Kent State University
Seahawk Intercollegiate
No. 11 Men's Golf Victorious at Seahawk Invitational
3/20/2017 5:09:00 PM | Men's Golf
WILMINGTON, N.C. – The No. 11 Kent State men's golf team won its second tournament of the spring, taking the title at the Seahawk Invitational Monday at the par 72 Country Club of Landfall.
The Golden Flashes finished 7-under par at 857 (291-281-285). The team's third-round score was by far the best in the field, growing the team's margin of victory to 47 strokes. Second-place Army came in at 40-over par. The mark broke the tournament record that has been held since 2012 by East Carolina.
"To shoot seven under was phenomenal," said head coach Herb Page. "Everybody played well, especially during a brutal day yesterday. They were playing through wind, which was a mental test that we passed with flying colors. We were very smart and played very tough. We are on a roll here."
The tournament was highlighted by the first career win for senior Josh Whalen. Playing by far the best golf of his career, Whalen closed the tournament with a 70 in round three to finish at 9-under par 207. He entered Monday's final round after posting scores of 71 and 66 to start the tournament. Whelan's score is a personal best for three rounds and broke the individual tournament record. His average score this season of 71.25 will continue to fall with these scores.
"His 66 was as good as you could ever be," said Page. "This is the third individual win for us, and with Whelan being a senior it was an emotional victory. I'm very proud of Josh. Then look at Gisli, this is his third straight top 10 finish. The guys are playing really, really well. It's fun watching them."
Sophomore Gisli Sveinbergsson finished second at 5-under par 211. He finished his final round with a score of 72 to earn the best finish of his career. He was two strokes away from the previous tournament record and was four strokes ahead of the rest of the field. Also in the top-10 was fellow sophomore Bjarki Petursson. He tied for ninth overall with a 4-over par score of 220. He shot a 74 Monday to finish the tournament.
All five golfers in the lineup finished in the top-15, with juniors Ian Holt and Chase Johnson each finishing in a tie for 14th at 8-over par 224. Holt had his best round of the tournament Monday with a 71, while Johnson finished with an even-par 72. Competing as an individual, Spencer Dobbs tied for 34th at 15-over par 231. He registered an 83 in round three.
The Flashes will return to the course on April 1 in the Aggie Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M in Bryant, Texas.
Players Mentioned
