Troy University Athletics
Trojans Close Strong, Finish Tied For 9th
3/8/2010 3:00:00 AM | Golf (M)
DADE CITY, Fla. – After two days of missed opportunities, the Troy Trojans finished with a solid round of play on Sunday in the USF Invitational, moving up five spots to a tie for ninth in the 23-team event.
The tournament was played at the Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club, which will host the Big East Championship Tournament in April.
The Trojans posted a three-under par score of 285 on Sunday to make up 11 shots on Sun Belt Conference foe Arkansas State, ending the event tied with the Red Wolves at 11-over par for the tournament. Both teams finished one shot behind Eastern Michigan.
“We did a lot of good things and made plenty of birdies, we just made too many mistakes,” Trojans coach Matt Terry said. “We finished on the par 5 ninth with a three over par, and that cost us two spots in the tournament. We should play that hole under par every time. We have to do better on the easy holes. We played well on the hard holes, but we want to do a lot better than ninth place.”
Division II Florida Southern College was the run-away winner of the tournament. After posting an even par 288 in the first round, FSC followed up with a seven-under 281 on Saturday and closed with a five-under 283 in Sunday's final round.
Middle Tennessee finished second in the tournament, matching Florida Southern in the first and third rounds, but giving up five shots on Saturday. The Blue Raiders finished at seven-under par for the tournament.
North Florida (-4) and South Alabama (E) finished third and fourth respectively.
Nebraska, which finished tied for sixth in the tournament, turned in the low round of the event. On Saturday the Cornhuskers shot an eight-under par score of 280.
Florida Southern's Matt Stauch took home individual honors for the tournament, shooting under par in all three rounds. He opened with a 68, followed up with a 65 and finished with a 71 to win the tournament with a score of 12-under par. Marc-Ettienne Bussieres of South Alabama and Andrew Wyatt of Nebraska tied for second, five shots back at seven-under par.
Jack Courington of Missouri State, who finished tied for sixth overall, shot the low round of the tournament on Sunday, carding a nine-under par 63 while playing with Troy's Justin Eaves, who tried to keep pace, shooting a 69 in the final round.
For the Trojans, sophomore Rourke Van Der Spuy was the top performer for the second straight event. The South Africa native finished with a two-under par score of 214 after rounds of 70-73-71.
“Rourke played well again, but finished bogey-bogy on the last two holes,” Terry said. “Justin came back and played well, but he has to get away from that 76 in the first round. They all played well in spots, but all had holes that got away from them. That is golf.”
Eaves, a senior from Louisville, Miss., finished three shot behind his teammate in a tied for 23rd after posting scores of 76-72-69. Junior Reid Merritt of Slocomb, Ala. (75-76-71) finished tied for 41st with a six-over par 222.
Junior Chase Whitehead, a native of Eufaula, Ala., finished tied for 61st with a nine-over par 225 (75-76-74) while junior Ricky Casko (Cartersville, Ga.) finished tied for 101st after shooting a 17-over par score of 233 (73-81-79).
The Trojans will be right back in action this week when they take part in the 2010 Seminole Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla. That event is scheduled to open play on Friday with single rounds all three days.
“If we don't play better than we did this week at Florida State we will get lapped,” Terry said. “There will be a lot of good teams and good players there. We have to start strong and finish strong.”
The tournament was played at the Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club, which will host the Big East Championship Tournament in April.
The Trojans posted a three-under par score of 285 on Sunday to make up 11 shots on Sun Belt Conference foe Arkansas State, ending the event tied with the Red Wolves at 11-over par for the tournament. Both teams finished one shot behind Eastern Michigan.
“We did a lot of good things and made plenty of birdies, we just made too many mistakes,” Trojans coach Matt Terry said. “We finished on the par 5 ninth with a three over par, and that cost us two spots in the tournament. We should play that hole under par every time. We have to do better on the easy holes. We played well on the hard holes, but we want to do a lot better than ninth place.”
Division II Florida Southern College was the run-away winner of the tournament. After posting an even par 288 in the first round, FSC followed up with a seven-under 281 on Saturday and closed with a five-under 283 in Sunday's final round.
Middle Tennessee finished second in the tournament, matching Florida Southern in the first and third rounds, but giving up five shots on Saturday. The Blue Raiders finished at seven-under par for the tournament.
North Florida (-4) and South Alabama (E) finished third and fourth respectively.
Nebraska, which finished tied for sixth in the tournament, turned in the low round of the event. On Saturday the Cornhuskers shot an eight-under par score of 280.
Florida Southern's Matt Stauch took home individual honors for the tournament, shooting under par in all three rounds. He opened with a 68, followed up with a 65 and finished with a 71 to win the tournament with a score of 12-under par. Marc-Ettienne Bussieres of South Alabama and Andrew Wyatt of Nebraska tied for second, five shots back at seven-under par.
Jack Courington of Missouri State, who finished tied for sixth overall, shot the low round of the tournament on Sunday, carding a nine-under par 63 while playing with Troy's Justin Eaves, who tried to keep pace, shooting a 69 in the final round.
For the Trojans, sophomore Rourke Van Der Spuy was the top performer for the second straight event. The South Africa native finished with a two-under par score of 214 after rounds of 70-73-71.
“Rourke played well again, but finished bogey-bogy on the last two holes,” Terry said. “Justin came back and played well, but he has to get away from that 76 in the first round. They all played well in spots, but all had holes that got away from them. That is golf.”
Eaves, a senior from Louisville, Miss., finished three shot behind his teammate in a tied for 23rd after posting scores of 76-72-69. Junior Reid Merritt of Slocomb, Ala. (75-76-71) finished tied for 41st with a six-over par 222.
Junior Chase Whitehead, a native of Eufaula, Ala., finished tied for 61st with a nine-over par 225 (75-76-74) while junior Ricky Casko (Cartersville, Ga.) finished tied for 101st after shooting a 17-over par score of 233 (73-81-79).
The Trojans will be right back in action this week when they take part in the 2010 Seminole Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla. That event is scheduled to open play on Friday with single rounds all three days.
“If we don't play better than we did this week at Florida State we will get lapped,” Terry said. “There will be a lot of good teams and good players there. We have to start strong and finish strong.”
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