SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. – Tom Forster (Oundle, England) carded a final round score of 67 to push him to a 203 total en route to becoming the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate champion with No. 25 Carson-Newman garnering a second-place team finish on Tuesday.
His 203 marks the second-lowest 54-hole total score in the history of the South Atlantic Conference.
"I was just hitting it good all week and I played good as well," Forster said. "The first round, I wasn't playing good but I knew that if I kept striking it like I was, I was going to post a really good number at the end of the week."
VIDEO: Tom Forster Interview
Forster started the day at the top of the leaderboard and finished there, shooting five-under par in the final round, pushing him to a field-leading -13. The sophomore was the top par 4 player with a 3.80 average, six-under on such holes. He also had the most birdies in the field through three rounds with 17.
This marks the first tournament win for Forster, clinching the title on a birdie putt on the 18th hole. This is also his fifth career top-five finish.
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— C-N Athletics (@CNathletics) March 21, 2018
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A tournament-clinching birdie putt on 18 for @tomforster88. He is the champion of the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate. pic.twitter.com/l4uQIDdATD
The team five members of the Eagles' team shot a 282 in the final round for an 851 total score at 13-under par.
"All year, we've been just falling short of playing our best for the whole tournament, you know, it's play good for two-thirds of the tournament and we kind of finally put it all together," head coach Randy Wylie said. "Tom certainly did, Tom played great. So proud of him for getting his first win with the Eagles, personally, and as a team, we played good as a team.
"We're putting it together and it's nice to be putting it together as we head into the postseason coming up."
VIDEO: Randy Wylie Interview
Reigning champion Jake Headrick (Maryville, Tenn.) moved up 10 spots on the leaderboard in the final round to finish at a tie for seventh. He shot for 70, two-under, in the third round for a final total of 214, also at two-under for the event.
Anthony Marcinelli (Knoxville, Tenn.) was one-over in the third round with a 73. His three day total of 216 sat him even with par, good enough for a tie at 14th.
Alex Hutson (Newport, Tenn.) carded an even 72 on Tuesday. His three-day total of 218 landed him at a tie for 18th in the event, eight spots higher than his Monday finish.
Jackson Tyler (Wilmington, Tenn.) was the fourth-highest on the leaderboard among those competing as individuals at a tie for 37th, 17 spots better than where he began Tuesday. He was +2 in the last round as he carded a 70. The freshman was six shots above par for a total of 222.
Will Hurt (Powell, Tenn.) rounded out the Eagles on the leaderboard with an 81 in the closing round. His nine-over Tuesday score gave him a +22 total of 238, notching a seat in a tie for 74th.
Marshall's Alex Weiss stayed behind Forster through Tuesday at the top of the leaderboard with a second-place finish. He was ten-under in the event with a 206 total. Just one stroke behind him at third was Eastern Kentucky's Noah Combs with a 207 total.
Eastern Kentucky was at the top of the leaderboard, just one stroke better than C-N. Austin Peay took third with an 861.
The Eagles now turn their attention to their regular season finale with a trip to the Tennessee River Rumble. That even will take place on April 3 and 4 at the Tennessee National Golf Club in Loudon, Tenn.
|
Carson-Newman |
294 |
275 |
282 |
851 |
-13 |
2nd |
|
71 |
65 |
67 |
203 |
-13 |
1st |
|
|
76 |
68 |
70 |
214 |
-2 |
T-7th |
|
|
72 |
71 |
73 |
216 |
E |
T-14th |
|
|
75 |
71 |
72 |
218 |
+2 |
T-18th |
|
|
83 |
69 |
70 |
222 |
+6 |
T-37th |
|
|
84 |
73 |
81 |
238 |
+22 |
T-74th |
