Bucs win weather-shortened event; Kristjansson earns co-medalist honors 

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. (April 14, 2015) – The ETSU men’s golf team won the 2015 Greenbrier Collegiate Invitational title and junior Gudmundur Kristjansson (Reykjavik, Iceland) earned co-medalist honors as final round play was cancelled due to inclement weather on Tuesday at The Old White TPC Course.

The teams were through the first four holes of competition when sirens went off forcing the groups to clear the course due to lightning. After waiting out a one-hour and thirty-minute weather delay, the final round was called, forcing the final results to return where they stood following Monday’s 36-holes of play.

Following the first two rounds, the 39th-ranked Buccaneers held a one shot lead over Eastern Kentucky as ETSU sat atop the leaderboard at 6-over-par 566. The Blue and Gold, who won their second team title of the season, carded an even-par 280 in Monday’s opening round and followed that up with a 6-over 286 later in the afternoon as weather conditions worsened. 

ETSU claimed its first tournament title in the season-opening event at the Inverness Intercollegiate back in September, marking the first time the Buccaneers won multiple team championships since winning four in 2010.

“Obviously, we were hoping to play the final round today, but after the rain and lightning came through, it made the course unplayable,” said head coach Fred Warren, who guided the Bucs to their 48th tournament win with him at the helm. “We were off to a good start this morning through the first three-to-four holes, but couldn’t continue due to the weather. It feels good to get our second team win of the season and I am proud of Gudmundur for earning medalist honors. Hopefully there will be more wins to come.”

Likewise, Kristjansson received medalist honors for the second time this season, as he tied for the individual title at 3-under-par 137. Kristjansson registered eight birdies in the first two rounds on Monday, and shared medalist honors with Eastern Kentucky’s Jared Brown and Elon’s Jonathan Dilanni. Kristjansson fired a 2-under 68 in the opening round and totaled a 1-under 69 in round two.

“I have mixed feelings as it’s disappointing we couldn’t finish the final round today, but it’s nice to win another tournament,” said Kristjansson, who was 1-under through three holes when the weather rolled in. “I usually play well in the rain, so I felt like I had an advantage, but the course was unplayable after the storms came in. I am also proud of the team for getting another win. With this being the last tournament before conference, hopefully this gives us some confidence heading into this weekend’s tournament.”

Junior Adrian Meronk (Wroclaw, Poland) and Mateusz Gradecki (Oborniki Śląskie, Poland) also posted top-20 finishes. Meronk, another two-time champion this season and the 18th-ranked golfer by Golfstat, finished fifth at 1-under-par 139 and Gradecki tied for 17th at 4-over-par 144.

“I’m disappointed we couldn’t finish the final round as I was only a few shots back, but there’s nothing you can do about the weather,” added Meronk, who posted his seventh top-10 finish of the season. “I am happy we got the team win and it’s nice to see Gudmundur get another win. This should give us some momentum as we head into the conference tournament.”

Seniors Rhys Pugh (Pontypridd, Wales) and Tom Heggarty (Cheshire, England) both tied for 37th at 8-over-par 148.

The Bucs now begin preparations for the Southern Conference Championship, which begins Sunday, April 19, at Pinehurst No. 9 in Pinehurst, N.C.

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