Sept. 15, 2009
FLORENCE, S.C. -
In its first competition of the 2009-10 season, the Samford University men's golf team placed 16th at the 25th-annual Springhill Suites Intercollegiate hosted by Francis Marion University. The Bulldogs finished the two-day tournament with a 36-hole score of 885 (296-291-298).
"I'm proud of our guys and I think that they really played well," said Samford head coach Woodie Eubanks. "We had three true freshmen in the lineup and they were some of our best scorers this week. They have a lot of talent and I'm amazed that they were able to play this well in their first ever college tournament."
Samford was led at the Springhill Suites Intercollegiate by true freshmen Casey O'Toole and Gabe Hyde. O'Toole fired an even-par 72 on Tuesday while Hyde carded a team-best 71. O'Toole finished the two-day competition as the 30th-ranked player in the field. Hyde, the Bulldogs' native of Hoover, Ala., placed 38th.
As a team, Samford placed 16th in the season-opening tournament, but was only nine strokes shy of the 12th-place position.
Georgia Southern earned the team title for a second-straight year and finished with a three-round total of 847 (285-280-282). Fellow Southern Conference-rival Western Carolina placed second with an 849 (282-282-285), while South Carolina-Aiken rounded out the top three with a final team score of 852 (282-278-292).
Elon's Jayson Judy and Appalachian State's Casey Johnson finished tied for individual medalist honors Tuesday. Both golfers carded identical 36-hole scores of 207 in the Springhill Suites Intercollegiate held at the Country Club of South Carolina.
"This course has hosted a lot of SoCon Championships and a majority of these teams have played here a number of times already," Eubanks said. "I think that's why the scores were so low this week, and I'm especially proud of our freshmen, because they shot so well and this was their first time here. They have a lot of talent and it bodes well for our future."
Samford senior Jeremy Cox tallied a three-round score of 228 (75-74-79), while freshman Bill Nabors carded a 231 (72-76-83). Junior Martin Bunt rounded out the Bulldogs' lineup with a 36-hole total of 234 (74-84-76).
The Samford University men's golf team will next be in action Sept. 25-27 at the 2009 Elon Intercollegiate, which will be held at the Sea Trail Golf Resort in Sunset Beach, N.C.
