April 22, 2009

Final Stats

BUIES CREEK, N.C. - Falling prey to the blustery conditions and the hardening greens, the Kennesaw State men's golf team tumbled down the leaderboard to finish eighth at the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship on Wednesday.

The Owls, who started the day in third place with an even-par 257 total, turned in the final round's highest score, a 318, to drop to their lowest finish in three tries at the A-Sun. They were not the only team to falter down the stretch, as the average score for the round (77.04) was nearly three strokes higher than round one (74.40).

Host Campbell (279-286-302-867) held on for the wire-to-wire victory, outlasting defending champion North Florida (288-284-302) for a seven-stroke win. Mercer came in third after turning in the lowest total in the final round, with No. 30 East Tennessee State and Florida Gulf Coast rounding out the top five.

The Bucs' Michael Stewart managed the day's only under par round, a 71, slipping past the Camels' Vaita Guillaume by a single stroke to claim the individual title. Stewart became the third-straight ETSU golfer to claim the individual crown, joining Gareth Shaw and Seamus Power who won the last two years respectively.

It seemed like all of the good breaks the Owls were going to get came in the first two rounds, leaving nothing but bad ones for Wednesday.

Despite a final round 80, Michael Tulacz managed a top ten finish in his final collegiate event. Tulacz, who held the lead all alone after 45 holes, came down the stretch eight-over par over his final nine holes to finish tied for eighth at 218. His 13 birdies led the field while his even-par average on the course's par threes was good for a tie for third.

Jeff Karlsson was the lone Owl to hold his ground on the leaderboard, maintaining his tie for 14th after making the clubhouse in 78 on Wednesday. Karlsson's 221 total was just three strokes shy of a top ten finish, while his 78 was one of only two rounds in the 70's for the Black and Gold on the day. The Owls freshman led the field in par five scoring after going seven-under on the week, marking the second time this year he has paced a field in that category.

J.P. Putnam turned in the Owls other round in the 70's, just slipping in with a 79 to drop to a tie for 37th at 227. Putnam, who finished second with 40 pars, played the Black and Gold's most consistent round after recording par or better scores on 14 of 18 holes and shooting an even-par frontside 36. A nine on the par four 16th cost Putnam his third-straight 74 and a potential spot inside the top 20.

Matthew Nagy and Chad Wilson completed the Owls scoring. Nagy continued to struggle after an even-par opening round, finishing 40th following a Wednesday 81. Wilson also couldn't find the red numbers in the difficult conditions either, firing an 11-over 83 to come in 53rd.

The Championship was the Owls last event for the 2008-09 season. Despite the difficult finish, the season did see its share of success with two top three team finishes and seven individual top five's.

Stay tuned to www.ksuowl.com for breaking news on the Kennesaw State men's golf team, including a full season review and offseason recruiting news.