UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Nittany Lion men's golf team won its fifth-straight Rutherford Intercollegiate team title with a final-round 290 for a 3-over 855 total at the Penn State Blue Course April 14. The 855 54-hole total on the 7,219-yard layout for Penn State was second only to the tournament record 844 the Nittany Lions achieved in 2018. UConn's Drake Hull posted a third-round 68 for a 5-under 208 total to claim the 2019 Rutherford Intercollegiate individual title.
"Our team knew they were playing against so many capable teams and had to play very well to win," said Penn State head men's golf coach Greg Nye. "They worked hard in practice and qualifying and it showed up big time today. We got the worst of today's weather and they just played well through it."
Penn State held onto the lead despite Sunday's strong final-round effort from West Virginia (283) and a tournament-low round of 66 from Mountaineer Matthew Sharpstene to move into third place. Eastern Michigan was second overall with a 5-over 857 after posting identical 283 team scores in the first two rounds on Saturday.
Junior Ryan Davis had 12 birdies through the three-round tournament with a 3-under 210 (70-70-70). He made the turn at 2-under and finished his round in a hard, driving rain. He made par on his last four holes to secure the win for the Nittany Lions.
"Ryan Davis lead us in qualifying and did it again in the Rutherford," Nye said. "He came through down the stretch as the last into the house to secure the team win. Lou had worked hard all winter and qualified very well last week and he, like Ryan (Davis), had an awesome Rutherford."
Playing as an individual, Nittany Lion sophomore Louie Olsakovsky tied for fourth with two others with a 2-under 211 (72-67-72). Senior JD Hughes finished in a tie for 16th with a 5-over 218 (76-68-83). Senior Charles Huntzinger and junior Alec Bard tied with two others for 19th, each with 5-over 218 totals to round out the top-20 scoring for Penn State. Senior Ryan Dornes moved up 13 spots with a final-round 71 to finish in a tie for 28th at 220 (74-75-71, +7).
For the latest updates on the team follow @PennStateMGolf on Twitter, "like" the Penn State Men's Golf page on Facebook, and follow head coach Greg Nye on Instagram @CoachNyePSU.
TEAM FINISH
- Penn State (+3)
- Eastern Michigan (+5)
- West Virginia (+10)
- UConn (+11_
- Seton Hall (+21)
- Minnesota (+26)
- Rutgers (+27)
- Loyola (Md.) +29
- Dayton (+36)
- William & Mary (+40)
- Oakland (+41)
- Georgetown (+43)
- Cornell (+65)
TOP-10 INDIVIDUAL FINISHES
- Drake Hull, UConn, 70-70-68=208 (-5)
- David Hicks, William & Mary, 71-69-69=209 (-4)
- Ryan Davis, Penn State, 70-70-70=210 (-3)
T4. Jake Gilkison, Dayton, 72-71-68-211 (-2)
T4. Evan Brown, Loyola (Md.), 73-71-67=211 (-2)
T4. Matthew Sharpestene, West Virginia, 73-72-66= 211 (-2)
*T4. Louie Olsakovsky, Penn State, 72-67-72=211 (-2)
T9. Etienne Papineau, West Virginia, 73-71-69=213 (E)
T9. Jimmy Hervol, UConn, 73-69-71=213 (E)
T9. Ty Celone, Eastern Michigan, 69-71-73=213 (E)
* Played as an individual
PENN STATE FINISHES
3. Ryan Davis – 70-70-70= 210 (-3)
*T4. Louie Olsakovsky – 72-67-72= 211 (-2)
T16. JD Hughes – 76-68-73= 217 (+4)
T19. Alec Bard – 73-69-76= 218 (+5)
T19. Charles Huntzinger – 70-71-77= 218 (+5)
T28. Ryan Dornes – 74-75-71= 220 (+7)
*T35. Lukas Clark -- 71-78-73= 222 (+9)
*T37. Ryan Lee – 76-70-77+223 (+10)
*T52. James McHugh – 76-75-75= 226 (+13)
*T69. Hunter Bruce – 77-79-78= 234 (+21)
* Played as an individual