Misfortune Strikes Men's Golf

Adam Hunt
Senior Reporter / Columnist

The Mercer men’s golf team’s exploits at the Linger Longer Invitational ended in disarray due to a scorecard error in the aftermath of the first round.

Freshman Matt Kocolowski mistakenly signed for a false score on the 17th hole and the Bears were disqualified from competing in the final two rounds of play as a team. They were, however, allowed to continue to take part as individuals.

Fellow freshman William Meason lead the Orange and Black in fifth place overall after 36 holes thanks to a second day 71.

Meason, Kocolowski and senior Matt Tribby all recorded two-over 74’s in the final round of the event held at Reynolds Landing in Greensboro, Ga.

Dropping a few places from his previous day’s finish, Meason tied for 13th place with Georgia Tech’s Chesson Hadley while Tribby placed 19th in the 93-golfer field.
The Bear’s scoring was rounded out by senior Matt Smith and freshman Thomas Holmes. Smith notched a 76 in the final round while Holmes concluded with a 78.

Despite the unfortunate circumstances of the disqualification, Mercer was one of seven teams at the event to post multiple sub-300 rounds – an impressive feat on what was a tricky course.

As a team, the Bears posted a cumulative score of 298 on the final day. College powerhouse Oklahoma State clinched the title, posting a three-day total of 865. Southern rivals Alabama finished just off the pace in second with an 867 while Texas A&M took third with a team total of 874.

Mercer head coach Andrew Tredway remained philosophical after the tournament. “I'm excited about how the team played amidst a hard situation,” he said. “We put together two of the better rounds of the season and it couldn't have come at a better time.”

Tredway was also impressed by Meason’s contribution: “William played absolutely phenomenal this week. He should be really proud of the way he played and he has really turned himself into a good player.”

The Bears are now entering the final section of their season with only one regular season event remaining before the Atlantic Sun Conference Championships begin in April. They will return to action on April 3rd at the Irish Creek Intercollegiate in Charlotte, NC.