Golden Eagles finish seventh at Orlando Invitational
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. – The Tennessee Tech men’s golf team wrapped up its first event of the spring season Tuesday afternoon, making the final lap around the El Campeón Course at Mission Hills Resort for the final round of the Orlando Invitational.
By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. – The Tennessee Tech men's golf team wrapped up its first event of the spring season Tuesday afternoon, making the final lap around the El Campeón Course at Mission Hills Resort for the final round of the Orlando Invitational.
The purple and gold finished seventh overall among the 14 teams in competition, rounding out the two-day tournament with a 303 for a total of 894. Tech finished just three shots back of co-host Cleveland State for sixth and within five of fifth-place Youngstown State.
Wright State claimed the tournament title with a dominant performance, finishing five shots under par as a team with an 859, 21 shots better than runner-up Stetson. The Raiders' Tyler Goecke took home the individual crown with a 6-under, 210.
For the Golden Eagles, it was Chance Taylor pacing the week of play, producing a 221 overall. The junior tied for 15th in the field of 83, scoring a 76 after a round that included a whopping 15 pars.
Tying for 22nd overall was Mark McDearman, who shot a 2-over 74 in his final run through the course. The sophomore completed the weekend with a 223 composite score, ripping off a pair of birdies and an eagle in the third round.
Finishing just one shot back of his teammate, Nick Sutton rounded out his first spring tournament with a 4-over 76 and 224 total. He delivered a birdie in the final round, placing 26th on the final leaderboard.
Not far behind was Jackson Skeen, using a trio of birdies to turn in a 77 over his final 18 holes of action. The redshirt freshman tied for 34th, wrapping things up with a 228.
Senior Bracton Womack carded a 77 with three birdies in the final round, tying for 37th with a final score of 229. Rounding out the Tech participants while competing as an individual was Bryce Beeler. The junior snagged a pair of birdies while totaling a 250 with a final round of 84.
The Tech squad will take a week away from competition before returning to the links Sunday, Mar. 13 through Tuesday, Mar. 22 to host the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate. As is tradition, the purple and gold's annual tournament will be held on the River Course at Sevierville Golf Club in Sevierville, Tenn.
| Top 5 Teams: | ||||||
| 1. | Wright State | 284-289-286=859 | -5 | |||
| 2. | Stetson | 301-290-289=880 | +16 | |||
| 3. | Purdue Fort Wayne | 290-294-297=881 | +17 | |||
| 4. | Oakland | 294-295-294=883 | +19 | |||
| 5. | Youngstown State | 297-291-301=889 | +25 | |||
| 7. | Tennessee Tech | 299-292-303=894 | +30 | |||
| Leaderboard (83) Golfers) | ||||||
| 1. | Tyler Goecke (Wright State) | 70-72-68=210 | -6 | |||
| T-15. | Chance Taylor | 75-70-76=221 | +5 | |||
| T-22. | Mark McDearman | 76-73-74=223 | +7 | |||
| 26. | Nick Sutton | 74-74-76=224 | +8 | |||
| T-34. | Jackson Skeen | 76-75-77=228 | +12 | |||
| T-37. | Bracton Womack | 74-78-77=229 | +13 | |||
| 80. | Bryce Beeler* | 87-79-84=250 | +38 | |||
| *competed as an individual | ||||||
File photo by Thomas Corhern
