Sports > March 20, 2008

By Hailey Robbins | Staff writer

Three years ago, the Demon Deacon men’s golf team finished the General Jim Hackler Championship tied for seventh place in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Unwilling to settle for a tie in their first appearance in the tournament in three years, the Demon Deacons improved from sixth place to first overall, winning their first tournament since spring season 2007.

With very windy conditions setting the first two rounds, played back to back, the Demon Deacons finished nestled in a solid tie for fifth place at 29 over par.

Senior Chris McCartin, the lone senior on the team to make the trip, finished both rounds with solid and consistent two-over par-74s, placing him tied for seventh individually.

Sophomore Brendan Gielow’s first round score of 77 left him ranked 32nd, yet his finishing the second round at three over par 75 moved him up in ranking to 25th.

Freshman Chris Cannon made his debut with the men’s team the first day of the tournament, finishing the first round in 25th, but slipped to into a tie for 41st place after the second round. Cannon concluded the first two rounds at 11 over par.

Junior Dustin Groves concluded the first rounds tied for 46th place overall with a 12 over-par.

Sophomore Travis Wadkins and freshman Justin Bryant, who is competing as the team’s individual player, both finished the first two rounds tied for 55th place. Wadkins’ first round score of 75 made him the lone Demon Deacon to shoot under his season average score for the first two rounds. Going into the final day, the Demon Deacons lay 16 strokes off the leader.

Wadkins continued to lead the Deacon excellence by finishing his round with his lowest score of the tournament, a 71.

This propelled him from 55th to 27th place overall.

McCartin finished in a tie for sixth place overall, his first top ten finish of the season and eighth career top 10.

In his first competition since a fall injury, Cannon returned to the top 20 spot, his second career top twenty finish. After his three day best score of 74, Groves concluded the tournament settled in 31st.

Gielow tied his fellow Demon Deacon Groves for the 31st spot, falling slightly from his first round ranking of 25th.

The team individual entry, Bryant, concluded the tournament in 62nd place.

The men’s golf team looks to continue their winning streak March 23-25 at the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate, a tournament for which the Demon Deacons are the returning champions.