Sports > November 1, 2007

By Alex Botoman | Staff writer

In its final event of the fall season the No. 8 Wake Forest men’s golf team struggled to an eighth place finish in the UNC-G Bridgestone Collegiate Championship Oct. 29-30.

The event was played at the Forest Oaks Country Club in Greensboro.

Wake Forest entered the tournament as the highest ranked team in the field of 15, which included ACC rivals UNC-Chapel Hill and Maryland.The Deacons were forced to play without senior Webb Simpson who withdrew due to an illness.

On the first day, teams played two rounds. Many teams had trouble with the first 36 holes and UNC-Chapel Hill was able to secure the lead with a team score of 4-over par. Through two rounds of play Wake Forest was in 10th place at 11-over par.

Leading the Deacs was sophomore Brendan Gielow who posted scores of 71 and 74. Gielow finished the day at 1-over par and was tied for 13th place among individuals. Senior Chris McCartin shot a 4-over 148 through 36 holes, while junior Dustin Groves and freshman Chris Cannon contributed 7-over 151s. Sophomore Travis Wadkins rounded out the Wake Forest team with an 8-over 152.

On the final day of play, teams played only one round and scores were considerably lower across the board. Louisville shot 9-under par in the final round to win the championship with a final score of 4-under 860.

The Deacons posted a team score of 2-under par in the final round and were able to climb a couple of spots to finish in eighth place. Wadkins, Gielow and Groves all posted scores of 1-under par 71. McCartin shot a 73 while Cannon shot a 75.

Gielow was the highest finishing individual for the Deacs, finishing in a tie for 11th place with a total score of an even par 216. Wake Forest has a three-month break from competition and will not be back in action until Feb. 9.