TOLEDO, Ohio – Lane Hulse and McLain Leberte both tied for 25th place to lead the University of South Alabama men’s golf team at the rain-shortened Inverness Intercollegiate.
Each had three birdies, with Leberte adding an eagle as well, en route to shooting 75s at the par-71, 7,255-yard Inverness Club in the only round of the tournament Tuesday. Monday’s 36 scheduled holes were cancelled due to rain.
Both Leberte and Hulse recorded birdies at the par-four, 368-yard 15th hole, to move to 1-under par early in their rounds. The former played the final seven holes 2-under par, beginning with a three at the 569-yard eighth, following up with a birdie on No. 9 as well. Leberte also birdied No. 13, a 516-yard par-five hole, his next-to-last of the day.
Hulse birdied both the eighth and 13th holes also, the only two par fives on the course.
Blake Kelley finished one stroke behind the pair in a tie for 32nd place, with his lone birdie of the round coming on No. 13. Tyler Klava recorded a 78, as did Jared Burleson — who competed as an individual — while Michael Garretson was one shot behind the duo. Klava and Garretson both carded one birdie on a par-five hole — the former accomplished the feat on the eighth, the latter at No. 13 — while Burleson had three in his round; in addition to a three at No. 1, a 395-yard par four, he posted back-to-back birdies on the 12th and 13th holes in his Division I debut.
As a team, the Jaguars posted a 304 total to tie East Tennessee State for ninth place out of the 11 competing; the two schools were three shots in back of Florida and Michigan, both NCAA Championship participants from a year ago, and four behind Penn State.
“Obviously, having an 18-hole shootout was not ideal. But it was also a great opportunity if the team could’ve put together a solid round,” Jaguar head coach Ben Hannan said. “Aside from a stretch of five holes on the back, the guys really played pretty well. Having the opportunity to play in this type of event at a venue like this will make our young team better in the long run.”
Dugan Murphy of host Toledo won the individual title with a 5-under-par 66 — only three of the 69 individuals competing were below par on the day — while Kent State claimed the team championship with a 3-over-par 287 total.
After a week off, the Jaguars will return to the Buckeye State for the Firestone Invitational Oct. 10-11.
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—
Inverness Intercollegiate
Inverness Club, Toledo, Ohio
Par 71, 7,255 yards
Team Scores: 1) Kent State 287 (+3); 2) Liberty 291; 3) Toledo 292; 4) Kentucky 294; 5) Michigan State 295; 6) Penn State 300; T7) Michigan 301; T7) Florida 301; T9) South Alabama 304; T9) East Tennessee State 304; 11) Ohio State 305.
Individual Leaders: 1) Dugan Murphy, UT 66 (-5); T2) Taylor Pendrith, KSU 70; T2) TJ Vogel, UF 70; T4) Robert Karlsson, LU 71; T4) Dan Ellis, MSU 71; T4) Cody Martin, UK 71; T7) six players with 72.
South Alabama Scores: T25) McLain Leberte 75 (+4); T25) Lane Hulse 75; T32) Blake Kelley 76; T46) Tyler Klava 78; T46) Jared Burleson* 78; T54) Michael Garretson 79.
*denotes competing as an individual
