GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum College men's golf team recorded a two-day score of 565 and led wire-to-wire to win the 11th annual Tusculum Fall Classic at Link Hills Country Club. The Pioneers carded a final day score of 283 to repeat as Fall Classic Champions and won by a dozen strokes over runner-up Mars Hill University.
TC claims its second consecutive win in as many week while record the team title at the Fall Classic for the sixth time in the tournament's history (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2015, 2016).
Spartanburg Methodist College finished third with 578, while Milligan College claimed fourth place honors with 580. Catawba College was fifth with 291, followed by Tennessee Wesleyan College (583), Lenoir-Rhyne University (585), Lincoln Memorial B (593) and Walters State College (594).
Three players finished with 36-hole total of 139 (-3) for the first three-way tie for medalist honors in the tournament's 11-year history. Garrett Tucker of LMU B, Tusculum's Cameron Dugger and Adam Lumley of Mars Hill were deadlocked when the Classic ended. Tucker was declared the tournament medalist via a playoff.
Tusculum senior Taylor Smith carded yet another round of 70 (-1) to finish the tournament with 140 (-2) and tie for fourth place. Smith as recorded a score of 70 in his last four tournament rounds, including back-to-back 70s to win medalist honors at last week's Etowah Intercollegiate.
Joining Smith on the All-Tournament Team is Tennessee Wesleyan's Evan Ball who posted 66-74=150. Ball and Smith earned the final two spots on the All-Tournament Team via a scorecard playoff with Hunter Parks (Spartanburg Methodist) and Josh Gambrell (Milligan).
Tusculum newcomer David Whinery tied for 14th place with 144, including his two-under par 69 which was the lowest round of the final round. TC teammate Anthony Bolden also finished tied for 14th with 144, while Chris Hutson fired 73-75=148 to tie for 27th place.
TC senior Preston Tucker, playing as an individual competitor carded a one-under par 70 to finish 14th at 144. Also competing as individual competitors for the Pioneers were Hunter Chandley (76-76=152, T35), Austin Murdock (84-74=158, T46) and Dylan Scalf (86-77=163 , 50th).
Tusculum's 565 is the fifth-lowest 36-hole team score in program history.
For Tusculum head coach Bob Dibble, this marks the 43rd team title for the Pioneers during his hall of fame career in Greeneville.
The Pioneers return to action Oct. 10-11 as they compete at the State Farm Intercollegiate in Tazewell, Tennessee and hosted by Lincoln Memorial.
