HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Blake Kelley recorded an even-par 71 Tuesday at the Sam Hall Intercollegiate, earning a share of medalist honors while helping the University of South Alabama men’s golf team record a second-place finish in the program’s first tournament of the season.
Kelley recorded a 9-under-par 204 three-round total, 10 strokes fewer than his previous low 54-hole score set at the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate last fall, to tie Jason Shufflebottam of UAB for first place in the individual standings.
“It means the world to me, it’s what I’ve been working for since I got here. It’s a great accomplishment,” Kelley commented on his first collegiate victory. “The key was my putting, I putted lights out. It’s the best I’ve putted in a long, long time; I couldn’t miss. In my second round [Monday], through about 13 holes I just didn’t miss anything, and today I got off to a good start with my putter.
“I didn’t hit the ball great, but my putter saved me.”
The effort helped the Jaguars finish second out of the 15 teams competing, as they posted a team score of 3-under-par 281 — their third consecutive round below par in the event — for an 11-under-par 841 total. Last year, USA carded a 54-hole 878 team score at the same tournament.
Kelley posted two birdies on each side of the par-71, 6,882-yard Hattiesburg Country Club, finishing the first nine 1-under par after birdying Nos. 3 and 6. A three on the 354-yard 12th hole moved him to 2 under, while his final birdie came at No. 17, a 523-yard par five; in three rounds, Kelley collected five birdies in nine opportunities on par-five holes.
Tyler Klava recorded a top-10 finish in his collegiate debut, tying for eighth place with a 4-under-par 209 total after shooting his second straight even-par round. He birdied the second, third and fourth holes in playing the front nine in 2-under par, tacking on an eagle at No. 17.
Michael Garretson — also playing for the first time at the collegiate level — had a 2-under-par 69 over the last 18 holes; he ended up in a tie for 14th with a three-round score of 211. He also was 2-under par at the turn, rebounding from a bogey at No. 2 with a birdie on the next hole, then birdying the sixth and seventh as well. Garretson also carded birdies on Nos. 14 and 17.
Lane Hulse moved up 11 spots in the individual standings, going from 57th to a tie for 46th place, on the strength of a 1-under-par 70 on the final day of the tournament. After posting a two on the 202-yard second hole, he would go on to birdie three par fours — the sixth, 12th and 18th — en route to a 219 total.
McLain Leberte put together the best back-nine score by a Jag on the day, using four birdies on the last seven holes to play 2-under par after the turn. His first came at the 12th, and he followed by birdying the par-five 13th and 17th before posting a three on No. 18, a 420-yard hole. Leberte carded a 222 three-round total to tie for 57th. Garth Boyd, competing as an individual, had birdies on Nos. 3 and 9, playing his final nine holes at even par; he recorded a 78 in the last round and a 242 score for the tournament.
“I’m extremely proud of the guys. It was a great week for them and a very good tournament,” USA head coach Ben Hannan said. “I think they have prepared well since the start of school. Every guy on this team believes in each other and knows that on any given day any one of them can play great golf. I think there is a genuine confidence that this group showed this week.”
Kelley and Shufflebottam held off a field of 84, with a quarter of the players ending the event under par. Cory Gaylord of Memphis and Andrew Noto of Louisiana-Lafayette tied for third one shot behind the two, with Mississippi’s Joe David ending up in fifth with a 206 54-hole score.
UAB fired an 11-under-par 273, the lowest 18-hole total of the tournament, to win the championship at 16-under-par 836. Louisiana-Lafayette came in third, three strokes behind the Jaguars, while Memphis placed fourth and Mississippi — the leader after two rounds — fifth.
USA returns to action Sept. 26, when it begins play at the Inverness Intercollegiate hosted by Toledo.
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—
Sam Hall Intercollegiate
Hattiesburg Country Club, Hattiesburg, Miss.
Par 71, 6,882 yards
Team Scores: 1) UAB 285-278-273—836 (-16); 2) South Alabama 278-282-281—841; 3) Louisiana-Lafayette 286-276-282—844; 4) Memphis 287-277-281—845; 5) Mississippi 276-282-288—846; 6) Mississippi State 287-284-279—850; 7) Southern Mississippi 287-284-289—860; 8) Louisiana Tech 292-285-287—861; 9) Sam Houston State 282-291-298—862; 10) UALR 285-288-292—865; 11) Southeastern Louisiana 291-287-288—866; 12) Arkansas State 295-287-285—867; 13) Louisiana-Monroe 299-295-288—882; 14) Rice 297-292-299—888; 15) McNeese State 299-298-302—899.
Individual Leaders: T1) Blake Kelley, USA 69-64-71—204 (-9); T1) Jason Shufflebottam, UAB 69-69-66—204; T3) Andrew Noto, ULL 67-70-68—205; T3) Cory Gaylord*, Mem 68-69-68—205; 5) Joe David, Miss 68-69-69—206; T6) Chad Ramey, MSU 70-65-72—207; T6) Zach Estep, USM 73-65-69—207; T8) Tyler Klava, USA 67-71-71—209; T8) Thomas Sutton, UAB 72-70-67—209; T10) four players with 210.
South Alabama Scores: T1) Blake Kelley 69-64-71—204 (-9); T8) Tyler Klava 67-71-71—209; T14) Michael Garretson 70-72-69—211; T46) Lane Hulse 74-75-70—219; T57) McLain Leberte 72-76-74—222; 84) Garth Boyd* 86-78-78—242.
*denotes competing as an individual
