Portemont Posts Third Straight Top 10

Friday, March 18

Greenville, SC

Troy University

Furman University

Photo by: Kevin Glackmeyer

3/20/2011 6:51:32 PM | Golf (M)

By: Ricky Hazel

FURMAN INTERCOLLEGIATE RESULTS: PDF | HTML

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Troy senior Zach Portemont closed out a remarkable three-week run of golf with his third consecutive top 10 finish this weekend at the Furman Intercollegiate.

Portemont finished the event with a one-under par score of 215 to tie for 10th in the 22-team tournament. The Trojans finished the event in 13th place overall.

“Zach had another good tournament with a top 10 finish,” Trojans coach Matt Terry said. “That is the third tournament in a row when he has been under par. He is playing as well as anyone we have had in a long time with three top 10s in three big tournaments.”

Clemson (287-289-272=848) fired a tournament record round of 272 (-16) to clinch its second straight Furman Intercollegiate title at the par-72 Furman University Golf Club on Sunday afternoon. Purdue's William Sjaichudin (65-69-72=206) claimed individual medalist honors at 10-under par.

Furman freshman Thomas Bradshaw matched the tournament's single round record and set a new competitive record at the Furman Golf Club, renovated three years ago, by shooting an eight-under 64 on Sunday to move into third place from outside the top 20. East Carolina's Harold Varner finished second at nine-under par.

Clemson coasted to a 12 shot victory over second place Kennesaw State (-4). Virginia Tech (-2), ECU (+3) and the host Palladins (-9) rounded out the top five.

The Trojans had a chance to finish much higher in the event, but some bad luck on Saturday, coupled with a sluggish finish, prevented the team from earning a top 10.

“We had a pair of 69 on Saturday, but we lost Nathan Kinch with stomach cramps in the middle of the round,” Terry said. “He was playing well, but couldn't finish, so we had to take an 81. It comes down to the par fives on Saturday and the finish today.”

The Trojans were +8 on the last four holes on Sunday, which cost them a ninth place finish.

Besides Portemont, the Trojans for had Ricky Casko (+4) finish tied for 41st. Seniors Chase Whitehead (+17) and Reid Merritt (+18) both finished outside the top 100.The freshman Kinch was +1 for the two rounds he completed.

“We have to have some other guys start to play that way if we are going to make a run at conference” Terry said. “We played good in spurts, but there were just too many mistakes. It is the same thing in every round we play. We made a run at the end, but we just made too many mistakes.”

After three straight weeks of play, the Trojans will now enjoy three weeks off before returning to action April 15-17 at Georgia Tech. That will be the teams' final tuneup prior to the Sun Belt Conference championship, which will be held April 25-27.

“I think the guys are due for a little bit of mental rest,” Terry said. “Playing three weeks in a row with all the travel is tough. We don't play again for three weeks until Georgia Tech, and that will be good for them.”