Columbus, Ga.- After sitting in 15^th place following a windy, rainy day Monday for round one, the Carson-Newman men's golf team stormed back to finish in the top ten at the Aflac/Cougar Invitational  at the Country Club of Columbus. The Eagles finished with a combined three-day score of 887 putting them 24 strokes behind tournament winner Florida Southern.

 Head Coach John Minor said the Eagles didn't hang their heads after a tough start to the tournament.

"It was a difficult tournament for my team, we didn't start out well, but we definitely hung in there and finished extremely strong," Minor said.

Junior Jonathan Kim-Moss (Mississauga, Canada) finished rounds two and three strong with scores of 72 (+1) for both rounds.

Minor said he was impressed with Kim-Moss and continues to see him improving with each tournament.

"Jonathan had a great finish based on his start," Minor said. "He went into the second day playing strong and produced excellent results."

Senior Gavin Hay (Glasgow, Scotland) ended day two with a score of 70 (-1) and a 3-over 74 for round three.  He ended the tournament tied for 20^th.

"Gavin shot his best in round two, shooting one-under and really finished strong in the rest of the tournament," Minor said.

Rafael Jackson (Rutledge,Tenn.) shot 11-over par 224, tying him for 35^th. Michael Horenkamp (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) finished with a 72 (+1) and 75 (+4) for rounds two and three, respectively.

Freshman Chase McCown (Sevierville, Tenn.) improved his score with a 72 (1+) for round three.

"I am very proud of our team and the heart that they showed this tournament," Minor said "I know they will carry their great performance over to the next tournament."

Seventeen schools participated in the Aflac/Cougar Invitational.

The Eagles take to the links again October 15, 2012 at the TVA Credit Union Classic.

-CN