Penn State finishes 10th as host East Tennessee State takes Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate

   Penn State could be forgiven for being a little rusty in its first tournament action in a month last weekend, although the Nittany Lions probably would have been no match for host East Tennessee State, which edged Louisville by a shot to claim its first Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate team title in its 21^st start in the event.

   Penn State had opened the season in impressive fashion by capturing the team title in the Rod Myers Invitational, hosted by Duke. But a rain cloud had been following the Nittany Lions around since then as first the Virginia Commonwealth Janney Invitational and then Cincinnati’s Bear Invitational were rained out.

   So Penn State was probably just happy to be on the golf course last weekend, even if the result was a 10^th-place finish in defense of a team title the Nittany Lions won a year ago at the Blackthorn Club at the Ridges in Jonesborough, Tenn.

   East Tennessee State got the jump on the field with a sizzling 18-under 270 last Friday over the 7,147-yard, par-72 Blackthorn Club layout and never really backed off, adding a 9-under 279 Saturday and finishing up with a 5-under 283 that gave the Bucs a 32-under 832 total as they held off hard-charging Louisville.

   The Cardinals, behind individual winner Simon Zach, a senior from the Czech Republic, strung together three strong rounds themselves, opening with an 11-under 277, adding a 9-under 279 and finishing up with another 11-under 277 that left them at 31-under 833.

   Tennessee wasn’t much further back in third at 29-under 835. The Volunteers had a strong first two rounds, an 11-under 277 and a 10-under 278, before falling back a little with a final round of 8-under 280.

   Kent State got off to a pretty hot start itself with a opening round of 12-under 276 and doing that one better with a 13-under 275 Saturday that left it trailing East Tennessee State by just two shots heading into the final round. The Golden Flashes could only match par in the final round with a 288 that left them in fourth place at 25-under 839.

   Virginia Tech was another six shots behind Kent State in fifth place with a 19-under 845 total as the Hokies finished up with an 8-under 280 in Sunday’s final round.

   Penn State started slowly with a 6-over 294 before rebounding with a pair of 6-under 282 rounds that gave the Nittany Lions a solid 6-under 858 total. Not bad, but not in the same zip code as the top three teams.

   Jim Wilkes gave his young Villanova team a taste of the big time with a trip to Jonesborough and the Wildcats finished last in the field of 14 with a 27-over 891 total. After opening with a 299, Villanova posted a pair of 8-over 296 rounds Saturday and Sunday.

   You’ll never hear me criticize a coach for seeking some tough competition for his team. It can only make the Wildcats better in the long run.

   East Tennessee State was led by Shiso Go, a sophomore from Japan, who was the runnerup to Zach with a 14-under 202 total. Go matched Zach’s brilliant opening round with a 9-under 63 and added a 4-under 68 to take the lead at 13-under 131.

   Zach finished up with a 6-under 66 that enabled him to just get by Go, who finished up with a 1-under 71. I’m sure that elusive team trophy the Bucs earned was a nice consolation prize for Go.

   Geuntae Kim, a senior from South Korea, backed up Go by finishing among the group tied for 10^th at 8-under 208. After opening with a 1-over 73, Kim ripped off rounds of 67 and 68.

   Trevor Hulbert, a redshirt junior from Orlando, Fla., had the Bucs’ second-best round, a 6-under 66, of their blazing opening round and went on to finish in the group tied for 12^th at 7-under 209.

   Jack Rhea, a sophomore from Jonesborough, Tenn., finished among the group tied for 22^nd at 3-under 213, his effort highlighted by an opening round of 4-under 68. Dhaivat Pandya, a freshman from Dayton, Ohio, finished alone in 76^th at 230, which included a solid even-par 72 in Saturday’s second round.

   Zach opened with a 9-under 63, fell behind Go with an even-par 72 in the second round and then closed with a 6-under 66, sparking Louisville’s final-round surge and gaining the individual title in the process with a 15-under 201 total.

   East Carolina’s Blake Taylor, a junior from Atkinson, N.C., was another shot behind Go in third at 13-under 203 as he had three rounds in the 60s, a pair of 5-under 67s in the first two rounds and a final round of 3-under 69.

   Louisville also got a strong showing from Matthias Schmid, a sophomore from Germany who finished fourth with a 12-under 204 total. Schmid also had three rounds in the 60s, opening with a 69, adding a 67 in the second round and finishing up with a 68.

   Coastal Carolina junior Zack Taylor, who finished tied for fourth in the 2014 PIAA Class AAA Championship as a senior at Baldwin, finished fifth at 11-under 205, including a sparkling 6-under 66 in the second round.

   Missouri’s Jamie Stewart, a sophomore from Scotland, Virginia Tech’s Connor Johnson Jr., a freshman from Richmond, Va., and Tennessee’s Rhys Nevin-Wharton, a junior from England, shared sixth place, each landing on 10-under 206.

   Stewart added a final-round 69 to his back-to-back 68s in the first two rounds, Johnson started fast with a 6-under 66 and finished up with a 68 and Nevin-Wharton sandwiched a 2-under 70 with a pair of 4-under 68s.

   Penn State got an encouraging effort from senior Ryan Dornes, the runnerup in the 2014 PIAA Class AAA Championship as a senior at Manheim Township. Dornes opened with a 3-under 69, added a 1-over 73 and finished strong with a 4-under 68, tying his career best at Penn State, and was the Nittany Lions’ top finisher, ending up alone in 16^th at 6-under 210.

   Ryan Davis, a junior from Berkeley Heights, N.J., finally shook off the rust with a career best final round of 6-under 66 as he and teammate Charles Huntzinger, a senior from Duluth, Ga., were among the group tied for 42^nd at 1-over 217. Huntzinger sandwiched a 1-under 71 with a pair of 1-over 73s.

   Senior JD Hughes, a Carlisle product who won the 2017 Pennsylvania Amateur title at White Manor Country Club, sandwiched a 4-under 68 with a pair of 4-over 76s to finish among the group tied for 55^th at 220.

   Rounding out the Penn State lineup was Alec Bard, a junior from New Hartford, N.Y. who finished in the group tied for 63^rd at 222. Bard’s best round was a 2-under 70 in Saturday’s second round.

Also making the trip for Penn State and competing as an individual was sophomore Lukas Clark, a former Council Rock South standout who finished in the group tied for 66^th at 223. His final round of even-par 72 was a college career best.

   Villanova was paced by its best player, Connor Daly, a junior from Bronxville, N.Y. who finished among the group tied for 47^th at 2-over 218 as he sandwiched a 2-under 70 with a pair of 2-over 74s.

   Reb Banas, a sophomore Winnetka, Ill., finished among the group tied for 66^th at 224 after a final-round 74. Freshman Matt Davis, a four-year standout at Malvern Prep, finished alone in 70^th place at 225 after a final-round 75.

   Another freshman, Jack O’Hara of Loudonville, N.Y., finished in the group tied for 77^th at 231 after a solid 1-over 73 in the final round and Mark Benevento, a redshirt junior from Ocean City, N.J., rounded out the Villanova lineup as he finished among the group tied for 79^th at 233 after adding an 81 to a pair of 76s.