Hilltoppers close Georgia State Invitational with 11th-place finish

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 Men’s Golf wrapped up its final round of play in the Georgia State Invitational on Tuesday, tying with Richmond for 11th place and finishing ahead of Troy, Florida A&M and Bellarmine with a final score of 10-over 874 for the event as a whole.

“This was a frustrating week,” head coach Chan Metts said in a press release. “Today we started bad then fought back, but we didn’t quite close it out. The bottom line is we must be better. We need to be able to put together a few under par rounds as a team here with as wet as this course was. It won’t get any more scoreable to me than this was.”

Freshman Stephen Warren rose six spots on the leaderboard with his 2-under 70, winding up tied for 36th thanks to his 3-over 219 across the invitational.

Redshirt junior Thomas Hogan saved his best performance for last, carding an even-par 72 to come home tied for 27th with a 1-over 217 total for the event. It marks the first time Hogan has completed an event as WKU’s top finisher.

Freshman Elliott Pope’s 1-under 71 stands as his best-ever collegiate result. The freshman competed as an individual throughout the invitational, tying for 55th on the leaderboard.

“We will get right back to grinding hard for a few days and then have a quick turnaround next week,” Metts said. “It may not feel like it at the moment, but we are taking baby steps in the right direction, it’s just a slow process sometimes. I’m proud of the fight these guys show and I’m excited about the future.”

The Hilltoppers will return to the green on Monday, Oct. 18 for the Pinetree Intercollegiate hosted by Kennesaw State.

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