WVU Golf Takes Team Title at Martin Downs

WVU Golf Takes Team Title at Martin Downs

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (Feb. 13, 2018) – Three Mountaineers finished in the top five as the West Virginia golf team shot 12 under par to win the Martin Downs Collegiate at Martin Downs Golf Club in Palm City, Florida, on Tuesday.

In addition, freshman Matthew Sharpstene set a program record with a low round of 64 for eight under par. He finished as the runner-up in the tournament.

“Great effort by all the guys this week, especially our freshmen,” WVU coach Sean Covich said. “We put them in the lineup to see what they could do under pressure and they stepped up for us. They weren’t perfect by any means, but when we needed them, they came through. It was a great week by Max (Sear) as well. I can’t say just how proud I am of all our guys.”

The win is WVU’s second of the season, as the Mountaineers previously took home top honors at the VCU Janney Shootout in September. Since resuming varsity competition at the start of the 2015-16 season, WVU has won three tournaments.

Sitting in fourth place after two rounds of play, WVU jumped three spots to top Seton Hall, Elon and UNCG. The Mountaineers shot 297-278-276=851, besting Seton Hall by two strokes (853). Host UNCG finished third at nine under (855) and Elon took fourth place at five-under par (859).

Sharpstene’s record round moved him up 14 spots in the rankings, as he posted his first career runner-up finish. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native made eight birdies in his bogey-free round, finishing with a three-round score of 74-71-64=209 for seven under. He finished two strokes back from Seton Hall’s Gregor Tait, who was the medalist.

Fellow freshman Mark Goetz, who tied the previous school record on Monday, and junior Max Sear tied for third place with scores of 210 for six-under par. Goetz finished one under on Tuesday, shooting 73-66-71 in the tournament. Sear shot even par in the final round, carding a 54-hole total of 70-68-72.

Freshman Logan Perkins finished tied for 42nd place, shooting 80-76-69=225 for nine-over par. He totaled five birdies and a pair of bogeys to shoot three under in the final round. Sophomore Philipp Matlari tied for 57th at 15 over with a 231. He shot 81-73-77.

Playing as an individual, senior Avery Schneider finished two under par with a 214 to take 12th place. He used seven birdies to shoot four under with a 68 in the final round after shooting 74-72. Junior Tristan Nicholls finished three over and tied for 25th with a score of 219. His scorecard showed 75-70-74 after 54 holes.

Sophomore Etienne Papineau rounded out the crew, shooting 76-77-71=224. He finished eight over par and in a tie for 38th place.

WVU returns to the Sunshine State from Feb. 24-25, when the Mountaineers participate in the Seminole Intercollegiate. The tournament is hosted by Florida State in Tallahassee.

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via WVU Sports