SAPPHIRE, N.C. – The Wofford men's golf team played to an eighth-place result in the 17-team field at the JT Poston Invitational hosted by Western Carolina. The Terriers started strong, but a tough showing in the third round at the 7,007-yard par-71 Country Club of Sapphire Valley saw Wofford fall four spots while still holding on for the top-10 finish.
After two rounds of play on day one, Wofford held onto a tie for fourth place with a score of 574.
Walker Jones and
Max Cranford both tallied scores of 141 to tie for seventh place. However, a 17-over par 301 in the final round dropped Wofford four spots to eighth with a final score of 875 at 23-over par. Despite the drop in position in the final round, the Terriers still claimed a top-10 result. It is Wofford's third-straight top-10 finish in tournaments fielding over 10 teams and fourth consecutive overall (SoCon Championships in the spring featured eight teams).
The Terriers totaled 44 birdies in the event with two eagles by way of
Walker Jones and
Matthew Larkin. Wofford was the fourth-best squad on par 5s with a 4.80 at 9-under par.
The Terriers earned wins over nine teams in the 17-squad field. The field featured two other SoCon teams – host Western Carolina and Chattanooga. The Catamounts were the runners-up while the Mocs tied for third. Fellow Palmetto State program Coastal Carolina claimed the event's crown as the only team under par at 1-under, two strokes ahead of Western Carolina.
The aforementioned
Walker Jones and
Max Cranford held seventh-place ties after the first day of play, but each dropped after tough goings in the third and final round. Jones posted a 4-over par score to drop into a tie for 19
th, while Cranford's 8-over mark felled him to a 35
th-place tie. Despite the tough finish, Jones still notched a top-20 result, the eighth of his career. The fifth-year golfer finished with a 3-over 216 after shooting 71-70-75, and he recorded 12 birdies to lead the team. Cranford shot 71-70-79 for a 220 at 7-over par.
Cedric Otten was the next-best Terrier behind Jones with his 4-over 217 to place in a tie for 24
th. After a first-round 74, the native of Dusseldorf, Germany delivered scores of 71 and 72 in the final two rounds to improve his finish.
Matthew Larkin finished tied for 50
th with a 10-over par 223 (73-75-75), and
Harry Jones tied for 85
th with a score of 232 after shooting 78-74-80 to round out Wofford's team competitors.
Jackson Hill completes the full Terrier lineup, as the senior competed as an individual. Hill struggled out of the gates, opening with a 77. He improved that to a 74 in round two but still sat in a tie for 71
st at 10-over. But Hill bounced back in a big way in the final round, delivering a career-low 68 for a 3-under par third round. This helped him finish with a score of 220 at 7-over to move all the way up to a tie for 35
th. Hill was among the best in the event on par 3s, averaging 2.92 for a 1-under score, tying with two others for the best performers on those holes.
The Terriers will take to the course next at home when they host the Carolina Cup at the Carolina Country Club in Spartanburg. The three-day event runs from Sunday, Oct. 9 to Tuesday, Oct. 11.
