Sept. 12, 2011
Wayzata, Minn. - A remarkable final-round performance by junior Anthony DeGol(Hollidaysburg, Pa.) led the men's golf team to a ninth place finish at the Gopher Invitational on Monday.
After falling in 11th at the conclusion of the second round, the Nittany Lions were determined to stage a comeback in the third and final round. However, with the loss of junior Ernesto Marin(Miami, Fla.) in the middle of the final round due to a severe foot blister, only four players were able to complete the final round. Despite being down a player, the Nittany Lions were able to rise to the occasion to jump two positions up the leader board.
DeGol had a big day on the course with his 2-under-par final round. The talented junior jumped out to all-even start on his first five holes and completed the back nine with a trio of birdies followed by a bogey on the 18th hole. The front nine consisted of a sole birdie and bogey on holes one and five, respectively, with even par on the remaining seven. DeGol wrapped up the tournament tied for 29 with rounds of 77-79-70 (226).
Senior Tommy McDonagh(East Norwalk, Conn.) improved five strokes between the second and final rounds. Shooting a 4-over-par 76 in the third round, McDonagh climbed back up the player leader board to capture 31st place with his 11-over-par 227 (70-81-76) total.
In his collegiate debut, sophomore Shane Stewart (Dublin, Ohio) finished tied for 32 with a three-round total of 228 (78-74-76). Jay Woodward(Bridgeport, W.Va.) fell six strokes behind teammate Stewart to tie for 55 with rounds of 83-76-75 (234). An eagle on the 18th hole highlights Woodward's tournament-best round of 75.
Arkansas, who sat in second at the conclusion of the second round, overcame a four-stroke deficit to capture the tournament title three strokes ahead of second place North Texas. The razorbacks finished with a 16-over-par three-round total of 880 (290-291-299).
Iowa took the top two positions on the player leader board with Chris Brant in first and Barrett Kelpin in second. Brant jumped six positions from the completion of the second round with his 3-under-par 69 score in the final round. The senior finished with rounds of 70-75-69 (214). Kelpin trailed his teammate by one stroke with a 1-under-par 215 (69-71-75) total.
For all final results, please visit Golfstat.
The Nittany Lions will be back in action Sept. 26-27 at the Inverness Intercollegiate.