Simon Elfrink
Contributing Writer
The Murray State men’s golf team finished fifth due to a push in the final round on Tuesday, Oct. 15, in the F&M Bank APSU Intercollegiate, hosted by Austin Peay University.
The Racers finished fifth overall, dividing the waters of 11 competing universities with a final score of 862. The Racers knocked off shots in every consecutive round, shooting a line of 291-288-283.
Head Coach Eddie Hunt had mixed feelings about the tournament. Upset with the final outcome, he was able to salvage some good from the third round of play.
“Shooting five under as a team [in the third round] I thought really was a good measure,” Hunt said. “I was disappointed we didn’t finish high. Overall, I think it was a good tournament.”
On the individual level, senior Austin Knight led the way, finishing third overall on a line of 71-67-67–209. He was only two shots shy of tying for first with UT Martin’s Jack Story.
Hunt was impressed with Knight’s performance and admitted he wished he could’ve seen him pick up the title, as he had done two years prior at the same course.
“Austin had a really good chance of winning the tournament,” Hunt said. “He shot 67 today [in the third round] which really put him in a good spot.”
Hunt also commented on the excellence of junior Connor Coombs’s performance. Coombs finished 12th and shot 213.
Senior Justin Wendling participated as an individual golfer in the tournament, and although his showing didn’t contribute to his team’s overall score, he placed 27th on rounds of 72-75-72–219.
The remaining Racers found themselves some distance behind, with only senior Avery Edwards finishing the top 40. He placed 36th after shooting 221. Sophomore James Boone claimed the 50th place shooting 226, and sophomore Dalton Bagwell finished 53rd, shooting 227.
Although the finality of the tournament didn’t yield the results he wanted, Hunt hopes to capitalize on that outstanding third round his team put on in the future.
“With [Coombs] and Austin playing really well, we moved up the last day,” Hunt said. “They played really strong all week and I was really glad to see that. We’re getting more than one player with the lowest scores, so I think that’ll help us next week.”
The Racers look to finish the fall season on Monday, Oct. 21, in Florence, Alabama, at the TVA Community Credit Union Invitational.