Okatie, S.C. – A slow start on a frosty morning on Monday was too much for the Stetson men's golf team to overcome in the Hatters' first event of the spring season.
The Hatters' fortunes improved as the temperature at the Oldfield Golf Course rose, but Stetson was unable to make up ground, finishing fifth in the eight-team event, hosted by George Washington University.
Virginia Tech, which was playing its second event of the year, ran away from the rest of the field to post a 22-shot win over second place Cincinnati. The Hokies opened with a 12-under par round of 276 and then coasted to the finish with consecutive rounds of 280 – posting the three lowest team rounds of the event.
Cincinnati posted rounds of 288-289-281 to finish nine shots ahead of North Alabama in third.
The Hatters opened with a round of 302 on Monday, but turned things around in the afternoon thanks to a blistering start to the second round by graduate student
Chris Williard, who was seven-under par when darkness suspended play. The Hatters were one-under as a team for the second round when play was halted.
Stetson finished the second round on Tuesday morning, closing the final six holes at six-over par to finish with a 293. The team settled in for the final round, posting a pair of 73s and a pair of 74s to put up a 294, finishing the tournament with a 25-over par score of 889.
Williard, who set a new career low score in relation to par with his second round 66, finished the tournament in a four-way tie for fifth place on the individual leaderboard with a three-under par total of 213. Virginia Tech's Daniel Azallion held off Cincinnati's Ty Gingerich by one shot to take medalist honors. Gingerich posted a final round 68 to make up five shots, but Azallion's opening round 64 proved to be too much to overcome.
The highlight of the tournament for Stetson came on the final two holes when freshman
Truman Keppy posted consecutive eagles to finish his first collegiate tournament. The Hatters' other freshman,
Matthew Feste, posted a one-under par 71 in his first competitive collegiate round.
The Hatters will have a couple of weeks to work out the kinks before playing in their second event of the spring, which opens play on February 28. The Southern Invitational is being hosted by Loyola University (Md.) at The Falls Club of the Palm Beaches in Lake Worth.
Stetson Scores
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.
