CHUCKEY, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's golf team led from start to finish to win the 27th annual Tusculum Invitational at Graysburg Hills Golf Club. TU rookie Liam van Deventer also went wire-to-wire carding a 36-hole score of 138 (-6) to claim medalist honors for the first time in his career.
The Pioneers posted a final day 303 to finish with 589 and win by 20 strokes over runner-up Lenoir-Rhyne. For TU, it was its second straight Tusculum Invitational crown and 11th overall in the tournament's rich history.
Walters State and Milligan both finished with two-day scores of 629 to tie for third place honors. The Tusculum B team finished fifth with 631, including 309 in the final round for Tuesday's second-lowest team score. Spartanburg Methodist finished sixth with 637, followed by Bluefield State (641), Emory & Henry (646), UVA Wise (647), Roane State (657), Concord (669) and Mars Hill (691).
Van Deventer's final round was steady which included three birdies, two bogeys and 13 pars for his one-under par 71. Liam Waldron of Lenoir-Rhyne finished runner-up with 70-74=144, while Tusculum's Dominic Barron Holden was third with 72-73=145. Walters State's Nate Vaughan, along with Franco Di Benedetto of Bluefield State and Milligan's Carter Counts (playing as an individual competitor) finished in a three-way tie for fourth place with 150. Counts recorded the low round of the day with his three-under par 69.
TU's Liam Sweeney finished 11th with 73-80=153, while John Bennett tied for 12th with 75-79=154. Nicholas Marchese rounded out the scoring for the Tusculum A squad with 74-82=156 and finish 15th.
Derek Mubarak led the Tusculum B team with his 77-75=152 and finished tied for seventh place in the individual rankings. Bennett Noe was 15th with 80-76=156, while Mark Healy was 20th with 83-76=159. Jordan Williams accounted for back-to-back rounds of 82 for his 164 and tied for 37th.
The Pioneers are back in action next week (Mar. 29-30) as they compete at the Tennessee River Rumble in Loudon, Tennessee.
