Sunday, September 17, 2006

            ROCKY FACE, Ga. (Sept. 17, 2006) - Leaving its best for last, the ETSU men's golf team posted a 281 during Sunday's third and final round at the Carpet Capital Collegiate. Thanks in part to an impressive 5-under-par 67 from senior Rhys Davies (Bridgend, Wales) and a third-straight sub-70 round from junior Gareth Shaw (Lisburn, Northern Ireland), the day's efforts resulted in an eighth-place showing for the Buccaneers against one of the toughest 18-team fields in college golf.   

            "I think overall we're pleased, especially with where we were after two rounds, and really after nine today," said ETSU head coach Fred Warren, whose team started the day 11^th in the standings. "Rhys had a 31 on the back, Gareth shot 34 and Seamus (Power) had a 35 which helped us jump a couple of spots. We only had two or three teams post better scores than we had today."

            On the team leaderboard, Alabama regained its first round lead and held on to hold off second-place Clemson by six strokes. The Crimson Tide finished at 23-under for the event, while the Bucs were 4-under as a team. On the individual leaderboard, Davies and Shaw finished tied for 11^th at 4-under, while Chris Kirk of Georgia rallied to outlast first and second round leader Darren Blair of N.C. State by one stroke. Kirk finished at 11-under.

            Good signs for the Bucs included a total of seven sub-par rounds by the team, with three players posting rounds in the 60s and one player - Shaw - posting rounds of 70, 71 and 71. Freshman Seamus Power (Waterford, Ireland) was one Buccaneer to finish a round in the 60s, posting a 69 on Sunday and finishing tied for 44^th.

            "Rhys was the defending champion of this event and today was the first time in four years that he's posted a round in the 60s, so that says something for how tough this course can be," Warren said. "For Seamus to come in as a freshman and have a 69 says something about his potential. I think as a team there's some potential and I'm pleased overall. This is one of the strongest fields of the year."

            The Bucs will return to action Oct. 9 at the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate in Birmingham, Ala. Fans can keep up with ETSU men's golf by visiting ETSUBucs.com and clicking on the men's golf link.