MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Tyler Klava carded a final-round 76 Tuesday for the low score posted by a University of South Alabama men’s golfer as the Jaguars concluded the regular season at the Memphis Intercollegiate.
USA will next be in action when the Sun Belt Conference Championships tee off in Muscle Shoals, Ala., on Monday, April 23.
“With the conditions of the course and the championship venue, we faced a lot of adversity this week,” said Jag head coach Ben Hannan. “Obviously we didn’t play as well as we wanted to, but these types of experiences will help us get stronger mentally, and they expose weaknesses we have that we need to continue to improve on in preparation for the conference championships.”
Michael Garretson led USA over the 54 holes played at the par-72, 7,334-yard Colonial Country Club with a 229 total after a 79 in the last round that included birdies on the fourth and seventh holes; he played the front side of the course at even par. It was the first time the true freshman has led the Jaguars since they opened the spring campaign at the SunTrust Gator Invitational on Feb. 11-12, as he finished tied for 27th individually.
Klava’s round — which ended with a birdie three at the 393-yard ninth — allowed him to move into a tie for 40th place overall with McLain Leberte, with both recording 234 totals over the two-day event. Leberte had birdies on Nos. 5 and 7 while shooting an 83 in the final round.
Lane Hulse ended the tournament tied for 52nd with a 239 54-hole score after an 81 in the last round, and Parker Jones finished one shot behind him in a tie for 56th place after a 79 over the final 18 holes. Competing as an individual, Jared Burleson tied for 50th place at 238 following an 85 in the final round.
Ben Greene made a 20-foot putt on the 18th hole to lead 41st-ranked Kennesaw State to the team championship with an 892 54-hole score, which was one shot better than No. 45 Memphis; Greene was the medalist with a 1-under-par 215 total after a 71 on the final day of the tournament, which was three strokes better than any of the other 68 individuals competing. The Jaguars finished 10th in the field of 12 schools with a 931 team score after a final-round 315.
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—
Memphis Intercollegiate
Colonial Country Club, Memphis, Tenn.
Par 72, 7,334 yards
Team Scores: 1) Kennesaw State 299-294-299—892 (+28); 2) Memphis 296-303-294—893; 3) Vanderbilt 311-288-302—901; 4) Middle Tennessee 300-296-307—903; 5) Akron 301-298-305—904; 6) UAB 298-303-305—906; 7) Louisiana Tech 302-305-300—907; 8) Mississippi State 303-302-305—910; 9) Southern Mississippi 309-304-309—922; 10) South Alabama 313-303-315—931; 11) UALR 314-312-317—943; 12) Arkansas State 322-324-315—961.
Individual Leaders: 1) Ben Greene, KSU 72-72-71—215 (-1); 2) Travis Wilmore, LTU 70-75-73—218; 3) Matt Nagy, KSU 76-69-75—220; T4) Will Pearson, UM 72-73-76—221; T4) Adam Hofmann, Vandy 80-68-73—221; T4) Nicklaus Benton*, UALR 71-72-78—221; T7) Ryan Mason, Akron 71-73-78—222; T7) Hunter Hawkins, UAB 72-77-73—222; T9) three individuals with 223.
South Alabama Scores: T27) Michael Garretson 77-73-79—229 (+13); T40) Tyler Klava 79-79-76—234; T40) McLain Leberte 77-74-83—234; T50) Jared Burleson* 73-80-85—238; T52) Lane Hulse 81-77-81—239; T56) Parker Jones 80-81-79—240.
*denotes playing as an individual
