TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Mathias Lorentzen recorded his third top-25 performance of the season over the weekend to lead the University of South Alabama men's golf team at the Seminole Intercollegiate.
The junior-college transfer carded a 74 in each of the first two rounds on Saturday, then on Sunday posted an even-par 72 for a 4-over-par 220 total. He ended up in a tie for 23rd place individually while helping the Jaguars come in 10th place in the team standings with a score of 892 over the two days of competition.
17th-ranked Washington — the highest-rated team in a field of 14 schools — shot a 9-under-par 855 to win the title by seven shots over No. 25 East Tennessee State. The Seminoles' John Pak was the medalist with an 11-under-par 205 54-hole score, with Jonathan Yaun of Liberty the runner-up after finishing five strokes back.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Event (host): Seminole Intercollegiate (Florida State)
Dates: 2/22-23
Course: Golden Eagle Country Club (par 72, 6,965 yds)
Live scoring: http://results.golfstat.com//public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=participants&tid=20238
TEAM SCORES
1) Washington 289-288-278—855 (-9); 2) East Tennessee State 290-292-280—862; 3) Liberty 297-285-291—873; T4) James Madison 288-294-292—874; T4) Florida State 288-292-294—874; 6) Kent State 296-291-289—876; T7) West Virginia 299-292-292—883; T7 North Florida 284-296-303—883; 9) Jacksonville 311-292-285—888; 10) South Alabama 303-295-294—892; 11) Chattanooga 297-292-305—894; 12) Troy 299-300-299—898; 13) North Alabama 305-298-307—910; 14) Southern Illinois 306-304-314—924.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
1) John Pak, FSU 70-66-69—205 (-11); 2) Jonathan Yaun, LU 74-67-69—210; 3) Philipp Matlari, WVU 73-71-69—213; 4) Noah Woolsey, UW 74-72-68—214; T5) Jack Rhea, ETSU 70-76-69—215; T5) Petr Hruby, UW 71-70-74—215; T7) Julien Paltrinieri, KSU 74-72-70—216; T7) Nick Schlickenrieder, JMU 71-72-73—216; T9) four individuals with 217.
SOUTH ALABAMA SCORES
T23) Mathias Lorentzen 74-74-72—220 (+4); T34) Yannick Schütz 75-75-74—224; T40) Jordan Plunkett 77-72-76—225; T44) Dawson Atkinson 78-74-74—226; T53) Rasmus Karlsson 77-77-74—228; T56) Anders Emil Ejlersen* 74-77-78—229.
*denotes competed as an individual
TEE SHOTS
-There were 75 individuals from the 14 programs competing this weekend.
-It was the first time South competed at an event hosted by Florida State since the 2000-01 campaign.
-The Jaguars have now placed among the top 10 in the field at an FSU tournament 10 times in 12 visits.
-They have also finished in the top 10 at all six competitions this season.
-Lorentzen has now led the Jaguars on two occasions this year, with the first coming at the Intercollegiate at the Grove Oct. 6-8.
-He has shot par or better in three of six rounds in the spring after matching the low 18-hole score by a Jag at the event on Sunday.
-Schütz was among the top 15 in the field in scoring on par-4 holes.
-Plunkett — the only other Jaguar to shoot par or better over the weekend with a 72 in the second round — finished among the top 20 in the field after going 2 under on the course's par fives.
THEY SAID IT
Head coach Ben Hannan
On the team's performance at the event: "Unfortunately, we couldn't get anything going this week. Mathias played consistent golf, but as a group our low round of the tournament was even par and in a field like this it's simply hard to compete without any under-par scores. We hit it well enough to play decent, but as a group we putted poorly and never could take advantage of the opportunities when we had them. There are no excuses, we need to do a better job of adapting and making adjustments to shoot better scores."
On what led to improved team scores in the second and third rounds: "It was the first time we've seen the course, it is a solid test with a good layout. The greens had a lot of slope and fall offs, and the pins were tough all week. We probably got a little more comfortable with each round, which resulted in better play. There were times throughout the week where we had it going, but would make some bogies or a big number and couldn't close the round out; this has been a pattern for us and it's something we need to fix moving forward. We have way too much talent and are simply not getting anything out of it at the moment. In an attempt to play well, sometimes you try to force low scores which rarely works in this game."
On preparing for the next event on the schedule: "Overall we are hitting a lot of good shots and — statistically speaking — driving the ball very well, which of course sets things up. However, our make-rate percentages and putting in general is way too low, and when you don't make putts or have careless three-putts it's hard to score and keep momentum. We will be working a lot on our putting as we prepare for Auburn."
Up next: South will take part in the Tiger Invitational hosted by Auburn, with play getting underway on Sunday, March 8.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
Join the Birdie Club — the men's golf specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. All donations to the Birdie Club go directly to support the South Alabama men's golf program. For more information on how you can join visit: jaguarathleticfund.com/birdieclub.
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