HATTIESBURG, Miss. – There wasn't a significant change on the top third of the leaderboard Tuesday from the end of the second round to the conclusion of the tournament at the Sam Hall Intercollegiate hosted by Southern Mississippi, but there was one squad that made a charge up the team standings over the last 18 holes — the University of South Alabama men's golf program.

Backed by four individuals in the 60s, the Jaguars posted a 9-under-par 275 group score in the event's final round — one off the best team total of the day — to climb from 12th to seventh in the overall standings.

Michael Garretson led the way with a 3-under-par 68, Daniel Jansen, Matt Sheehan and Tyler Klava added 69s and Jason Mendel carded a 71 as the Jags wrapped up their first event of the season.  As a team, they recorded an 856 total over 54 holes.

"I'm very pleased with the effort put forth by the guys, all five players showed up today with a purpose," commented USA head coach Ben Hannan.  "They showed some backbone and some fight, it was a round that we can build on moving forward."

The Jaguars started on the 10th hole at the par-71, 6,902-yard Hattiesburg Country Club, with Garretson opening with back-to-back birdies before adding a four at No. 13 — playing at 630 yards — and a two at the 182-yard 15th.  When he eagled No. 17 he was 6 under through eight holes, going on to tack on a birdie at the third for USA's lowest individual 18-hole score of the tournament.

Jansen played bogey-free golf to wrap up his first event as a Jag, carding a three at the 420-yard 18th hole and a two at No. 2 — playing at 202 yards — for his second straight score of 69.  The duo both recorded top-20 finishes, with Garretson tying for 13th place with a 1-under-par 212 total and Jansen ending up in a tie for 16th one stroke behind him.

Sheehan's 69 was a career-low round for the sophomore, helping him tie for 28th place in the field of 83 individuals with a 215 54-hole score that was also the lowest figure at USA.  His lone birdie on the first nine holes came at the 367-yard 14th, and after dropping back to 2-over par he closed with four birdies in a five-hole span.  The run began at No. 3, and after a par Sheehan birdied the fifth, sixth and seventh holes to break par as a Jag for the first time.

Mendel was 2 over through six holes in his round, but the redshirt freshman rebounded with a three at No. 16 — a 416-yard hole — and a birdie on the third as well.  Klava broke par for the first time this season too, making the turn at even par following a birdie on the 17th hole, then adding three more on the front side of the course at Nos. 1, 3 and 8.

Competing as an individual, Ally Purdy shot a 75 that featured two birdies on both nines.  The redshirt freshman wrapped up his first collegiate tournament with fours at the 17th and third holes as well as threes on Nos. 12 and 8, playing at 354 and 350 yards, respectively.

"Everyone got off to a pretty solid start and took advantage of some opportunities," Hannan explained.  "This course is set up where there are certain holes where you can have looks, and throughout the course of the day different individuals got on different runs.  Michael started out very hot, turning in 31, Tyler and Matt birdied a few coming in, Daniel made a couple of birdies in the middle stretch and Jason was solid all day making just two birdies and two bogeys."

First-day leader Casey Fernandez of Southern Miss would go on to earn medalist honors after posting a 6-under-par 65 in the final round, finishing with a 14-under-par 199 two-day total.  He ended up seven shots in front of Southeastern Louisiana's Eamon Bradley.

But the Lions would record a 275 team total on the day, and with a 16-under-par 836 group score would claim the tournament title by three strokes over the host Golden Eagles.

The Jags will next be in action when play begins on Saturday, Sept. 20 at Indiana's Wolf Run Intercollegiate, which will be held in Zionsville, Ind.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. 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, 6,902 yards
Team Scores: 1) Southeastern Louisiana 285-276-275—836 (-16); 2) Southern Mississippi 284-281-274—839; 3) Louisiana-Lafayette 284-283-277—844; 4) Mississippi 290-280-280—850; 5) Sam Houston State 286-284-281—851; 6) Louisiana-Monroe 286-286-283—855; 7) South Alabama 295-286-275—856; 8) Texas-San Antonio 288-286-285—859; 9) Louisiana Tech 294-282-284—860; 10) Mississippi State 288-289-286—863; 11) Rice 284-296-284—864; 12) Arkansas-Little Rock 292-287-289—868; 13) Tennessee Tech 285-297-293—875; 14) Arkansas State 294-294-290—878; 15) Jackson State 304-299-306—909.

Individual Leaders: 1) Casey Fernandez, USM 68-66-65—199 (-14); 2) Eamon Bradely, SLU 68-67-71—206; T3) Gustavo Leon, SLU 72-67-68—207; T3) Louis Kelly, ULL 70-69-68—207; T5) Calum Hill, ULM 69-70-69—208; T5) Connor Davis, Ole Miss 72-68-68—208; 7) JT Taylor, SHSU 72-69-68—209; T8) Paul Obermann*, SLU 70-70-70—210; T8) Baptiste Courtachon, SLU 73-70-67—210; T8) Kevin Reilly, Rice 69-70-71—210.

South Alabama Scores: T13) Michael Garretson 74-70-68—212 (-1); T16) Daniel Jansen 75-69-69—213; T28) Matt Sheehan 73-73-69—215; T43) Jason Mendel 73-74-71—218; T51) Tyler Klava 76-75-69—220; T71) Ally Purdy* 73-78-75—226.
*denotes competing as an individual