After opening its spring season with a pair of seventh place team finishes in the Kiawah Island Intercollegiate in February and in the Bash at the Beach two weeks ago, the Tribe entered last weekend’s C&F Bank Intercollegiate with hopes of improving its season.
Despite the College’s best intentions, Missouri claimed the C&F Bank Intercollegiate with an 18-over, 870 gross team score, setting a new tournament record. UNC-Greensboro managed a late charge and finished just two strokes behind, 20 over with an 872 total score. CAA rival Old Dominion rounded out the top three, finishing with an identical 872 score, 20 over par.
After shooting a combined 7-over in Sunday’s first round, the College struggled on Monday, slipping from No. 7 to No. 14 in the overall team standings. The Tribe rebounded in Tuesday’s final round to notch a 43-over par final score, good for No. 11 overall.
Individually, Winthrop’s Kamito Hirai captured the individual crown with a 2-under 211. Hirai’s 2-under total score also broke the tournament record. Missouri’s Jace Long and Francis Marion’s Sebastian Backlund tied for No. 2, shooting an even par at 213.
The College was led by junior Jeremy Wells, who finished No. 19 with an overall 7-over, 200. Sophomore Will Smith finished tied for No. 43 at 12-over, while freshman Charlie Kern finished tied for No. 53 at 13-over.
Wells, Kern and sophomore Tanner Taddeo’s play on the first day allowed the College to post a solid, 7-over score on the first day, which left the College tied for the No. 7 position. Wells attacked the treacherous Kingsmill River Course, securing a 1-under 70, the ninth best individual round of the day. Kern followed up with an even par 71, while Taddeo added a 3-over 74.
Kern and Taddeo finished the day tied for No. 14 and No. 51, respectively. Sophomore Patrick Leisure recorded a 5-over, while freshman Alex Hicks provided the College’s final team scoring effort with an 8-over outing.
Resuming play Monday, the Tribe could not capitalize on Sunday’s good start, and instead fell victim to strong winds. Wells, Kern, Hicks, Leisure and Taddeo combined for a 32-over 309 and tied for No. 14.
Wells was again the low man for the College, but shot a 7-over 78 Monday, taking his two round total to 6-over, leaving him tied for 28th overall. Kern shot 8-over 79, leaving him two stroked behind Wells in a tie for No. 44. Smith, who was playing as an individual, finished the round as the third-highest Tribe player on the leaderboard, as his 77 propelled him to a 9-over two-day total.
In the overall tournament, Missouri’s Long and Emilio Cuartero both shot 2-under, allowing the Tigers to stay atop the team leaderboard at 8-over. ODU finished Monday’s action at No. 2, five strokes back and 13-over, while UNC-Greensboro rounded out the top three with a 15-over.
Following its unsatisfying performance, the College looked to end the tournament on a high note in Tuesday’s final round. Wells rebounded, shooting a 1-over 71 to bring his three day total to 7-over. Smith’s 74 was the second-best score of the day, and was the second best score of the tournament for the Tribe. Kern carded a final round 76, finishing 13-over for the tournament. Leisure’s 1-over 72 landed him in a tie for No. 60 at 14-over, while Hicks finished at 16-over.
The College will take two weeks off and resume play in State College at Penn State’s Rutherford Intercollegiate on April 7-8.
