VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Lee University men's golf team placed fifth in a field of 17 teams at the First Federal Southeastern Collegiate 54-hole tournament held at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club and hosted by Valdosta State University.
The Flames got off to a slow team start on Monday morning and posted a 294 total after the first 18 holes. Bennett McNabb was an exception in the round, coming in with a sizzling 4-under par 68. In the afternoon 18, the Flames regrouped and were led by Oliver Lewis-Perkins and Wyatt Brackett with 3-under 69s and McNabb's 2-under 70. Brackett came all the way back from his 80 the same morning.
Things did not go as planned for Coach Evan Spence's team during the final 18 on Tuesday. Lee slipped to a 292 total and registered a 54-hole score of 2-over 866. Nova Southeastern led the event from start to finish and its 852 was three strokes better than the 855 by Georgia Southwestern. Lincoln Memorial was third (861), Shorter (fourth) edging out the Flames with an 862.
Michael Hay of Nova Southeastern and Blake Henriques of Shorter tied for medalist honors with 7-under 209. McNabb placed in a tie for 17th. He had a 78 on Tuesday and a 216 finish. Trey Melvin came back to play consistent golf in the final two rounds. His 74-73-72 gave him a 219 total and a tie with teammate Brackett. He came back from a first round 80 to conclude with a 69 and 70, good for a 34th place tie. Lewis-Perkins struggled after his two first rounds and ballooned to an 80 on Tuesday to finish in a tie for 50th at 222. Noah Ross rounded the scoring. Like his teammate Brackett, Ross fired back with back-to-back par rounds and scored 223, tied for 53rd.
A total of 17 teams took part in the tournament and 90 individual players. The Flames got some great experience by playing at the Kinderlou Forest Golf Club. It will be the sight of the Gulf South Conference tournament as teams qualify for the national tourney.
Coach Evan Spence's thoughts:
"I was disappointed in the finish today, over the last several holes to drop us out of contention for a spot in the top three, but overall there are a lot of positives for us to take out of this week.
"I felt like it was another step in the right direction after starting to knock some of our competitive rust off a couple of weeks ago at Saint Leo. Trey was steady all week. Wyatt and Noah both did a great job battling back for us in rounds one and two after tough opening rounds. Bennett was awesome all day yesterday and I know he will use his struggles today as a learning experience and be better for it moving forward.
"At the end of the day, we don't want to peak in March. We're going to stay patient, keep competing, and keep taking baby steps towards where we want to be in May. I'm confident this group will get there."
