ETSU places four in top-11 as Bucs win by 11 strokes over UNCG

RALEIGH, N.C. (Oct. 8, 2013) – Entering the day three shots back of UNC Greensboro, the ETSU men’s golf team made a move midway through the final round to surpass the Spartans and win the Wolfpack Intercollegiate by 11 strokes on Tuesday afternoon from the Lonnie Poole Golf Course.

Facing difficult conditions with winds gusting over 20 miles per hour and the tees playing back, the Bucs had four golfers post scores of par or lower en route to capturing their first title of the season.

ETSU carded the lowest round of the afternoon as the Bucs shot 2-under and finished the tournament 21-under-par 843 (276-281-286). UNCG shot 12-over on Tuesday and registered a team score of 10-under 854, while tournament host North Carolina State placed third at 1-over 865.

“The guys played well with the difficult conditions and everyone contributed to this win,” said head coach Fred Warren, who won his 46th team title with the Bucs. “It was windy all day and the tees were playing back, but we had a lot of good shots. Gudmundur had a strong tournament, while Chris, Adrian and Mateusz had solid rounds today.”

Sophomore Gudmundur Kristjansson (Reykjavik, Iceland) enjoyed his best tournament as a Buccaneer by finishing second at 11-under 205 (68-66-71) and was two shots back of individual champion Carter Jenkins from UNCG. Kristjansson began the final round six shots off the lead, and made a charge late, but Jenkins held on for the title. The Icelander fired a 1-under on Tuesday and birdied three of his final six holes to finish under par. Meanwhile, Jenkins finished the final six holes at 2-over. For the tournament, Kristjansson totaled 17 birdies, which were tied for second among the field of 90 participants.

“We didn’t play well in our first two tournaments, so it feels good to get the team win and gain some confidence as we prepare for our home tournament this weekend,” said Kristjanssson.

Junior Rhys Pugh (Pontypridd, Wales) and sophomore Chris Hickman (Centreville, Md.) also finished in the top 10. Pugh, who led all players in par-3 scoring at 5-under, placed fifth at 5-under-par 211 (67-68-76), while Hickman tallied a 1-under 215 (71-73-71) and tied for eighth. Hickman began the day tied for 22nd, but registered five birdies in the final round, including one of the par-4, 482-yard 18th to climb 14 spots up the leaderboard. Hickman’s eighth-place showing marks the best finish in his collegiate career.  

Wrapping things up was sophomore Adrian Meronk (Wroclaw, Poland.) Meronk also made a strong move up the board on Tuesday as he jumped 11 spots to tie for 11th at even-par 216 (70-74-72). After playing the front nine at 2-over, the Buccaneer sophomore had three birdies and a bogey to close out his round.

Freshman Mateusz Gradecki (Oborniki Śląskie, Poland) recorded his best round in his young collegiate career after shooting an even-par 72 to move up 28 spots and finish tied for 40th. Gradecki birdied three of the final five holes and was 1-under after 17, but came away with a bogey on the 18th to end his round.

The Bucs now return home and gear up for the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate, which begins Friday morning at the Blackthorn Club.

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