Wake Forest University
Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate
Demon Deacons Finish Third At Bank Of Tennessee Intercollegiate
10/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Oct. 26, 2008
JOHNSON CITY, N.C. - The Wake Forest men's golf team was hampered by a rough stretch in the middle of the round and wound up finishing third at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate Sunday afternoon at The Ridges Country Club.
The Demon Deacons came into the final round with a two shot lead but Wake went 7-over on holes 8-9-10 and could not pull out the victory on the back nine, finishing with a final round 295.
Coastal Carolina and East Tennessee both started the day two shots back of the Deacs and the Chanticleers would come back for a one-shot victory over host ETSU. Wake finished third just two shots back.
Through six holes, the Deacs were 1-under for the day and led ETSU but one shot. After giving the lead back briefly, the team's most experienced golfers, junior Brendan Gielow and senior Dustin Groves, both made birdies on No. 7 to regain the lead for Wake.
However, the Deacons fell behind early on the back nine and still managed to pull even on a few occasions but the Deacs' inexperience in these situations showed down the stretch.
"We didn't play that bad today but we just weren't patient enough and I think that comes from being inexperienced in these type of situations," said Wake Forest head coach Jerry Haas. "Dustin and Brendan have been in these situations before and they played well but our young guys just haven't. This was a good learning experience for them and hopefully can take something away from this."
"Overall, this was a good tournament," Haas continued. "Travis (Wadkins) played real well the last two last days and there are plenty of positives to take from this weekend."
Groves played a very solid round of golf on Sunday, making a pair of birdies and just one bogie to go along with 15 pars in his round of 1-under 71. Groves carded a pair of 72s in the first two rounds and would finish in a four-way tie for second.
"That was one of the better rounds I have seen Dustin play," said Haas. "He was in control all day and had a lot of opportunities. He played like a senior today."
Groves finishes the fall with a pair of top-3 finishes as he finished tied for third at the VCU Shootout last month. He is also second on the team with a 72.7 stroke average and nine of his 15 rounds have been at par of better.
Gielow also picked up a top-ten finish this weekend as he carded a final round 73 to tie for ninth. He was 1-under at the turn but a pair of bogies down the stretch dropped him to 1-over for the 54 holes.
Gielow had a strong fall, winning the VCU Shootout and lead the team with a 72.1 stroke average over 15 rounds.
Freshman Daniel Meggs started the final round even through his first eight but a triple bogie on No. 9 put him at 3-over at the turn. After another bogie on ten, Meggs regained his composure and birdied three out of his last five holes to post a final round 74. He finished tied for 25th with a 54-hole total of 221.
Meggs played in four of the five tournaments this fall and averaged 74.4 strokes per round. He carded four rounds at par or better.
After posting a 2-under 70 in the second round, Bedford carded a final round 77 to finish tied for 37th.
He made a birdie at No. 4 but that was his only birdie of the day as he would double No. 8 and bogie No. 9 for an opening nine of 38. He then posted three bogies and six pars on the back nine for a round of 77.
The Cary, N.C. native also had a solid start to his career, as he played in all five tournaments and averaged 73.9 strokes over his 15 rounds. He also posted four rounds at par or better this fall.
Travis Wadkins fired rounds of 74-72 on Friday and Saturday but struggled a bit on Sunday, posting a final round 79. He ended the tournament with a 54-hole total of 225 and finished 43rd.
Wadkins also played in four of the five tournaments this fall and finished with a 74.5 stroke average through 12 rounds.
Junior Marc Gladson played as an individual this weekend and went on to post his lowest round of the tournament on Sunday. He started on the back nine and posted a 1-under 35 after a pair of birdies. But a rough front nine brought him home in 42 for a round of 77.
Gladson played in four tournaments this fall and averaged 76.6 strokes per round.
North Carolina State's Darren Blair was the only player in the field to card three under-par rounds as he shot 71-69-70=210 (-6) to claim medalist honors by five shots over four players.
"This was a good way to end the fall," said Haas. "We picked up 12 more wins and I think we finished at 32-22 so that's good for the .500 rule. It also showed us what we need to work on and I know the guys will get after it this winter. They are already looking forward to Gainesville because we always seem to play well there."
The Demon Deacons will be in Gainesville, Fla. for the Florida Gator Invitational, which is the first tournament of the spring on Feb. 14-15.
3 Wake Forest 291-285-295=871 (+7)
T2 Dustin Groves 72-72-72=215 (-1)
T9 Brendan Gielow 73-71-73=215 (+1)
T25 Daniel Meggs 72-75-74=221 (+5)
T37 Lee Bedford 77-70-77=224 (+8)
43 Travis Wadkins 74-72-79=225 (+9)
69 Marc Gladson (I) 79-80-77=236 (+20)
Players Mentioned
