Golf gears up for spring season
Both the women’s and the men’s golf teams at Maryville College are working towards their 2017 spring season with fall invitationals. In their most recent in Loudon, Tenn. on Oct. 17, the Scots placed 14 of 15 teams.
Both teams have six players each. The teams, especially the women’s, are relatively young. Out of the total of 12 players, two from the men’s and one from the women’s team are seniors.
The men have finished above last place in every tournament, but the women cannot say the same. The women have finished last at both the Birmingham Southern College Southern Shootout in Birmingham, Ala. and the Montgomery CC Women’s Intercollegiate in Montgomery, Ala.
However, the women set school records at the Tennessee Wesleyan University Fall Classic Sep. 19 and 20. They came in sixth place out of seven teams. The team set a new 18 hole scoring record for the school at 357. This new record is five strokes better than the previous record set in the 2010-2011 season.
The women also set a new 36 hole total of 723 at TWU. This new record is six strokes better than the previous school record.
Sophomore Grace Gass tied for 12th in the field of 44 individual players.
“I knew I was playing really well, but I had to keep it under control. I took my day one shot at a time, and played my game,” said Gass.
The men’s best team finish came on Sep. 24 and 25 at the Dan Quayle Collegiate Golf Classic in Danville, Ind. With a field of 11 teams MC came in fifth.
The next best finish came at the Oglethorpe Royal Lakes Fall Classic in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Oct. 3 and 4. The men finished in 13th place out of 17 teams, tied with Piedmont College.
Junior golfer Doug Whitten finished individually in 14th with a score of 145, just one over par at Royal Lakes.
To finish off their fall season, the women had a fifth place finish at the Jim English invitational. Freshman Alexis Meyer led the Scots finished individually in 21st place. Gass finished in 25th. Senior Sarah Grace Holland tied for 26th. Elaina Davis finished in 40th place individually.
The women are looking forward to the spring, as they know what they need to work on as a team and individually according to Gass.
The men finished up their season close to home in nearby Loudon, Tenn. The tournament took place on Oct. 17 and 18 at Tennessee National Golf Club. This event was hosted by Tennessee Wesleyan University. At the end of day one, the Scots were in 10th place out of 15 teams. By the end of the second and final round, the Scots finished in 14th place.
Both teams play their next tournament in March at the Callaway Gardens Collegiate Invitational in Pine Mountain, Ga.
