Sept. 13, 2011

Spring Hill Suites Final Results

Florence, S.C. - True freshman J.T. Poston posted his third-consecutive round of even-par or better on Tuesday to open his collegiate career, leading Western Carolina with an eighth-place finish as the squad shot 302 over the final round to finish 14th overall at the Spring Hill Suites Intercollegiate held at the par-72, 7,062-yard Country Club of South Carolina.

Poston shot even-par 72 over the final 18 holes to score his first career top-10 individual finish in his first-ever event for the Catamounts. The Hickory, N.C., native carded 40 par scores over the 54-hole event, tied for the second-most among the 80-golfer field, while also ranking among the leaders in par-3 scoring (2.92, -1).

Paced by individual tournament champion Matthew Broome - who finished with a one-stroke lead over the second-place tie between Charleston Southern's David Denlinger and South Carolina-Aiken's Kyle Godsman - Furman claimed the tournament's team championship.

The Paladins edged fellow Southern Conference member, Samford, and USCA by four strokes apiece in the final team standings. Gardner-Web rallied to finish fourth just ahead of fifth-place Charleston Southern. Other SoCon finishers included College of Charleston (6th, 866), Elon (t-8th, 871), Georgia Southern (10th, 873) and Appalachian State (13th, 887).

Sophomore Jack Walsh finished in a tie for 50th for the Catamounts, carding a three-over 75 on his final round to shoot 223 (72-76-75). Classmate Greg Bunner shot 77 on Tuesday, finishing at 226 for the three-round event, with Trey White (t-75th)

WCU's final scorer, sophomore Collin Witiak, withdrew from competition during Tuesday's final 18 holes, finishing with opening round scores of 76 and 81.

Western Carolina returns to action in two weeks at the Mason Rudolph Championship at Vanderbilt's par-71 Legends Club in Nashville, Tenn., looking to build upon last season's 15th-place finish.