Gallman Claims Third-Straight Top 10 Finish
9/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Sept. 29, 2009
Giustina Memorial Classic Final Results
Corvallis, Ore. - In rainy and windy conditions, USC Upstate golfer Josh Gallman turned in a steady even-par 72 in the final round of the Giustina Memorial Challenge Tuesday afternoon at the Trysting Tree Golf Club, claiming his third top 10 finish of the season by finishing in a tie for fourth individually.
Gallman's 72 was solid as the scores rose in the tougher weather conditions for all the teams. He finished the tournament at 6-under-par 216. He was third in par-4 scoring at 5-under-par, fourth in par-3 scoring at even, tied for 17th with 12 birdies and tied for third with 36 pars. The tie for fourth is his second top five effort of the season after winning the season-opening Rutgers Invitational by six strokes. He claimed a ninth-place finish at the Springhill Suites Intercollegiate two weeks ago.
"With Josh it's like you go anywhere and play anywhere and he just hits the shots," said Upstate head coach Todd Lawton. "The conditions were tough today, but to finish this tournament at 6-under speaks volumes of how good of a player he is. He doesn't shy away from being in it every round."
Despite Gallman's efforts, Upstate's other four players struggled on the afternoon and the Spartans posted a 308 team score. The 54-total of 899 moved Upstate down two spots into a tie for eighth at the conclusion of the tournament. Host Oregon State rallied with a 9-under-par 279 Tuesday to win the tournament championship. The Beavers posted an 844 score to take the title. Washington State was second at 853 and was followed by Oregon (857), Nevada (868), Cal Poly (869), Boise State (893), Portland (896), Upstate (899), Wyoming (899) and Hawai'i (914).
Trent Sanders held the lead after the first round Monday and held on for the individual championship with a 9-under-par 217 total.
Michael Lawrence finished as the second-lowest Spartan in the tournament, tying for 31st. After posting back-to-back 72 scores to open the tournament, he carded an 82 Tuesday. Brian Horton turned in a 78 in the final round Tuesday and finished tied for 36th. McKenzie Oref also shot a 78 Tuesday and finished the tournament in 49th. Tyler Comer was 50th.
"Obviously, we had five good rounds yesterday, but golf is meant to be played with four scores out of five in every round and we didn't post that today," said Lawton. "As a result, we found ourselves in the back half of the field. You have to be able to execute and hit shots. We didn't make some adjustments to make putts. We have a lot of work to do. As a coach, I have to do a better job of preparing our players for our tournaments. Now that we are a lot younger, I need to help the players pay attention to specific areas of the course to prepare for tournaments."
