Golf takes fifth at Columbus

The GCSU golf team came up short in a competitive Aflac Cougar Invitational hosted by Columbus State University on Oct. 4 to 5.

The Bobcats finished fifth, but were well within striking distance in both portions of the tournament, which was structured differently from past tournaments.

On the first day of the tournament, the No. 4 Bobcats fired a total score of 579 through the first two rounds, just three shots behind the overall leader, Columbus State, at 576. North Alabama and Valdosta State both shot a 577, while Barry University shot a 578.

The other teams competing in the tournament were Lander University, Delta State University, Queen’s, University of Charlotte, Florida Southern College, Flagler College, Carson-Newman College, Georgia Southwestern, Clayton State University and Florida Tech.

After shooting a two-over par 73 in the first round, senior Joe Young fired a 69 in the second round to pull to even par at 142 to finish the day tied for fifth overall.

Sophomore Patrick Garrett finished second on the team and 27th overall on the first day with a six-over 148. Garrett shot an even 71 in the first round and then followed up with a 77 in the second round.

Sophomore Bernardo Bide finished the first two rounds eight over with a 150 after a 74 in the first round and a 76 in the second, leaving him 39th on the leader board.

Freshman Gavin Harper finished tied with Bide after firing a 70 in the opening round and an 80 in the second round. Also joining Bide and Harper was senior Matthew Yonz, who shot an 81 in the first round before bouncing back with a strong 69 in the second.

The second day of the tournament was structured more according to how the national championships will work according to Young.

The top eight teams out of the original 14 met in medal match play. In the new format, golfers from each team face another player from each of the other seven teams.

How low they shoot depends on the number of points per team. Instead of the bottom of each team’s main five competitors being dropped from the totals, everybody counts in this format, according to Young.

In this portion, the Bobcats once again finished fifth but were only a point and a half shy of winning. However, Young emerged the winner on the second day. North Alabama came away with the team title for the second day.

“It’s not a win, and that’s why we play these tournaments; to win,” Young said. “But it was good for us. We were able to build experience, and we were able to take some positive steps in that direction.”

The Bobcats return to action Oct. 11 to 12 when they compete in the Mizuno Savannah Invitational. This will be their last fall tourney.

Posted by Scotty Thompson on Oct 8 2010. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.