GREENWOOD, S.C. — The Carson-Newman men's golf team shot a final-round 1-under-par 287 on Tuesday to claim second place at the Bearcat Golf Classic hosted by Lander University at Greenwood County Club.
C-N finished the tournament with a two-day total of 575 (-1). The Eagles entered the day seven strokes off the lead in fourth place and wrapped up the tournament just one stroke shy of first place, as UNC Pembroke claimed the title with a two-round total of 574 (-2). UNC Pembroke used a final-round of 283 (-5) to climb from seventh place to win the event.
The finish was the Eagles' highest this season. C-N head coach John Minor was pleased with his team's performance in its final tournament before the South Atlantic Conference Championships.
"It was just a great team effort for two days," Minor said. "This is a good time of year to start playing well. This team believes in each other. We've built some momentum going into the conference tournament. This is a hungry team and it's beginning to peak at the right time."
No. 7 Georgia College finished in third with a score of 576 (289-287, E), while 11th-ranked Barton College finished fourth with a score of 580 (287-293, +4).
C-N sophomore Gavin Hay (Glasgow, Scotland) carded a 1-under-par 71 to finish in a four-way tie for second place with a two-day total of 140 (-4). Georgia College's Joe Young won medalist honors with a score of 138 (70-68, -6).
The second place finish was Hay's second of his career, as he also finished runner-up in the 2011 Richard Rendleman Invitational three weeks ago.
"Gavin Hay continues to play well," Minor said. "He is really giving us some momentum with the way he has been playing."
Freshman Jonathan Kim-Moss (Mississauga, Canada) turned his first round in the 60s as he fired a 3-under-par 69 to finish in a tie for 13th with a score of 143 (-1). Kim-Moss hit all 18 greens in regulation on the day en route to the first top 20 finish of his young career.
Junior Liam Ashby (Dublin, Ireland) carded an even-par 72 for the second straight day to finish in a tie for 15th with a score of 144. Senior John Minor, Jr. (Dandridge, Tenn.) tied for 46th with a two-day total of 150 (73-77), while Alex Coughlin (Jefferson City, Tenn.) tied for 54th with a score of 151 (76-75).
The Eagles return to action on April 11-12 in the SAC Championships at Rock Barn Country Club in Conover, N.C.
