COLLEGE GROVE, Tenn. - Facing the toughest conditions of the week on the final day of the Intercollegiate at The Grove, the Middle Tennessee men's golf team held their ground to finish in 10th place in the talented field.
The Blue Raiders posted a 16-over 304 on the final day to finish the Intercollegiate at 34-over par (297-297-304-898) on the week.
"Our three, four and five guys, we just didn't get enough good scores out of them and we made too many big numbers to have a really good finish in this tournament," Head Coach Mark McEntire said. "In a field like this, you can't spot the best players in the country as many shots as we did and expect to play well. We've got some good things to work on, I saw some positives out there but I saw some things that we can improve on."
The Grove was exciting all week for the Blue Raiders and their competitors as the field saw the course record 8-under 64 matched on Monday before the winded kicked up on Tuesday to push the scores up on the final day and as Liberty and South Florida vied for the team title all day long.
"The Grove is such a special place," McEntire stated. "To be able to call this home and host this event is fantastic. It's one of the premier events in the country and we're working on ways to keep improving it."
James Beckner finished his final collegiate round at The Grove with the best round for the Blue Raiders, carding a 1-over 73 to earn a tie for 27th at 3-over par 219 (74-72-73) on the week.
Junior Tanner Owens logged the best 54-hole total for Middle Tennessee at 1-under par (71-70-74=215) to finish in a tie for 13th place.
"I'm super proud of Tanner, he played an absolutely fantastic tournament," McEntire added. "I'm very excited for James as well and was glad to see him birdie his last hole at The Grove. It's great for him to finish here on a high note."
The Blue Raiders are back in action next week as they travel to Choudrant, La., for the Jim Rivers Intercollegiate hosted by LA Tech on Oct. 15-16.
"It'll be nice to get away next week and not have to worry about hosting so we can focus on our players a little more," McEntire stated. "There are some things we can work on with their youth and inexperience and they just need to be coached on the course."
