Team ResultsPlayer ResultsCombined ResultsStat LeadersCourse Stats SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Freshman Andrew Novak earned runner-up honors to lead the Wofford men's golf team to third place at the 26th annual Coca-Cola Wofford Invitational on Tuesday at The Country Club of Spartanburg.
Novak finished in a five-way tie for second, carding a collegiate-best 54-hole total of 8-under 208. Western Carolina's 17th-ranked J.T. Poston, TCU's 19th-ranked Julien Brun and Lamar's Gustav Burenstam and Stephane Dubois all posted the same total, earning the five players all-tournament team honors.
John Somers of Elon took the individual championship at 10-under 208. He was 7-under for the tournament with five holes remaining and played 3-under the rest of the way, including an eagle at the par-5, 491-yard 17th, for the title.
As a team, the Terriers finished third by breaking the tournament's 54-hole scoring record of 18-under-par with a 24-under 840. Wofford shot a final-round 6-under 282, but it was not enough for the title, as Lamar erased an 11-stroke deficit to catch Elon and win the championship with a new tournament scoring record of 31-under 833. The Cardinals did so by posting the best third round in tournament history of 12-under 276. Meanwhile, Elon began the day at 30-under and turned in a 3-over 291 to finish in second at 27-under 837.
Burenstam was a big part of Lamar's win, carding a bogey-free 4-under 33 on the back nine and birdieing three of his last four holes. It propelled the Cardinals to victory in their first-ever Wofford Invitational appearance, as did back-to-back closing birdies from Stephan Dubois and Gregory Wiggins.
Wofford was in the thick of it down the stretch. With groups coming to their final three holes, Elon was in first at 25-under, Lamar was second and 24-under, followed by the Terriers at 22-under. Wofford picked up two more strokes to close it out, but Lamar caught fire to capture the trophy by playing its final six holes at 10-under with 12 birdies.
The third-place finish is a spot shy of Wofford's best at its home invitational. The Terriers finished second in 2006 and claimed runner-up again last year in 2013.
Aside from Novak, freshman Jeremy Grab, junior Brannan Hudson and senior Chandler Brazeal all earned top-10 finishes in the 83-man field. Halfway through his final round, Grab – competing as an individual – held the tournament lead by three strokes at 11-under. He carded four bogeys on his final nine to shoot a 1-under 71 and earned seventh with a 7-under 209. Brazeal and Hudson tied for eighth a stroke behind Grab, each carding a final-round 3-under 69.
Junior Cory Taylor – Monday's highlight with a 162-yard hole-in-one and 150-yard hole-out for eagle – posted a 1-over 73 to tie for 16th at 4-under 212.
Terrier individuals Stuart McGoogan and Brent McKenzie tied for 45th and 53rd at 5-over 221 and 7-over 223, respectively. Senior George Perkovich, competing for the team, finished tied for 72nd at 13-over 229.
The Wofford men's golf team now gears up for the Southern Conference Championship, scheduled to take place next Sunday through Tuesday at The National Golf Club of Pinehurst. It will mark the 78th annual SoCon Men's Golf Championship.
26th Annual Coca-Cola Wofford Invitational – Final ResultsThe Country Club of Spartanburg – Spartanburg, S.C.Par 72 – 6,648 YardsTEAM RESULTS (Final Round Score)| 1. Lamar | -31 (276)^^ |
| 2. Elon | -27 (291) |
| 3. Wofford | -24 (282) |
| 4. Radford | -15 (281) |
| T5. (47) TCU | -11 (288) |
| T5. Appalachian State | -11 (283) |
| 7. Gardner-Webb | -4 (295) |
| 8. Longwood | +4 (298) |
| 9. Francis Marion | +8 (293) |
| 10. James Madison | +12 (296) |
| 11. Presbyterian | +13 (293) |
| 12. USC Upstate | +15 (302) |
| 13. Western Carolina | +22 (302) |
| 14. Stetson | +26 (306) |
| 15. High Point | +42 (309) |
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS (Final Round Score)| 1. John Somers, Elon | -10 (73) |
| T2. (17) J.T. Poston, Western Carolina | -8 (70) |
| T2. (19) Julien Brun, TCU | -8 (71) |
| T2. Gustav Burenstam, Lamar | -8 (68) |
| T2. Stephane Dubois, Lamar | -8 (67) |
| T2. Andrew Novak, Wofford | -8 (71) |
| 7. *Jeremy Grab, Wofford | -7 (71) |
| T8. Clement Kurniawan, Gardner-Webb | -6 (73) |
| T8. Troy Beaver, Elon | -6 (74) |
| T8. Brannan Hudson, Wofford | -6 (69) |
| T8. Chandler Brazeal, Wofford | -6 (69) |
| T8. Louis Bemberg, Lamar | -6 (70) |
| T8. Giulio Castagnara, TCU | -6 (71) |
| -- | |
| T16. Cory Taylor, Wofford | -4 (73) |
| T45. *Stuart McGoogan, Wofford | +5 (74) |
| T53. *Brent McKenzie, Wofford | +7 (75) |
| T72. George Perkovich, Wofford | +13 (78) |
^^Wofford Invitational 54-hole scoring record and record for low third round
*Denotes player competing as individual
Rankings in parentheses and according to Golfweek
