GREENWOOD, S.C. – After equaling the lowest round in program history with a 13-under-par, second-round 275, the No. 1-ranked Anderson men's golf team won the Bearcat Golf Classic, Tuesday at the Greenwood Country Club.
Lander hosted the two-day, 54-hole tournament on a par-72, 6,800-yard layout.
"We are extremely excited to get our sixth tournament win today," said Anderson Director of Golf Danny Neal. "I was impressed by the way our guys fought back after being down early yesterday. And early in the final round today we got off to a slow start and Lander closed the gap from nine to three which made things a bit tense. Throughout the final nine holes, our lead went back and forth between two and eight strokes or so, but we were able to hold them off with the help of a few birdies on our finishing holes. After a few days off for spring break, we will be back at it preparing for our final tournament of the regular season."
Anderson, which set a school record with its two-round, 18-under 558 over the first 36 holes, outdistanced runner-up Lander by four shots, while Clayton State finished five strokes further back in third place. Findlay was just behind in fourth place, with Barton and Wingate sharing fifth place.
Newberry and West Georgia finished seventh and eighth, respectively, while Belmont Abbey, Flagler and Coker all three finished tied for the ninth slot. Lander (B) claimed 12th place, with Lenoir-Rhyne finishing in 13th place.
Georgia College, Tusculum, King, Erskine, North Greenville and Young Harris finished out the 19-team field.
Lander's Linus Jonsson (66-72-69-207) and Wingate's Nick Fleming (71-70-66-207) finished 54 holes tied at the top of the individual leaderboard, with Jonsson claiming the title on the first playoff hole.
Senior Reece Coleman (74-69-70-210) finished in a tie for third, alongside Findlay's Hunter Foltz (72-68-70-210) and Lander's Edward Rahm (64-72-74-210), who led the pack following an 8-under 64 in Monday's first round. AU freshman Alejandro de Castro (74-69-71-211) claimed a share of sixth place, along with Coker's Killian Ryan (68-73-70-211) and Newberry's Patrick Jacobs (66-72-73-211)
AU junior Calahan Keever finished in a tie for 13th, with junior Daniel Coker and sophomore Simon Wright finishing in a six-way tie for 30th place. Freshman Sam Norris claimed a share of 88th place.
Following a two-week layoff, the Trojans will get back on the links at Lincoln Memorial's Tennessee River Rumble in Lenoir City, Tenn.
Notables
• AU set a program record for 36 holes with its 558 over the first two rounds.
• The Trojans' second- and third-round 566 matched fifth-lowest two-round score in program history.
• The Trojans' second-round, 13-under 275 equaled the program's lowest score for 18 holes, first set in the second round of the 2022 Cougar Invitational.
• AU's first-round 283 matched the 16th-lowest round in program history.
• Calahan Keever's first- and second-round 139 matched the 23rd best 36-hole score in program history.
• Reece Coleman's three-round 210 matched the 10-lowest 54-hole score in program history.
• Alejandro de Castro's 54-hole 211 matched the 15th-best three-round score in program history.
