Tech Golf Finishes 6th at Maui Jim Intercollegiate

Sept. 25, 2016

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Scottsdale, Ariz. – Chris Petefish earned his first top-10 finish of the year, while he and his Georgia Tech teammates battled strong winds Sunday but held position and finished in sixth place at the inaugural Maui Jim Invitational.

Complete results via Golfstat

TECH LINEUP — Senior (McKinney, Texas), who did not count for the Yellow Jackets the first two rounds, stepped up with a 2-under-par 69 Sunday to lead the team. Petefish (junior, Danville, Calif.) and freshman (Powder Springs, Ga.) each shot 1-over-par 72, and junior (Columbus, Ga.) carded a 75 to provide the fourth counting score. Sophomore (Leesburg, Ga.) closed with a 77.

Petefish earned his fourth career-top-10 finish, tying for ninth place with a career-low score of 207 (-6), 11 strokes off the lead. Schniederjans tied for 13th place one shot further back at 5-under 208.

Freshman (Little Rock, Miss.) tied for 18th place, highest among the 13 players competing as individuals, turning in his second straight solid performance at 2-under-par 211.

TEAM LEADERBOARD — Winds exceeding 20 miles per hour Sunday sent scores much higher for everyone except the top two teams. Eighth-ranked LSU placed all five players under par Sunday posted a 14-under-round of 270, giving the Tigers a 54-hole total of 811 (-41) and a five-stroke victory over No. 28 Baylor (816, -36), which shot 13-under-par 271 Sunday. First-round leader Kent State, 1-over-par Sunday, finished third at 828 (-24).

Kansas, the only other team to break par in the final round (279, -5), finished fourth at 837 (-15), followed by No. 20 South Carolina (839, -13) and Tech (844, -8). The rest of the 16-team field finished over par.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD — LSU’s Luis Gagne finished a wire-to-wire victory by firing a 5-under-par 66 Sunday and posted a 54-hole total of 196 (-17), two shots clear of South Carolina’s Scott Stevens (198, -15). The next three individuals on the leaderboard belonged to Baylor — Garrett May (201, -12), Braden Bailey and Hunter Shattuck (both at 202, -11).

COACH SAYS — “This was a great opportunity to learn the grind today. It was the first time for some of our guys to really face a tough situation as the wind was up to 20 miles per hour when the round started. These experiences are really critical to a player’s maturation process. Some teams handled it better than we did, but we had some guys learn some good lessons. We now have three weeks to get ready for our great event at the Golf Club of Georgia.”

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION — The Maui Jim Invitational, hosted by Georgia State, was a first-time event conducted at Mirabel Golf Club, a 7,147-yard, par 71 layout in Scottsdale, Ariz. The 16-team field included No. 8 LSU and No. 20 South Carolina, both of whom advanced to the NCAA match play championship last spring, as well as top programs California and Houston.