OPELIKA, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men's golf team concluded play on Monday at the Tiger Invitational in Opelika, Ala., where the team tied for seventh with Missouri.  

The tournament was completed a day early due to inclement weather that was forecasted during the originally scheduled final round of play. Jordan Plunkett (217) and Jack Hearn (217) led the Jaguars, tying for 20th through three rounds of play at the Grand National Lake Course. Jacob LeCroy shot a season-low 5-under par 67 in the final round to help the Jags secure their seventh-place finish. 

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Event (host): Tiger Invitational (Auburn)
Dates: 3/6-7 (Sunday-Monday)
Course: Grand National Lake Course (Par 72, 7,289 yds)
Final results

TEAM SCORES
1) FGCU 274-275-283—832 (-32); 2) Auburn 281-283-281—845 (-19); 3) Auburn (B) 293-281-288—862 (-2); 4) Southern Miss 286-288-289—863 (-1); 5) UNCW 288-287-295—870 (+6); 6) Louisiana Tech 282-296-293—871 (+7); T7) Missouri 288-293-293—874 (+10); T7) South Alabama 291-296-287—874 (+10); T9) Georgia State 290-286-301—877 (+13); T9) Wichita State 297-282-298—877 (+13); T11) FAU 296-292-292—880 (+16); T11) James Madison 294-293-293—880 (+16); 13) Lamar University 302-290-302—894 (+30); T14) North Alabama 308-299-294—901 (+37); T14) Western Kentucky 303-296-302—901 (+37); 16) Kennesaw State 297-305-305—907 (+43)

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
1) Frankie Capan III, FGCU 69-64-64—197 (-19); 2) Brendan Valdes, Auburn 67-70-68—205 (-11); 3) Austin Cherichella, FGCU 71-66-70—207 (-9); 4) Robbie Latter, Southern Miss 72-68-69—209 (-7); 5) Walker Isley, UNCW 70-72-69—211 (-5)

SOUTH ALABAMA SCORES
T20) Jordan Plunkett 68-73-76—217 (+1); T20) Jack Hearn 73-74-70—217 (+1); T28) Jacob LeCroy 77-75-67—219 (+3); T56) Mathias Lorentzen 74-75-74—223 (+7); T68) Eli Mitchell 76-74-77—227 (+11); T75) Kevin Dahlberg* 80-71-79—230 (+14)
*Competed as an individual

TEE SHOTS
- LeCroy recorded his lowest round, a 5-under par 67, during the final round of the tournament.
- Hearn and LeCroy both finished tied for third in par 5 scoring with an 8-under par average of 4.33 strokes. 
- Plunkett had the third-most birdies (14) at the tournament. 
- Lorentzen and Dahlberg each recorded an eagle on hole 12 during the second round of the event.    

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Ben Hannan
On the event: "It was a hard golf course; the conditions were difficult with the wind gusting both days. We had a storm moving in, originally the event was set to play 18 holes each day, but we ended up playing all 54 holes over two days. The golf course was difficult because of the green complexes and when you added the wind and the difficult pin locations, it was a good test. [We have] a lot to build on as we prepare for the Craft Farms Intercollegiate in a couple of weeks, we're also getting under-par rounds from multiple guys. Jacob LeCroy's 67 yesterday was an awesome round, especially in the windy conditions. So, we're excited and looking forward to keep working to get better every day." 

On Plunkett and Hearn: "Jordan Plunkett had another solid week after his play at FGCU. Most importantly on the second day, he closed by birdieing [holes] 17 and 18, which was huge for the team. On the last round, again in very difficult conditions, Jack Hearn shot under-par for the first time this week and getting two under-par rounds was a huge lift for the team."

Up next: South Alabama will host the Craft Farms Intercollegiate in Gulf Shores, Ala., on March 27. 

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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