The UTM golf team placed ninth at the 14th Annual Grub Mart-Young Oil Intercollegiate March 20-21 at Silver Lakes Golf Course in Jacksonville, Ala.

The Skyhawks struggled on par-3s, scoring 21-over-par for the tournament, which was shortened to two rounds due to rain.
“We threw away 21 strokes on par-3s on both days,” head coach Jerry Carpenter said. “The par-3s ate our lunch.”

The Skyhawks led par-5 scoring with 13-under-par.

“Putting was one of our weak points, but overall we played really good on par-5s,” said Bradley Stevens, a freshman from Brentwood. “We hit the ball really well off the tee. Our iron play was good,” Carpenter said.

Host Jacksonville State won the tournament with a team score of 575. The University of New Orleans was second with a 578 and Morehead State. was third with a 582. The Skyhawks carded a 595. Kenji Murayama of New Orleans was the tournament’s medalist, shooting a 5-under-par 139 on rounds of 65 and 74.

UTM placed two golfers in the top 25 with sophomore Robert Lents, from Jackson, and Stevens both shooting 148 and finishing tied for 23rd.

Stevens shot 3-over-par 75 in the first round and 1-over-par 73 in the second with Lents shooting an even-par 72 in the first and 4-over-par 76 in the second.

“I feel that Brad Stevens probably played the green better than anybody. Putting was his problem,” Carpenter said.

Junior Trey McNeil, from Dyersburg, carded the best round for the Skyhawks with a 1-under-par 71 second round. McNeil finished tied for 35th with a two round 6-over-par 150.

Senior Reise Kelly and freshman Wesley Stewart both finished with an 8-over-par 152 and tied for 44th. Kelly carded 76 on both rounds while Stewart had rounds of 77 and 75.

The team returns to action at the Belmont University Invitational April 2-4 at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin.