VICTORIA, Texas – For the second time in as many days, the University of South Alabama men’s golf team improved its group score from the previous day to move up a spot in the team standings at the Jim West Intercollegiate.
On the strength of a 1-under-par 71 from senior Jack Hiluta, the Jaguars carded a 294 total to finish seventh out of 15 teams. USA opened the event with a 303, lowering that score to a 298 in the second round, in posting its seventh top-10 finish of the season.
In fact, Tuesday’s performance marked the fourth time in five events in the spring — and sixth occasion overall in 2010-11 — that the Jaguars have recorded their best score of a tournament over the final 18 holes.
“The guys closed well today, they picked up some shots coming in,” observed Jag head coach Ben Hannan. “It was an odd week; we had a 294 today but had to count a double and triple bogey. There were a lot of big numbers made this week, and in doing so that’s why we couldn’t take advantage of a lot of pretty good golf.”
Hiluta’s round — his team-leading 15th of the campaign at or below par — at the par-72, 6,870-yard Victoria Country Club included three birdies and a bogey-free back nine of the course. Starting on the fifth hole, Hiluta moved to 1-under par with a two at the 215-yard sixth. He would go on to birdie Nos. 10 and 18 as well, giving him a team-best 11 in the tournament.
With the effort, Hiluta moved up into a tie for seventh place, recording his fourth top-10 finish of the season with a 219 54-hole total.
“Jack played very well today,” Hannan said. “It was a different type of golf course than we typically play, you had to put the ball in the right areas. Jack had good control of his golf ball today, and he made some putts when he needed to. He really played a very solid round. With the links [style course], it appeared to be somewhat of a putting contest, and had he made a few more putts he would have really had a good finish.”
David Leathem carded four birdies for the second day in a row, posting a 73 in the final round to record a 224 total and finish in a tie for 25th, his best of the year. He was 3 over after four holes, but used threes on the 358-yard 11th and No. 16, a 445-yard par four, to get back to 2-over par on the day. Following another bogey, Leathem responded by birdying the first and sixth holes.
It was the fourth time in as many spring events that Lethem has posted his low score in the final round.
Blake Kelley used an eagle on the par five fourth hole, the second by a Jaguar this week, to post a 74 over the last 18 holes, while McLain Leberte collected four birdies — including three in a four-hole stretch from No. 16 through the first — to shoot a 76. Leberte tied for 35th with a 54-hole total of 227, while Kelley ended up tied for 41st two shots behind him. Lane Hulse ended the tournament tied for 65th place with a 235 three-round score after a 78 on the final day.
Philipp Westermann of Southeastern Louisiana was the medalist, shooting a 1-under-par 71 in the last round for a 7-under-par 209 total to end up one stroke ahead of Texas-Arlington’s Wes Worster. Clinton Shepard of Louisiana Tech (213), James Glenn of Sam Houston State (214) and SLU’s Cedric Scotto (215) were the only other individuals among the 84 playing to finish below par over 54 holes.
Louisiana Tech posted its second sub-par round in three days — the Bulldogs’ final-round 287 was the low score over the last 18 holes — for a 1-under-par 863 total, winning the championship by eight strokes over SLU. Fifteen teams were in the tournament field.
The Sun Belt Conference Championships — which will be held for the second year in a row at The Shoals’ Fighting Joe Course in Muscle Shoals, Ala. — are set to begin Monday, April 25. The Jaguars are the tournament’s defending champion after shooting a 6-under-par 282 on the final day last spring to overcome a four-stroke deficit entering the last round.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
—USA—
Jim West Intercollegiate
Victoria Country Club, Victoria, Texas
Par 72, 6,870 yards
Team Scores: 1) Louisiana Tech 287-289-287—863 (-1); 2) Southeastern Louisiana 293-285-293—871; 3) Texas-Arlington 302-288-288—878; 4) Louisiana-Lafayette 293-304-291—888; 5) Texas State 299-297-297—893; 6) Charleston 299-288-306—894; 7) South Alabama 303-298-294—895; 8) Sam Houston State 305-300-292—897; 9) Stephen F. Austin 297-299-302—898; 10) Texas-San Antonio 298-304-312—914; 11) Houston 314-297-308—919; 12) Cal State-Fullerton 316-297-308—921; 13) McNeese State 311-311-301—923; 14) Houston Baptist 311-308-309—928; 15) Houston-Victoria 308-306-315—929.
Individual Leaders: 1) Philipp Westermann, SLU 70-68-71—209 (-7); 2) Wes Worster, UTA 68-72-70—210; 3) Clinton Shepard, LTU 72-73-68—213; 4) James Glenn, SHSU 71-75-68—214; 5) Cedric Scotto, SLU 73-71-71—215; 6) Sam Forgan, LTU 70-68-78—216; T7) Jack Hiluta, USA 74-74-71—219; T7) Rhys West, SLU 73-71-75—219; T7) Andrew Noto, ULL 69-80-70—219; T7) Alastair Jones, TSU 72-73-74—219; T7) Cody Santone, Tech 75-72-72—219.
South Alabama Scores: T7) Jack Hiluta 74-74-71—219 (+3); T25) David Leathem 77-74-73—224; T35) McLain Leberte 76-75-76—227; T41) Blake Kelley 76-79-74—229; T65) Lane Hulse 82-75-78—235.
