USCA captures Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate golf title, FMU places 3rd

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC – USC Aiken, the top-ranked team in NCAA Division II, fired a final-round 306 team score to complete a wire-to-wire win at the fourth-annual Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate Men’s Golf Tournament, held on Hilton Head Island, S.C. USCA’s Roberto Diaz fired a 2-under-par 70, Tuesday’s low round of the day, to capture medalist honors with a 54-hole tally of 214.

USCA finished with a team score of 897, eight strokes ahead of the University of Richmond (905). The Spiders, along with Presbyterian College, carded the low team score of Tuesday at 301 to jump ahead of host Francis Marion University. FMU fired a 314 score on Tuesday and fell back to third place with a 54-hole total of 907. USC Upstate (912) finished fourth, while Presbyterian was fifth at 919.

USCA won the inaugural event in 2006, while defending tournament champion Elon University placed eighth in this year’s event.

The 16-team tournament was played on the par 72, 6,828-yard Wexford Plantation course.

Diaz entered the final round tied with teammate J.P. Solis at the top of the individual standings, but ended the day four strokes ahead of USC Upstate’s Josh Gallman (71-76-71=218). Rounding out the top five finishers were Michael Shrader of Richmond (73-76-71=220), Solis (69-75-77=221), and Robert Lindstrom of Richmond (73-74-75=222).

Junior Christopher Couch led the Francis Marion golfers as he carded a final-round 79 to place eighth at 226. FMU seniors Keith Crowley (final round 75) and Ronan O’Connor (78) tied for 10th place at 228, while senior Andrew Pitcher (82) tied for 14th position at 229 and senior Peter McGibney (85) tied for 33rd place at 234.

FMU junior Matt Jackson competed as an individual and shot a 76 on Tuesday to finish tied for 16th at 230.

Only eight sub-par rounds were recorded during the 54 holes by the 81 golfers.

Francis Marion will compete in the Cleveland Golf Palmetto Intercollegiate Tournament, March 9-10, in Aiken, S.C.


Final results

Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate (Men’s Golf) Tournament
Dates: Feb. 23-24, 2009
Round: 3 FINAL RESULTS Par-Yardage: 72-6828
COLLEGIATE SCORING SYSTEM GOLFSTAT.COM
COPYRIGHT ©, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, GOLFSTAT Bloomington, IL
Fin. School Scores
1 South Carolina-Aiken 292 299 306 897 +33
2 Richmond, Univ. of 299 305 301 905 +41
3 Francis Marion U. 300 293 314 907 +43
4 USC Upstate 306 302 304 912 +48
5 Presbyterian College 316 302 301 919 +55
6 Wofford College 306 312 310 928 +64
7 Cleveland State U. 308 313 308 929 +65
8 Elon University 305 311 318 934 +70
9 Davidson College 322 310 304 936 +72
10 Ohio University 310 311 318 939 +75
11 George Mason Univ. 320 312 319 951 +87
12 Marshall University 332 307 318 957 +93
13 St. Joseph's Univer. 332 331 309 972 +108
14 Bowling Green State 327 316 330 973 +109
15 George Washington 317 322 335 974 +110
16 Rhode Island, U. of 324 332 327 983 +119

Fin. Name (School) Scores
1 Roberto Diaz (USCA) 70 74 70 214 -2
2 Josh Gallman (USC Upstate) 71 76 71 218 +2
3 Michael Shrader (Richmond) 73 76 71 220 +4
4 J.P. Solis (USCA) 69 75 77 221 +5
5 Robert Lindstrom (Richmond) 73 74 75 222 +6
6 Michael Saari (Davidson) 75 76 73 224 +8
7 Garrett Medeiros (Wofford) 74 77 74 225 +9
8 Christopher Couch (Fr. Marion) 72 75 79 226 +10
9 Patrick Elber (Cleve. St.) 74 77 76 227 +11
10 Thomas Todd (PC) 80 73 75 228 +12
Keith Crowley (Fr. Marion) 78 75 75 228 +12
Kevin Grady (USCA) 76 72 80 228 +12
Ronan O'Connor (Fr. Marion) 78 72 78 228 +12

By Michael G. Hawkins