Hickman ends tournament strong to place in top-15

MURRELLS INLET, S.C. (March 12, 2013) – The ETSU men’s golf team put together a solid showing in Tuesday’s final round of the General Hackler Championship as the Bucs posted a fifth-place finish at the TPC Myrtle Beach.

The Bucs tallied the third lowest score on Tuesday and registered a three-round total of 898 (299-308-291), while freshman Chris Hickman (Centreville, Md.) led the Blue and Gold by placing in the top-15. Hickman – who recorded 13 birdies for the tournament – fired an even-par 72 in the third round and tied for 14th at 7-over 223 (74-77-72).

There was a tie for both the team and individual championships, and due to time constraints a playoff couldn’t be played.

Arkansas and Kent State tied for the team title after finishing at 9-over 873. The 23rd-ranked Golden Flashes entered the day two shots back of the 17th-ranked Razorbacks, and after carding a 1-over 289, Kent State managed to pull even with Arkansas in team scoring.

Meanwhile, Tennessee and Kent State shared the individual crown as Taylor Pendrith (Kent State) and Oliver Goss (Tennessee) climbed up the leaderboard on the final day, finishing the tournament at 1-under 215. Pendrith moved from fifth to the top by totaling a 3-under 69 on Tuesday, while Goss was consistent by carding an even-par 72.

Joining Hickman in the top-20 was fellow freshman Adrian Meronk (Wroclaw, Poland) as the Buccaneer rookie tied for 17th at 8-over 224 (70-79-75). In addition, freshman Gudmundur Kristjansson (Reykjavik, Iceland) finished strong as he shot a 2-under 70 and moved up 14 spots to place in a three-way tie for 21st at 10-over 226.

Overall, four ranked teams finished above ETSU as No. 29 Tennessee finished third (880), while No. 47 and host Coastal Carolina placed fourth (892). However, the Bucs placed above Atlantic Sun counterpart Florida Gulf Coast by 26 shots.

ETSU returns to action next weekend when the Blue and Gold travel to Greeneville, S.C., for the Furman Intercollegiate. The three-day tournament begins Friday, March 22.

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For more information on Buccaneer men’s golf, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the men’s golf page.