Slow start stymies Augusta men's golf at Linger Longer Invitational tournament
By Justin Brosemer | Sports writer
Augusta men’s golf program took 15th place in the Linger Longer Invitational on Sunday, March 14, in Eatonton at the Great Waters Golf Course.
“It was a very disappointing finish for us,” AU Coach Jack O’Keefe stated. “We put ourselves in a bad position starting off how poorly we did, but I saw things I liked in Day Two. Ben (van Wyk) carried us again and played very nicely. He birdied the last hole. It just shows you the type of competitor he is.”
Ben van Wyk led the charge for the Jaguars, tying for 16th with his 1-under-par, 215 combined score effort. Dan Sheehan finished the weekend with a score of 226 for a tie for 58th place. The pair of Alex van Wyk and Dawson Booth shared a 65th place with a score of 228 each. Hampus Wijkstrom rounded out the Jaguars five with his 81st-place effort with a combined score of 240.
“I don’t think I have reached my highest level of ability yet,” Ben van Wyk said. “I know I have more in me, and the team talked about how we can improve heading into our next competition, so we will all be practicing this week in preparation for that.”
Charlotte would go on to win the Linger Longer Invitational, shooting 25-under-par and scoring 839 over the three-round tournament. Georgia Tech (850), Virginia (855), Louisiana Tech (860) and Florida Gulf Coast University (867) rounded out the top five.
Other programs included High Point, University of Memphis, Chattanooga, Middle Tennessee State, Toledo, Kennesaw State, Mercer, Troy, North Alabama and Georgia State.
The tournament was co-hosted by Kennesaw State and Mercer.
“We got to look for a better mental approach,” O’Keefe said, “especially for our next tournament in Florida, against a really strong field. We’ll be looking to incorporate new strategies to hopefully put us in a better position to win heading into those final rounds coming up.”
The Jaguars will compete in the John Hayt Intercollegiate hosted by North Florida at the Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., on March 28-29.
Note: In the photo at the top of the page, Dan Sheehan shows his form off the tee. (photo by AU Athletics)
Contact Justin Brosemer jbrosemer@augusta.edu.
