SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Down by as many as six strokes on the back nine during the third round Tuesday afternoon, the Wofford men's golf team remained tenacious and erased the deficit to come back and win The Johnson Group Carolina Cup at the Carolina Country Club by three strokes.
Ben Jordan paced the Terriers with his own comeback to tie for the win at 1-under par.
The Terriers opened with a 300 in the first round of the three-day event hosted by USC Upstate, but day two was when Wofford found its rhythm. A 4-under 284 pushed the Terriers into first place entering the final day of the tournament. Southern Conference foe Western Carolina gave a fight in the final round, taking the lead and ultimately pulling ahead by as many as six strokes on the back nine. However, over the final few holes, the Terriers settled in whilst the Catamounts slipped, and
Ben Jordan's birdie putt on hole 18 sealed the victory for Wofford. With an 11-over 875, the Terriers won by three strokes over Western Carolina and Oakland, as the teams tied for second place in the eight-team field.
The win is the first for the team under head coach
Todd Eckstein. It's the first for the program since topping the leaderboard at the Mickey Mouse Invitational in February of 2023.
"It's awesome. Watching the way that these guys work and the way that they get along, it was really rewarding to watch them play some really good golf," said Eckstein. "They've done such a good job so far, and to see it come together and earn them a win was really special."
Ben Jordan claimed his first-career win in the event with a 215 at 1-under par. Jordan opened with a 74 before posting a 69 in round two with the aid of seven birdies, pulling him to within one stroke of the leader heading into the final round. Chasing Western Carolina's Jace Butcher all day, Jordan clutched up with a 74 in the final round. Notably, Jordan posted a trio of birdies on the back nine while Butcher, one of Jordan's playing partners, carded four bogeys. By sinking a birdie putt on hole 18, Jordan solidified the win for both himself and his squad.
"It feels great. It gives me a lot of confidence going forward for the last tournament of the fall and going into the spring," said Jordan of notching his first win. "So proud," added Jordan of the team win. "Everyone played so solid all the way from one-seed to 11-seed, so I'm very proud of the guys."
Jordan tied for first with Winthrop's Ashton Eubanks in the 56-player field. This is Jordan's first win and only his second-career top five. He is the first Terrier to claim low medalist honors since
Cedric Otten last season in the Wofford Invitational. Jordan's triumph marks five-straight seasons in which a Terrier has topped a leaderboard.
Charles Warren and
Andrew Aquino joined Jordan in the top 10 by tying for sixth. Both golfers posted a 218 at 2-over par. Warren opened with back-to-back 75's, but he finished strong with a career-low 68 in the final round to move up nine places into sixth for his first-career top 10. Aquino carded rounds of 74-71-73 to also notch his first top 10. The 218 score is a career low for the freshman Aquino.
Marshall Butler and
Davis Neal round out the Terrier lineup. Butler tied for 28
th with a 228 score, posting rounds of 77-73-78. Neal was 33
rd with a 231 after carding 80-71-80.
The rest of the Wofford roster all competed as individuals. Freshman
Will Brown led the way among that group with a 221 at 5-over to tie for ninth. After a 76 in round one, Brown posted a career-low 71 in the second round. He finished strong with 74 to secure his first top 10.
Max Cranford placed 12
th with a 222, notching his third-career top 20. Cranford carded rounds of 75-71-76.
Miller Carr barely missed out on joining Cranford in top 20 as he placed in a tie for 21
st. Carr scored 225 with rounds of 74-72-79 with the 72 being his best round yet as a Terrier.
Major Lenning tied for 28
th with Butler, scoring 228. Lenning carded rounds of 80-72-76. His 72 in round two matches his career low.
Will Jones tied for 34
th with a score of 232 after carding rounds of 74-79-79.
Glover Amick rounds out the Terrier roster in a tie for 42
nd. Amick scored 234 with rounds of 80-75-79.
Wofford will look to carry its momentum into the final event of the fall next weekend in the Furman Intercollegiate, hosted by the rival Paladins. The two-day event will take place in Greenville, South Carolina, on Saturday, October 19, and Sunday, October 20.
