Tulane University
Carolina First Intercollegiate
Tulane Golf Notches Top Five Finish at First Reliance Intercollegiate
Sep 23, 2003 | Men's Golf
Sept. 23, 2003
FLORENCE, S.C. - The Tulane men's golf team claimed its first top five finish since the first tournament of 2002-03 and was just four strokes out of a first-place playoff after combining for a final round 295 Tuesday at the First Reliance Intercollegiate in Florence, S.C. The Green Wave placed fifth with a team score of 13-over par 877 for the 54-hole event played at The Country Club of South Carolina in Florence.
Tulane finished two strokes behind fourth place Charlotte and three behind South Alabama, which was third. Jacksonville State won the event over Southern Miss in a one-hole playoff. The Green Wave finished ahead of nine other teams, including Conference USA foes South Florida and East Carolina.
In the individual race, Tulane's Bill Roach, Jr. finished second by two strokes behind medalist Gareth Maybin of South Alabama. Leading by one stroke after the first 36 holes, Roach shot a three-over par 75 in Tuesday's final round to record the best finish of his collegiate career. The junior from Knoxville, Tenn. posted a final score of two-under par 214, also his career best.
Roach was joined in the Top Ten by Green Wave standout Chris Wheeler, who fired the best round of the day for Tulane with a two-under par 70 to finish tied for eighth at one-over par 217. Freshman Michael Thompson came in with a two-over 74 for a 54-hole total of five-over par 221 to notch a Top 20 finish with a tie for 19th. Junior Mark Sullivan added a 76 in the final round to tie for 40th with a 10-over par 226.
"Bill (Roach) and Chris (Wheeler) are the two bellcows of our team," said head coach Tom Shaw. "They have to play good for us to have a chance. We felt like we let something get away from us today, but if you look at it, we were only four shots out of a playoff, which is not much of a difference in college golf.
"We want to take this tournament and build on it through the rest of the fall and into the spring."
The Green Wave is next in action October 13-14th at the SMU Invitational in Dallas.
TEAM SCORES
** 1. Jacksonville St. 295- 282- 296= 873 (+9)
2. Southern Mississippi 295- 290- 288= 873 (+9)
3. South Alabama 291- 294- 289= 874 (+10)
4. Charlotte 284- 297- 294= 875 (+11)
5. Tulane University 287- 295- 295= 877 ( +13)
6. South Florida 294- 294- 290= 878 (+14)
7. East Carolina Univ. 293- 289- 302= 884 (+20)
8. Coastal Carolina 290- 300- 299= 889 (+25)
9. Old Dominion Univ. 298- 295- 298= 891 (+27)
Campbell University 294- 299- 298= 891 (+27)
11. Francis Marion 301- 305- 303= 909 (+45)
12. Texas Pan American 310- 301- 300= 911 ( +47)
13. Georgia Coll & St. 298- 301- 316= 915 (+51)
14. Va. Commonwealth 309- 302- 305= 916 (+52)
INDIVIDUAL SCORES
2. Bill Roach, Jr. 69- 70- 75= 214 (-2)
t8. Chris Wheeler 72- 75- 70= 217 (+1)
t19. Michael Thompson 70- 77- 74= 221 (+5)
t40. Mark Sullivan 76- 74- 76= 226 (+10)
69. Kyle Ritchie 77- 76- 84= 237 (+21)
-- THINK GREEN! --
