Kent State University
General Hackler
Strong Sunday Gives Flashes Third Place Finish at General Hackler
3/13/2016 8:10:00 PM | Men's Golf
Myrtle Beach, S.C. - Kent State led a 15-team field with a 9-under 279 third round Sunday at The General Hackler Championship to finish third overall with a 12-under 852. Sophomore Chase Johnson (Barberton, Ohio) tied for the best round of the day with a 6-under 66, giving the Golden Flashes four golfers in the Top 22.
"We played exceptionally well today and really made a charge at the lead," Head Coach Herb Page said. "It was an awesome day."
After a 3-over round one and 6-under round two, the Flashes saved their best for last at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club Sunday. Individually on the weekend, freshman Gisli Sveinbergsson (Hafnarfjordur, Iceland) led the way with a fourth place finish at 6-under. Sveinbergsson shot an even par 72 on Sunday with three birdies.
"Gisli is just a freshman and he's gaining confidence," Page said. "He works very hard. And hopefully this weekend will be a springboard for him."
Despite a tough Saturday, Johnson finished tied for 22nd with an even 216. Sunday, Johnson had a pair of eagles, beginning with a chip-in with his back foot in a hazard on the fourth hole. Four holes later, he blasted a two-iron from 240 yards out, just two feet from the cup to set up his next eagle.
"Chase was flawless today," Page said. "He struggled a bit yesterday, but I knew he had this in him."
Junior Josh Whalen (Napanee, Ontario), finished tied for seventh with a 4-under 212. Whalen had five birdies Sunday to finish 1-under. He led the entire field with 17 birdies on the weekend.
"Josh had a great tournament," Page said. "He kept us in the mix as a team."
Sophomore Ian Holt (Stow, Ohio) put together a run of four birdies in eight holes to finish 2-under on the day and 1-under for the tournament. Holt tied for 15th place.
Freshman Bjarki Petursson (Borgarnes, Iceland) dropped back to 64th place after running into some troubles on Sunday.
"I can't wait for the rankings to come out Wednesday morning," Page said. "This program has a great tradition and we want to be back among the top programs in the nation."
No. 19 South Carolina won the team title with a 23-under 841. The Gamecocks' Matthew Nesmith and Virginia's Jimmy Stanger each led the field with a 9-under, tying for the second highest finish in Hackler history.
Kent State returns to competition March 21-22 at The Floridian.
Players Mentioned
