Southern Mississippi rolls to easy win in ECU Intercollegiate; Temple finishes seventh

    With four finishers among the top eight, Southern Mississippi rolled to a 21-shot victory in the ECU Intercollegiate, which wrapped up Tuesday at Brook Valley Country Club in Greenville, N.C.

   It was the first tournament victory in three years for the Golden Eagles, who play out of Conference USA. The only team in the Golfstat top 100 in the field at No. 78, Southern Mississippi was the picture of consistency over the tough 6,830-yard, par-72 Brook Valley layout, carding back-to-back 1-under-par 287s in Monday’s double round before closing with a 2-over 290 in Tuesday’s final round for an even-par 864 total.

   Southland Conference representative Francis Marion was the best of the rest as the Patriots finished 21 shots behind Southern Miss in second place with a 21-over 885 total. Francis Marion matched Southern Miss’ opening round of 1-under 287, but couldn’t maintain its early momentum. The Patriots added a 10-over 298 in Monday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 300.

   Host East Carolina, out of the American Athletic Conference, finished three shots behind Francis Marion in third place with a 24-over 888 total. The Pirates added a 10-over 298 in Monday afternoon’s second round to their opening-round 299 before finishing up with a solid 3-over 291.

   Big South entry Gardner-Webb, behind co-medalist Zack Byers, a senior from Shelby, N.C., was two shots behind East Carolina in fourth place with a 26-over 890 total. The Runnin’ Bulldogs were solid during Monday’s double round, adding a 9-over 297 in Monday afternoon’s second round to their opening round of 3-over 291 before closing with a 302.

   Oakland, out of the Horizon League, was three shots behind Gardner-Webb in fifth place with a 29-over 893 total as the Golden Grizzlies got off to a solid start with a 2-over 290, but backed off with a 300 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 303.

   It was another 11 shots back to Western Carolina in sixth place with a 40-over 904 total as the Catamounts, who play out of the Southern Conference, sandwiched a 304 in Monday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 12-over 300s.

   It was a little bit of a disappointing trip for Temple, an AAC rival of East Carolina, as the Owls finished three shots behind Western Carolina in seventh place in the 12-team field with a 907 total. It wasn’t so much the seventh-place finish, but I’m sure the Owls left Greenville thinking they can play better.

   After a decent start with an 8-over 296 in the opening round, head coach Brian Quinn’s Owls fell back with a 304 in Monday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 307.

   Leading the way for Southern Miss were Brice Wilkinson, a senior from Madison, Miss., and Ryan Dupuy, a freshman from Baton Rouge, La., both of whom finished in a tie for third place, landing on 3-under 213, two shots behind the co-medalists, Gardner-Webb’s Byers and West Virginia’s Max Green, a freshman from Hilton Head Island, S.C. who was competing as an individual.

   Wilkinson opened with a 3-under 69, fell back with a 74 in Monday afternoon’s second round and closed with a solid 2-under 70. Dupuy got off to a strong start with a 4-under 68, cooled off in Monday afternoon’s second round with a 73 and matched par in the final round with a 72.

   Robbie Latter, a sophomore from Canada, and Thongpipat Rattanayanon, a sophomore from Thailand, gave Southern Mississippi four finishers among the top eight as they ended up in a tie for eighth place, each landing on 3-over 219.

   Latter and Rattanayanon had identical splits, each adding a solid 2-under 70 in Monday afternoon’s second round to an opening-round 75 and finishing up with a 2-over 74.

   Rounding out the Southern Mississippi lineup was Hunter Atkins, a sophomore from West Point, Miss. who finished among the group tied for 53^rd place with a 235 total. Atkins added a 78 in Monday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 75 before struggling to an 84 in the final round.

   Southern Mississippi’s Warwick Purchase, a sophomore from South Africa, competed as an individual and made a strong bid for a spot in the Golden Eagles’ starting lineup as he finished among a trio of players tied for 10^th place with a 4-over 220 total.

   After struggling to a 77 in the opening round, Purchase bounced back with a 3-under 69 before finishing up with a 2-over 74.

   It looked like West Virginia’s Green was on his way to the individual title when he built a three-shot lead with a pair of 3-under 69s in Monday’s double round. Gardner-Webb’s Byers was five shots behind Green after adding a 1-under 71 to his opening round of even-par 72.

   But Byers put together a final round of 4-under 68 that included six birdies and two bogeys to catch Green for a share of medalist honors, each landing on 5-under 211. Byers’ 68 was the low round of the day in Tuesday’s final round. Green closed with a 1-over 73, but still came away with his first career tournament win.

   Following the Southern Mississippi pair of Wilkinson and Dupuy that shared third place at 3-under 213 were three players tied for fifth place at even-par 216, including East Carolina’s Stephen Carroll, a graduate student from Concord, N.C., Oakland’s Thomas Giroux, a graduate student from Canada, and Francis Marion’s Grant Sellers, a senior from McBee, S.C.

   Carroll added a 74 in Monday afternoon’s second round to his opening round of 1-over 73 before surging up the leaderboard with a final round of 3-under 69. Giroux, coming off an individual victory in the Sea Palms Invitational at the Sea Palms Golf Course on St. Simons Island, Ga., opened with a 2-under 70 before adding a pair of 1-over 73s.

   Francis Marion’s Sellers was one of the players trailing Green by three shots going into the final round as he matched par in Monday afternoon’s second round with a 72 after opening with a 3-under 69. Sellers cooled off in the final round with a 3-over 75 to finish in a tie for fifth place.

   Joining Southern Miss’ Purchase in the trio tied for 10^th place at 4-over 220 were IUPUI’s Taylor Gardner, a sophomore from Pittsboro, Ind., and Sellers’ Francis Marion teammate, Mitchell Vance, a junior from Hartsville, S.C.

   Temple was led by senior Dawson Anders, a Souderton product who has been pretty consistent all season for the Owls. Anders, winner of the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Junior Boys’ Championship in 2017, sandwiched a 76 in Monday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 2-over 74s to finish alone in 21^st place with an 8-over 224.

   Ethan Whitney, a freshman from Westminster, Mass., backed up Anders for Temple as he finished in a tie for 24^th place with a 226 total. Whitney was Temple’s best player during Monday’s double round, matching par with a 72 in the second round in the afternoon after opening with a 74, but he struggled to an 80 in the final round.

   Graham Chase, a sophomore from Charlotte, N.C., opened with a solid 1-over 73, added a 77 in Monday afternoon’s second and closed with a 78 as he ended up among the group tied for 30^th place with a 228 total.

   Junior Buddy Hansen, a scholastic standout at Catholic League power La Salle, finished in a tie for 44^th place with a 232 total as he added a 79 in Monday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 78 before closing with his best round of the tournament, a 3-over 75.

   Rounding out the Temple lineup was junior Conor McGrath, winner of the BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship last summer at Cedarbrook Country Club. McGrath, a product of Academy of the New Church and the Huntingdon Valley Country Club junior program, didn’t have his best stuff at Brook Valley as he added a 79 in Monday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 75 before closing with an 80 as he finished in the group tied for 50^th place with a 234 total.

   A couple of Temple freshmen made the trip, competing as individuals, with Joey Morganti, a Havertown resident who starred scholastically at St. Joseph’s Prep, finishing in a tie for 72^nd place with a 243 total, and Gregory Hanna, a former Bishop Shanahan standout from Phoenixville, ending up in 78^th place with a 253 total.

   Morganti, a product of the Llanerch Country Club junior program, opened with a 77, but struggled to an 82 in Monday afternoon’s second round and an 84 in Tuesday’s final round. Hanna added an 81 in Monday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 85 and closed with an 87.

   Maryland, a Big Ten entry, finished in 11^th place with a 921 total. The Terrapins were led by graduate student Chris Tanabe, the PIAA Class AA champion as a senior at Quaker Valley in 2016 who was a four-year standout at Bucknell before taking a fifth year at Maryland.

   After opening with a 76, Tanabe, an impressive winner of the 2019 Pennsylvania Amateur at Aronimink Golf Club, carded a solid 1-under 71 in Monday afternoon’s second round before struggling to a final-round 81 that left him in the group tied for 30^th place with a 228 total.

   A couple of interesting names competed as individuals at Brook Valley for Maryland.

   Junior John Updike, a two-time Pennsylvania Junior Boys’ champion who had an outstanding scholastic career at Malvern Prep, finished among the group tied for 53^rd place with a 235 total. Updike, a product of the junior program at Aronimink, added an 80 in Monday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 78 before finishing up with a 77, his best round of the tournament.

   Senior Joe Parrini, a four-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Central York, finished in a tie for 60^th place with a 236 total. Parrini, whose college career started at Arizona, added a pair of 79s to his opening-round 78.

   East Carolina sophomore Jake Calamaro, who was a freshman on Radnor’s 2015 PIAA Class AAA championship team, competed as an individual and finished among the group tied for 66^th place with a 238 total.

   Calamaro’s family moved to Johns Creek, Ga. during his sophomore year in high school and he went on to play on two Georgia state championship teams at Johns Creek High School. Calamaro added a 78 in Monday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 81 before closing with a 79.

   Dartmouth, out of the Ivy League, finished last of the 12 teams in the ECU Invitational field with a 923 field.

   Freshman Charlie Baker, a key member on three straight Inter-Ac League championship teams at The Haverford School, finished in 77^th place with a 252 total for the Big Green at Brook Valley. After opening with an 84, Baker added an 82 in Monday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with an 86.