HICKORY, N.C. – Despite a change of scenery this season, the Wofford men's golf team hosted its annual Wofford Invitational at the Catawba Country Club, a par-70, 6,683-yard course. The Terriers placed fourth in the event with a solid showing, spearheaded by Cedric Otten, who tied for first place with his 2-under score.
 
The annual event is typically held in Spartanburg, but construction at the usual site forced a move to Hickory. It did not deter Otten, who posted a 68 and 71 on the first day to sit in second place. With a 69 in the final round, the Dusseldorf, Germany, native did enough to climb up that one spot into first.
 
South Carolina's Frankie Harris also surged in the final round, utilizing a 67 to move up four spots into a tie with Otten, as both golfers finished with a 2-under 208. This marks the first co-low medalists in the event since a three-way tie in 1996.
 
Otten also won the event back in 2022, making him the first player ever to win the tournament twice. It is the third time a Terrier has claimed low medalist honors, as Ryan Marter did so in 2021, the year before Otten's first win. It's the second win of Otten's career, making him only the fourth Terrier ever with multiple wins. It's the first Terrier win since Matthew Larkin topped the leaderboard at the Mickey Mouse Invitational in February of 2023.
 
"I'm extremely happy and proud of Cedric for his performance the last two days," said head coach Van Williams. "To be the first Terrier to win the Wofford Invitational twice is something special. I know his teammates are really excited for him, too."
 
Wofford placed fourth in the event with rounds of 287-291-286. At 24-over, the Terriers totaled a score of 864.
 
South Carolina won the event with a 6-over 846. The Gamecocks were three strokes ahead of Davidson. Richmond entered the final day in the lead, but a 7-over 287 in the final round doomed the Spiders, who fell behind both squads into third place.
 
Freshman Charles Warren joined Otten in the top 20, placing in a tie for 16^th. All 13 Terriers on the roster competed, with the seven not in the lineup participating as individuals, which is what Warren did. With rounds of 70-76-70, Warren carded a 6-over 216 to secure his first-career top 20 in the 81-player field.
 
Max Cranford, a native of Newton, North Carolina, tied for 40^th with a 222 at his home course. After opening with an 81, Cranford recovered with rounds of 72 and 69, advancing 23 positions on the leaderboard in the final round. His final round 69 matches his career low.
 
Harry Jones also tied for 40^th with his 222 coming by way of rounds of 75-74-73. Jay Beach's rounds of 71-76-75 also gave him a 222 for a trio of Terriers in 40^th. Matthew Larkin rounds out the Terrier lineup tied for 55^th with scores of 73-74-78 for a total of 225.
 
The remaining Terriers all competed as individuals. Major Lenning tied for 26^th to just miss out on the top 20. He posted a 9-over 219 with rounds of 74-73-72. The final round 72 matched his career low.
 
After rounds of 79 and 78 on day one, Marshall Butler rebounded nicely with a career-low 65 in the third round to rocket 37 places up the leaderboard into a tie for 40^th with a score of 222. That 65 is tied for the third-lowest round score in program history.
 
Ben Jordan (84-70-70) and Glover Amick (76-75-73) tied for 52^nd, with both posting a score of 224. Davis Neal posted a score of 228 with rounds of 77-77-74 to tie for 67^th. Bailey Means tied for 76^th with rounds of 76-79-76, scoring a 231. Will Jones is the final Terrier, carding a 239 (77-82-80) to place in 80^th.
 
Wofford will hit the course once more next week for the Southern Conference Championship. The three-day event runs from Sunday, April 21, to Tuesday, April 23, in Greensboro, Georgia.