ALBANY, Ga. - Despite a big week from Will Collins, seventeen bogeys, along with under-par rounds by North Georgia and Georgia Southwestern dropped Carson-Newman from first to third on the final day of the Hurricane Invitational.
The Eagles' 13 birdies could not help balance out the scoring in the final round, as Carson-Newman shot a two-over 290 in round three. Carson-Newman finishes the tournament at third, three strokes behind champion North Georgia with a four-under 860 for the week.
Carson-Newman did finish the tournament with the best score of any team on par fives, finishing 21-under and an average score of 4.65. The Eagles were also efficient on the difficult par threes at the Doublegate Country Club, recording the second-best score at four-over with an average score of 3.07.
"It was a solid day today for the Eagles," says Director of Golf Randy Wylie. "We would've really liked to get the win but just couldn't get the one brilliant round we needed. Jonathan Nielsen and Will Collins led the way with two solid top tens. Overall, this weekend was a nice way to start the spring season."
C-N finished the tournament with the most birdies in three rounds, carding 48 one-under shots. Jonathan Nielsen had the most for the Eagles and fifth-most on the week with 12.
Nielsen finished the week tied for third after carding a one-over 73 final round. Nielsen finished the week with a four-under 212. Nielsen has now finished inside the top-three in back-to-back tournaments and has recorded a top-10 finish in four of his last five tournaments. He also finished the tournament with the second-best score on par threes, shooting two-under with an average score of 2.83.
Will Collins recorded his first top-10 finish of the year and his first since the 2019 Walters State Fall Classic, finishing tied for seventh with a two-under 214. Collins recorded a one-under 71 in the final round. On par threes, Collins was unstoppable, finishing with the best score on the shortest holes, recording a three-under and an average score of 2.75 for the tournament. His 11 birdies were also the eighth most in the tournament.
Alex Hodge finishes tied for 23rd after finishing the weekend with a three-over 219. Hodge carded a three-over 75 in the final round after entering day two at even-par. Hodge recorded the third-best score on par fives this week, shooting six-under with an average score of 4.50.
Jake Mynatt closed out his strong showing in Albany with a two-over 74 in the final round. Mynatt finishes the week tied for 32nd with a four-over 220. He was one of 17 golfers to card an eagle during the tournament.
Jackson Tyler rounds out the card for Carson-Newman, shooting an even-par 72 on the final day in Georgia. Tyler finishes the week tied for 44th with a six-over 222. Tyler led the Eagles with 37 pars this week, including 14 in the final round.
North Georgia wins the team championship with a seven-under 857. Samuel Trueba of King wins the individual championship with a nine-under 207.
The Eagles will head to another Peach Belt Conference hosted tournament next week, competing in the Palmetto State at the Lander Bearcat Classic in Greenwood, S.C. Mar. 7-8.
