Tuesday, February 28, 2006

SAN JUAN, P.R. (February 28, 2006) - ETSU freshman golfer Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh, Scotland) posted a final round 2-under-par 70 and finished tied for fifth place at 4-under in the Puerto Rico Classic Tuesday at the Westin Rio Mar Golf Club. Findlay was one of three Bucs to finish in the top 20, as ETSU posted a fifth-place showing in a field consisting of 14 teams ranked in the nation's top 40.

"We played a solid round again today and I think the course was even tougher in the third round," said ETSU head coach Fred Warren. "Jordan played well throughout the tournament, but as a team I think it was a good showing. To have three guys in the top 20 in this field is a good sign."

The 16^th-ranked Bucs finished with a team score of 292-287-298=867, finishing at 3-over for the event. However, Georgia and Florida pulled away for the top two team spots, with the Bulldogs winning by four strokes at 21-under for the tournament. Individually, Georgia's Chris Kirk held off Oklahoma State's Pablo Martin by one stroke for the win, finishing at 11-under.

Along with Findlay, who finished with a score of 72-70-70=212, junior Rhys Davies (Bridgend, Wales) and sophomore Gareth Shaw (Lisburn, Northern Ireland) both finished tied for 18^th at even-par for the event. Meanwhile, freshman Adam Hodkinson (Dore, England) finished tied for 55^th and sophomore Cian McNamara posted a tie for 63^rd.

For Findlay and the Bucs, it was an encouraging start to the season. In the fall, the freshman had struggled with consistency - but he found the right formula this week.

"It's definitely a good way to start the spring," Findlay said. "I really tried to be more disciplined and I think I improved over the winter break. It was just encouraging to play well."

The Bucs will return to action this weekend at the Seminole Intercollegiate beginning Sunday in Tallahassee, Fla. For more on ETSU golf, visit ETSUBucs.com.