WKU finishes Graeme McDowell Invitational in 11th place

WKU+Golf+junior+Luke+Fuller+shot+a+2-over+74%2C+the+teams+second-best+result+of+the+day%2C+in+the+final+round+of+competition+at+the+Pinetree+Intercollegiate+hosted+by+Kennesaw+State+on+Oct.+19%2C+2021.

Steve Roberts / WKU Athletics

WKU Golf junior Luke Fuller shot a 2-over 74, the team’s second-best result of the day, in the final round of competition at the Pinetree Intercollegiate hosted by Kennesaw State on Oct. 19, 2021.

Jake Moore, Sports Editor

WKU wrapped up competition in the Graeme McDowell Invitational on Tuesday, finishing in 11th place after shooting a 19-over 883 for the tournament as a whole.

Freshman Riley Grindstaff led the way by shooting a 2-under 70, his best result of the season. He shot four birdies on Tuesday and finished 12th on the leaderboard to record the best individual result for the program thus far this season.

“We really struggled today around the greens,” head coach Chan Metts said in a press release. “We threw a lot of shots away as we go closer to the hole, and you can’t do that on a second shot course like this. I do think we put ourselves in a position to feel a little pressure, and I’m a big believer that those are the moments when you can learn the most and improve. If we back up the second round yesterday like I know we are capable of, then we are right where we want to be at the end of this even. This was definitely a two steps forward and one step back kind of week for us, but it is progress that I’m happy to see. I’m excited about watching this team continue to grind and improve.”

Junior Luke Fuller repeated his second-round score, shooting a 1-over 73 for his last round of the event. Fuller wound up tied for 44th with a 7-over 223 final score.

Redshirt junior Thomas Hogan shot a 6-over 78 on Tuesday and eagled on his final hole. Freshman Stephen Warren and sophomore Connery Meyer came home tied for 64th and 69th place respectively. Meyer shot a 10-over 82 and Warren contributed an 11-over 83. Sophomore Aaron Pha, competing as an individual, shot a 14-over 86 on the final day of action.

WKU will return to compete at the Georgia State Invitational on October 11-12.

Results – Final

T12. Riley Grindstaff – 74, 71, 70 – 215

T44. Luke Fuller – 77, 73, 73 – 223

T56. Thomas Hogan – 79, 69, 78 – 226

T64. Stephen Warren – 73, 71, 83 – 227

T69. Connery Meyer – 72, 75, 82 – 229

87. Aaron Pha* – 82, 80, 86 – 248

*competing as an individual

Sports Editor Jake Moore can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @Charles_JMoore.