Oct. 2, 2007
Manakin-Sabot, Va. - Against some of the stiffest competition Penn State has ever faced in a regular season tournament, sophomore Kevin Foley (Somerville, N.J.) shot an astounding 15-under par to win the VCU Shootout, earning medalist honors for the first time his collegiate career.
Foley, last year's Big Ten Freshman of the Year, posted the second lowest 54-hole total in Penn State men's golf history at 201 and led Penn State to its second consecutive win, having won last weekend's Wolf Run Intercollegiate.
As a sophomore contending for his first collegiate win, you'd think Foley would have been nervous.
"I wasn't really nervous because I was playing solid and my game was in control," said Foley, who led the field of 80 players with 16 birdies. "I had the same feelings through the day. They were good feelings, I'll tell you that. My first collegiate win; there's no better feeling than that"
After shooting a career-low 65 in the first round and 68 in the second, Foley held a two shot lead entering the final round, but only lengthened it, shooting 68 and earning medalist honors for the first time. It was Foley's seventh top-10 finish in his collegiate career.
"My approach yesterday seemed to work, so I went out with the same attitude today and had another solid round," Foley said.
Penn State head coach Greg Nye was thrilled with Foley's play and the team's win, calling it one of the biggest regular season wins in Penn State golf history.
"The field strength was phenomenal," said Penn Sate head coach Greg Nye. "Kevin's win has to rank among the top of any I've ever been apart of."
The Nittany Lions, tied with Wisconsin going into the final round, pulled away to beat the Badgers by three strokes, posting scores of 283-279-283. Ranked 29th in the nation by the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, Penn State recorded the fourth best 54-hole team total in school history at 845.
"The strength of the field doesn't bother us," Nye said. "Our players feel like we're a team to be reckoned with and they've proven it. Going up against great opponents and facing high-pressure situations is something they're used to, and that's what helped us."
Fifteen teams, 11 of which qualified for last year's NCAA Men's Golf Championship competed in the tournament, played at Hermitage Country Club's Manakin Course, a 6,955-yard, par-72 course in Manakin-Sabot, Va.
Sophomore Jim Markovitz (Bridgeville, Pa.) recorded the first top-10 finish of his collegiate career, shooting rounds of 70-70-73 (213) and tying for ninth place at three-under par.
"This was the best tournament Jim has played for us at Penn State," Nye said. "We needed him to finish the tournament solidly, and he did."
Senior Harvin Groft (State College, Pa.) tied for 34th place at three-over par after firing rounds of 75-73-71 (219). Redshirt freshman T.J. Howe (Osceola, Pa.) finished at five-over par and tied for 47th place after shooting rounds of 81-69-71 (221). His second-round 69 was the lowest round of his collegiate career.
Senior Robert Rohanna (Waynesburg, Pa.) posted rounds of 73-72-79 (224) to finish at eight-over par.
The Nittany Lions travel to Memphis, Tenn., next week for the Memphis Intercollegiate. The tournament will be held at the Colonial Country Club's South Course on Oct. 8-9.
"We have to refocus and be ready for Memphis," Nye said. "We're on a hot streak and want to stay on it."
Team R1 R2 R3 Total To Par1) Penn State 283 279 283 845 -192) Wisconsin 284 278 286 848 -16T3) Tennessee-Chattanooga 279 287 283 849 -15T3) Wake Forest 289 286 274 849 -15T5) Wichita State 295 282 284 861 -3T5) Virginia Tech 290 283 288 861 -3T7) North Carolina 288 280 297 865 +1T7) VCU 286 288 291 865 +1T7) Southeastern La. 286 291 288 865 +110) Old Dominion 284 295 289 868 +411) Maryland 292 291 293 876 +1212) UNC-Wilmington 292 298 290 880 +1613) Iowa State 297 290 294 881 +1714) South Florida 296 296 292 884 +2015) Liberty 310 291 296 897 +33
Penn State Players R1 R2 R3 Total To Par1) Kevin Foley 65 68 68 201 -15T9) Jim Markovitz 70 70 73 213 -3T34) Harvin Groft 75 73 71 219 +3T47) T.J. Howe 81 69 71 221 +5T62) Robert Rohanna 73 72 79 224 +8