GREENVILLE, N.C. - The WKU men's golf team tied for second Tuesday at the East Carolina Intercollegiate with its best team finish since the 2015-2016 season.
Billy Tom Sargent and Stuart Easton both tied for fourth place at the par-72, 6,708-yard Brook Valley Country Club. They finished just one stroke away from medalist honors.
Sargent's 74 in the final round on Tuesday secured his fourth top-five finish of the season. The redshirt sophomore marked two birdies in his last 11 holes, scoring 223 over the three rounds. Also leading the Hilltoppers was sophomore Easton, who shot 75 in the third round. His play on Tuesday included three birdies, and the tie for fourth was the best finish of his career.
The Hilltoppers scored four players in the top 25 in the field of 66. Joining Sargent and Easton were redshirt freshman Linus Lo and freshman Kyle Jeffers. Lo finished 13th, shooting 74 in the final round on Tuesday.
Jeffers fired three birdies, marking a 73 on the day. His score of 228 tied him for 22nd. Each WKU golfer was able to improve their position from Monday's play, including sophomore Blake Smith who shot 77 in Tuesday's round.
WKU head coach Phillip Hatchett commended his squad for their hard work and dedication through tough conditions on Tuesday.
"The guys did a great job today, really proud of them," Hatchett said. "They just are fighting and grinding like crazy. That's one of the things we've been working so hard on, our short game and our ability to grind through a round. They showed today that they can do just that."
The Hilltopper team was only four strokes out of first place with 899 in the 11-team field. West Virginia won the tournament with an 895.
WKU continues play in the Ryman Hospitality Intercollegiate, hosted by Lipscomb, on April 10-11 in Nashville, Tenn.
East Carolina Intercollegiate Final Results
T4. Billy Tom Sargent (72-77-74-223)
T4. Stuart Easton (71-77-75-223)
13. Linus Lo (74-77-74-225)
T22. Kyle Jeffers (78-77-73-228)
44. Blake Smith (78-78-77-233)
