Men's Golf Opens Spring In Puerto Rico. Final Recap As Team Struggles After Restart.

[knightfan7]

The 3 day, 54 hole Palmas del Mar Collegiate. The course measures 6,770 yds from the Championship Tees and 7,117 yds from the tips with a Par of 72. Rutgers returns to the same course and tourney they opened last Spring with a 5th Place finish. Arkamsas returns as defending champion as do all the top 5 finishers. 4th Place Michigan's Hunter Thompson returns to defend his Individual Title. Last year RU entered the event as the #76 ranked team, this year they're #131. Arkansas, #8 at this time last year, is currently #86.

Rutgers is the 10th ranked team out of 14 entered. TCU is the only team currently ranked in the Top 50 (#46). Other B1G teams entered are #61 Indiana, #76 Michigan, #82, Nebraska, and #146 Maryland. #99 BC and #190 Va Tech are also entered. The way the Fall ended, the Knights could use a good finish.

Rutgers is bringing 7 players, 5 for the team event and 2 as individual participants. The starting 5 has not changed.

Team Event

Grad Noah Kumar
Sr Weston Jones
So Derek Gutierrez
Fr Argyle Downes
Fr Bennett Espenshade

Individual Event

So Andrew Reyes
Fr Maxwell Jackson

I believe Jackson, from Rhode Island, is making his first appearance as a Scarlet Knight.

Rutgers players will be paired with players from Arkansas, UNCG, and Va Tech in Sunday's 1st and probably 2nd rounds.

Fun fact - Big John Daly has a son who, just like dad did, plays for Arky. I don't think he plays barefoot.

 

[knightfan7]

Sr Weston Jones had an ourstanding 1st round, a 6 Under 66 which included 6 Birdies and 12 Pars. He started off hot with 4 Birds in his first 6 holes. As a team, Rutgers shot a 1 Under Par 287 which was good for a tie for 3rd place in this morning's 1st Round. Jones is in 1st individually with TCU's Joe Pagdin and Arkansas' Erich Fortlage 1 stroke back.

For Rutgers Noah Kumar shot Even Par 72, good for T17. Argyle Downes shot 74 (T37), Derek Gutierrez a 75 (T49) and Bennett Espenshade a 77 (T63) As individuals, Maxwell Jackson, playing in his first college tournament, shot 74 and Andrew Reyes shot 77.

Top 5 Teams

1. #46 TCU.......................-7
2. #102 North Texas....-3
T3. #131 Rutgers............-1
T3. #103 UNCG
T5. #99 Boston Coll.....+1
T5. #59 Kennessaw St

B1G Teams

8. #76 Michigan..............+4
T9. #82 Nebraska..........+6
T9. #146 Maryland
11. #61 Indiana..................+8


The 2nd Round begins tomorrow at 730. Didn't catch that unlike the majority tourneys, this is 3 days (18-18-18) instead of 2 (36-18).😟

 

[knightfan7]

Seems I'm not the only one confused by what's going on, The Arkansas and Host UNCG sites are off too.

Teams teed off at 730 this AM and were scheduled to play the 3rd Round tomorrow. Well, it appears they're playing the final round right now. Why? I can only guess it may have to do with the winter storms many team would be facing trying to get back home tomorrow, but who knows?

Anway, Weston Jones continues his hold on 1st Place with a 2nd round with a 4 Under 68. He had 7 Birdies, 1 Bogey, and 1 Double. It tied for the best 2nd Round.

Unfortunately it wasn't enough as the Knights dropped 3 spots to T6th after a 4 Over 292. 3 teams in particular went really low. Arkansas was -13 on the round, Leader TCU -9, and UNCG -6.

 

[knightfan7]

According to the host team site, 3rd Round play has been suspended with teams playing their last 9. They will have to finish early in the morning.

Currently Weston Jones (-10) after 12 holes, leads 3 others by 2 strokes. Rutgers, 4 Under for the Round, is currently tied for 7th with Michigan at -2. overall. For Round 3 Jones is Even Par and Noah Kumar is 2 Under after 12, Argyle Downes is Even Par after 13 and Bennett Espenshade also Even Par after 11 with Derek Gutierrez +4 after 12.. Playing as Individuals Andrew Reyes is -3 after 13 with Max Jackson at -1 after 14.

Kumar and Reyes both scored Eagle 3's on the 538yd Par 5 3rd hole. It's the 2nd time in 3 rounds Reyes has scored an Eagle on #3.

The team competition is down to a 2 horse race with TCU -18 and Arkansas -14.

 

[knightfan7]

After yesterday's suspension of play, Today's restart and finish was not a positive last 5-7 holes for the team. For example, the team members playing the 428yd Par 4 14th this morning, shot +7 with 2 triple bogeys and a bogey which sealed their fate. From the restart on their holes 12 thru 14 to the end the 5 members of the team were a combined double digits over par. The team 294 +6 was 13th out of the 14 entered, dropping the team from 6th to 10th with a 3 Round score of +9. In doing so, they fell behind all B1G teams entered.

Weston Jones had a 2 stroke lead when play resumed but played the last 6 holes +4, for a 76, He finished a very respectable 4th. Frosh Argyle Downes (48th) was a bright spot with a 1 Under 71. Fellow Frosh Bennett Espenshade (67th) shot 1 Over 73. Noah Kumar (28th) shot 74, Derek Gutierrez (84th) shot 80. Participating as individuals, Soph Andrew Reyes (67th) shot a 2 Under 70 and Frosh Maxwell Jackson, playing in his first college tourney, shot Even Par 72, finishing 38th out of 87 entrants.

Arkansas (-21) shot 23 Under over the last 36 holes, catching and passing TCU (-19). Michigan (-11), Kennessaw St (-9), and Indiana (-4) rounded out the Top 5.

The team is off till March 2 when they make their annual appearance at the Colleton River Collegiate in Bluffton, SC.

Among the 16 teams scheduled to compete are MSU (host), OSU, PSU, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Wake Forest, Iowa St, and Kansas St.