University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics
Wendy''s Kiawah Classic
Horton Shoots 69, Spartans Finish 7th at Wendy's Kiawah Classic
11/1/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Kiawah Island, S.C. – Battling blustery conditions, the USC Upstate men's golf team posted the fifth-best round of the day and moved up six positions on the leaderboard to finish tied for seventh at the Wendy's Kiawah Classic Tuesday afternoon.
Upstate played the tight Turtle Point course at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort in strong, gusty winds and finished the final round with a 301 total. It was the fifth-best round of the day. Kennesaw State and Jacksonville State tied for the best round of the day, a 295. The Spartans were able to post the 301 and vault up the leaderboard thanks in large part to the play of junior Brian Horton (Boiling Springs, S.C.). He carded a 3-under-par 69, tied for the lowest round of the day, to lead the Upstate cause.
"Brian's round really moved us up the leaderboard and we had a consistent effort throughout," said Upstate head coach Todd Lawton. "He played his game and kept his misses in play. He made lots of birdies, including the last two holes, which were huge in us moving into a tie for seventh. I'm very proud of him and the team today."
Horton started the day on the 12th hole and made bogey to move to 1-over-par. He then proceeded to birdie three of his next five holes and threw in another birdie and two bogeys before coming to his last two holes. He birdied the 10th and 11th holes to close out his round with a 69, posting six birdies in the round.
While Horton was clearly the man of the day for Upstate, the entire team played well and managed the conditions. Tyler Comer (Spartanburg, S.C.) was the second-lowest Spartan on the day, posting a 76. Adam Goins (Gaffney, S.C.), Brad Sill (Spartanburg, S.C.) and McKenzie Oref (Easley, S.C.) each carded a 78 to give the Spartans a 301.
Kennesaw State, a rival of Upstate in the A-Sun and ranked 40th in the nation, shot a 295 on Tuesday to tie Campbell for the team championship with an 861 total. There was not a tiebreaker or playoff for either the team or individual championship. Jacksonville State was third with an 891 total and was followed by Charleston Southern (900), George Washington (911), Minnesota (912), Upstate (922), Bradley (922), Wisconsin (923), IUPUI (924), Presbyterian College (924), William & Mary (926), Butler (928), St. John's (932), UConn (937), Stetson (937), Murray State (940), Miami (OH) (941), Creighton (943), Towson (945) and Western Kentucky (960).
"Today was a great day," said Lawton. "The conditions were tough. Our last eight holes were our best and that is what has been missing in previous rounds and tournaments. It was great to see the guys finish this tournament with momentum."
Horton entered the day tied for 63rd. After posting his 69, he moved up to a tie for 24th and finished as the low Spartan in the tournament. He totaled 227 for the 54-hole event. Sill, who played his final 15 holes at 1-over-par and had three birdies in his last nine holes, finished tied for 28th with a 228 total. Goins finished tied for 36th at 230. Comer finished with a 239 total, while Oref totaled 241.
Campbell's Vaita Guillaume and George Washington's Andres Pumariega tied for the individual championship with 2-under, 214 totals.
