Memphis, putting together a solid even-par final round of
284, captured its first American Athletic Conference crown with a 12-shot
victory in The American Championship, presented by Air Force Reserve, which
wrapped up Tuesday at the Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor,
Fla.
It was the first conference title for the program since it
claimed a Conference USA crown in 2012 before moving over to the AAC.
The Tigers were led by Bradley Bawden, a senior from England
who closed with his second straight 2-under-par 69 over the 7,125-yard, par-71
Coppherhead Course layout to finish third in the individual standings at
5-under 208, eight shots behind runaway individual winner Mac Meissner, a
sophomore at SMU out of San Antonio, Texas.
Memphis, No. 80 in the latest Golfstat rankings, carded a 2-over 286 in an Easter Sunday opening
round and trailed No. 59 SMU by a shot. The Tigers took control of the
championship with the best round of the week, a 2-under 282 in Monday’s second
round.
Memphis then pulled away with its even-par final round to
post an even-par 852 total. The win makes the Tigers an automatic qualifier for
an NCAA Regional berth. The regional fields will be unveiled on The Golf Channel Wednesday.
SMU added a 5-over 289 to its opening-round 285 and trailed
Memphis by just six shots going into the final round before closing with a
6-over 290 that gave the Mustangs a 12-over 864 total.
SMU got a record-smashing effort from Meissner, who set the
championship’s 36-hole scoring record with a pair of 5-under 66s Sunday and
Monday. Meissner then completed his record romp with a 3-under 68 that gave him
a 13-under 200 total, breaking the conference record of 7-under par set by
current PGA Tour standout Bryson DeChambeau in 2014. DeChambeau was also representing
SMU.
No. 75 UCF was a shot behind SMU in third place after the Knights
closed with a 1-over 285 for a 13-over 865 total. No. 39 South Florida saw its
four-year reign atop the AAC halted as the Bulls finished fourth at 18-over
870, five shots behind UCF, after a final round of 3-over 287.
Head coach Brian Quinn saw Temple post the best finish in
program history in the AAC as the Owls closed with a 9-over 293 for a 21-over
873 total that left them in fifth place, three shots behind perennial AAC power
South Florida.
A senior-dominated lineup opened with a 7-over 291 Easter
Sunday and crept within two shots of Memphis with a fast start in Monday’s
second round. The Owls ultimately posted a 5-over 289 in the second round.
Cincinnati and Connecticut were another five shots behind
Temple in a tie for sixth at 26-over 878. The Bearcats closed with an 8-over
292 while the Huskies posted a solid 3-over 287 in the final round.
Bawden was solid all week in leading the way for Memphis.
After opening with a 1-under 70, he added a 2-under 69 before closing with
another 69.
Backing up Bawden for the Tigers was Chase Harris, a senior
from Jackson, Tenn. who shared fifth place in the individual standings with
South Florida’s Albin Bergstrom, a freshman from Sweden, at 1-under 212. Harris
matched his teammate Bawden’s final round of 2-under 69.
Also for Memphis, Isaiah Jackson, a junior from Golden,
Miss., and Guillaume Chevalier, a sophomore from France, finished in a tie for 12th
at 4-over 217. Jackson and Chevalier each closed with a 2-over 73.
Rounding out the Memphis lineup was Borja Martin, a
sophomore from Spain who finished among the group tied for 21st at
8-over 221. Martin’s opening round of 1-over 72 was a counter for the Tigers
and he closed with a 5-over 76.
The runnerup in the individual chase, six shots behind
Meissner, was Cincinnati’s Austin Squires, a senior from Union, Ky. Squires
started slowly with a 2-over 73 Easter Sunday, but then fired a 4-under 67 in
Monday’s second round before closing with the low round in Tuesday’s final
round with a 5-under 66. That gave him a 7-under 206 total.
Squires certainly did the AAC proud in last summer’s U.S.
Amateur at the Pebble Beach Golf Links when he reached the quarterfinals before
falling to eventual winner Viktor Hovland of Oklahoma State and Norway.
UCF’s Kyler Tate, a senior from Winter Garden, Fla., finished
alone in fourth, a shot behind Memphis’ Bawden at 4-under 209 after a final
round of 3-under 68.
South Florida’s Bergstrom finished up with a 1-over 72 to
join Memphis’ Harris in a tie for fifth at 1-under 212. UCF’s Bobby Bai, a
junior from China, finished seventh at even-par 213 after also closing with a
1-over 72.
Connecticut’s Jimmy Hervol, a senior from Hopkington, Mass.,
finished eighth at 1-over 214 after closing strongly with a 2-under 69 and
Wichita State’s Yannik Emmert, a senior from Germany took ninth with a 2-over
215 total after closing with a 1-over 72.
Temple had three of its seniors finish among the top 20, led
by John Barone of Dunmore and Gary McCabe, a Collegeville resident who starred
scholastically at La Salle, the pair sharing 14th place at 5-over
218.
Barone had the best round of the week for an Owl with his
2-under 69 in the second round. He finished up with a 4-over 75. McCabe
sandwiched a 5-over 76 in the second round with a pair of even-par 71s.
It was a typically solid effort from Trey Wren of Suffolk
Va., who finished among the group tied for 16th at 6-over 219. Wren
has been a consistent presence in the Temple starting lineup for four years. He
opened with an even-par 71 before adding a pair of 3-over 74s.
Senior Erik Reisner, a two-time Central League champion at
Harriton, finished just outside the top 20 in the group tied for 21st
at 8-over 221. Highlighting Reisner’s week was a 1-under 70 in Monday’s second
round.
Not quite sure how this worked, but Quinn was able to bring
along freshman Connor McGrath, an Academy of the New Church product, and his
fifth senior, Sam Soeth, who finished in a tie for fifth in the 2013 PIAA Class
AAA Championship as a senior at Marple Newtown.
They switched off with McGrath playing as Temple’s fifth man
in the first two rounds. Soeth then took over in the final round and carded a
solid 2-over 73 that was a counter for the Owls in his final round for Temple.
Quinn mixed his younger players in at times this season, but
the experience his seniors brought to the table kept showing up in big spots.
There was a memorable City 6 Championship win with wind
chills in the 30s at Galloway National Golf Club in early November and a nice
third-place finish in the Princeton Invitational before this week’s best-ever
finish in The American Championship.
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