VIDEO: Elliot MacGregor Interview
VIDEO: Sights and sounds from Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate
SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. - After shooting an astonishing 16-under par in the final round, the no. 2/3 Carson-Newman men's golf team recorded their first tournament win of the spring, winning the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate championship.
The Eagles shot 29-under par for the entire two-round tournament, shooting a 547 and defeating Division-I Oral Roberts by 12 strokes. The second round 272 score is now the lowest team round score in the history of the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate tournament, beating out the previous best score of 274 set by Carson-Newman in the second round of the 2017 event by two strokes. The team's 36-hole score of 547 beats the previous best 36-hole score set by UT Martin in 2013 of 593 by 46 strokes.
The 272 second round score is the third lowest round in SAC history for men's golf.
Every single Eagle's indivdiual 36-hole score is better than the previous best score of 143 by Brandon Rogers of Tennessee set in 2013, meaning the the top-seven best 36 hole scores at the Bobby Nicholls Intercollegiate are all held by Carson-Newman golfers.
Unsurprisingly, Carson-Newman had the best team scores on every single hole at the Sevierville Golf Club River Course. The Eagles were the only team under par on par threes, shooting two-under with an average score of 2.95. On par fours, C-N finished seven strokes better than any other team, shooting eight-under with an average score of 3.92. On the longest holes at the course, Carson-Newman shot a whopping 19-under on par fives, with an average score of 4.53.
Carson-Newman finished the tournament with the most birdies, carding 51 on the week. Five Eagles finished with double-digit birdies, lead by Alex Hodge with 12. Jackson Tyler also carded an Eagle for C-N, needing just three strokes to find the hole at number 10.
"We had more depth of great play today," says Director of Golf Randy Wylie. "Jonathan (Nielsen) rebounded today and we had an avalanche of birdies. We got hot and when good teams get hot, you can close out tournaments and that's what we did this week against a good field. Every tournament is different and in golf you can't play defense. We'ved been playing well but it felt good to finally close this tournament out with a victory."
Elliot MacGregor won his first career tournament individual championship, shooting a five-under 67 and rising three spots throughout the second round. The Shepperton, Middlesex native shot nine-under throughout the week, finishing with a final score of 135. MacGregor had the best score of any competitor on par fours, shooting six-under and an average score of 3.70. His 11 birdies were second-most in the field.
"I felt good this week" says MacGregor. "It's our home course and we have a good record here and I was excited to play and see how it goes. I still didn't hit it very good off the tee today but I was able to get some putts to go my way. As a team, we're all good mates and just enjoy being out there."
"Elliot is a high level freshman," says Wylie. "He had played well and this was the week where it came together. Hopefully this is when he turned away from the freshman jitters and can build off this momentum.
Behind MacGregor was Hodge, who finished tied for third after shooting a three-under 69 in the second round. The Knoxville, Tenn. native finished the tournament with an eight-under 136. His five-under and average score of 3.75 on par fours was tied for second-best in the entire field.
Jake Mynatt finished right behind Hodge, finishing fifth after recording a four-under 68 in the second round. Mynatt ended the week with a seven-under 137. The junior finished tied for the best score on par fives, shooting an average score of 4.13 and seven-under. He also had 11 birdies during the week.
Jackson Tyler finished tied for 14th overall after improving by one stroke in the second round, shooting a two-under 70. Tyler finishes the week with a three-under 141, and was one of just 24 players to record an eagle at the River Course.
Johnathan Nielsen improved by six strokes between rounds, moving up 20 spots to a tie for 19th place after shooting a four-under 68 in the second round. Nielsen finished two-under for the tournament with a score of 142. He was five-under with an average score of 4.38 strokes on par fives.
Individually, Will Collins soared up the leaderboard, carding a four-under 68 in the second round. Collins finished the tournament with a four-under 140 and recorded the most pars of any individual in the tournament, finishing with 29 in his 36 holes played.
Zach Young finished tied with Nielsen at 19th with a total score of 142 at two-under. The Crossville, Tenn. native shot an even-par 72 in the second round.
The Eagles will take the next week off before heading to Lenoir City, Tenn. for the Tennessee River Rumble beginning on Mar. 27. Fans can keep up to date with the Carson-Newman men's golf team at cneagles.com.
