__Sophomore Hurson places 11th individually__
Sophomore Doug Hurson continued his successful year for the Tribe, posting scores of 71 and 74 over two rounds at the William and Mary Invitational to lead the College to a ninth-place finish. The tournament, which was won by Campbell University, featured 21 schools from around the nation competing at Kingsmill Golf Resort in Williamsburg.
p. Hurson, who placed 11th individually, has been the Tribe’s top finisher in four of their six tournaments this year. The sophomore led the entire field in par five scoring, shooting a combined four-under-par on Kingsmill’s longest holes.
p. “Doug had a solid performance and continues to prove himself as one of our top players,” Head Coach Jay Albaugh said. “He used good course management both days and that led to his good finish.”
p. Every member of the Tribe roster participated in their home invitational, but only five golfers competed at the varsity level. Sophomore Brent Paladino shot consecutive rounds of 74 to finish in a tie for 20th with 148 strokes. Juniors Jonas Miller and Jimmy Femino combined to shoot 158 after final rounds of 78 and 80, respectively. Senior captain Matt Brantingham’s score of 160 was not enough to factor into the College’s team total.
p. The Tribe’s finish would have been improved had senior Ryan Price and freshman Conor O’Brien been playing on the varsity roster. Price’s two-round total of 148 tied him with Paladino in 20th position and O’Brien’s 153 strokes placed him in 51st, four shots ahead of both Miller and Femino.
p. Fredric Sundberg of Campbell captured medalist honors, firing rounds of three-under 67 and two-under 70 to beat out Detroit University’s Mark Sommerfield by two shots.
p. The Invitational’s first round was played on Kingsmill’s Plantation Course, with the final round being contested at the resort’s famed River Course. Tuesday’s final round proved more of a challenge for the field, as the overall scoring average rose almost a full stroke. In addition to playing the River at 6,831 yards, tournament officials placed the holes in the same locations to be faced by Annika Sorenstam, Natalie Gulbis and the stars of the Ladies’ Professional Golf Association during the final round of the LPGA Tour’s Michelob ULTRA Open on the River Course in May.
p. Thanks in large part to Hurson’s impressive showing on the par fives, the Tribe led the field in par five scoring, totaling eight-under for the tournament. Birdies were no problem for the College either, as the Tribe racked up 26 of them en route to the second-highest team total in the event. But a lack of consistency eventually caught up to the College. Though the team performed well on the long holes, they never found an answer for Kingsmill’s shortest, failing to crack the top 15 in par three scoring. The Tribe also failed to make the top 15 in pars made.
p. The College will look to build on their finish when they travel to Grasonville, Md. this weekend to compete in The Lacrosse Homes Collegiate Invitational.
