule for now is the Gulf Coast Collegiate February 23 through March 1 in Mississippi, but Forshey is looking to add at least one, and maybe two or three, events to the spring schedule.
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.