SAPPHIRE, N.C. – Hilltopper Golf sophomore Riley Grindstaff and redshirt sophomore Nic Hofman shot under par on the final day of the JT Poston Invitational to climb the leaderboard as individuals. Both shot 1-under 70 in the final round of Western Carolina's event.
"We came out of our corner when the bell rang Monday morning and got punched square in the face during the first round, but I was really happy with how we responded and climbed in the afternoon," said head coach Chan Metts. "We had a change to put a stamp on a great finish today considering how we started, but we couldn't close it out, and that's very frustrating."
"Riley, Nic and Luke (Fuller) all gave us really solid rounds but it takes four guys for all three rounds to get it done. This will be another learning experience for the guys and I'm already ready to get back to practice tomorrow we can be more prepared for when we put ourselves in good position again. I'm looking forward to Xavier in a few weeks."
Grindstaff notched another top-15 finish, the fifth in his brief career as a Hilltopper, as he tied for 14th. His 54-hole score of 2-over 215 earned him the top-15 finish out of 93 individuals.
Hofman climbed up the leaderboard in a major way at the par-72, 7,007-yard Country Club of Sapphire Valley. He moved up 26 spots to tie for 45th overall.
Senior Luke Fuller finished between the pair at t-35th overall. He shot a final-round, 5-over 76 to finish at 7-over 220 for the invite. Fifth-year senior Landon Carner also counted a 5-over 76 on the day for the Tops.
Sophomore Will Stewart carded a 6-over 77 on Tuesday to finish off WKU's lineup. Junior Aaron Pha ended the event, while competing as an individual, with a 6-over 77 as well.
WKU as a squad finished in 11th with a 54-hole total of 28-over 880. The Hilltoppers final round of the Invitational was an 8-over 292.
The Tops will take a one-week break from the road before competing at the Xavier Invitational on October 10-11.
Results – Final
T14. Riley Grindstaff – 77, 68, 70 – 215
T35. Luke Fuller – 72, 72, 76 – 220
T45. Nic Hofman – 77, 75, 70 – 222
T66. Landon Carner – 76, 74, 76 – 226
T58. Will Stewart – 78, 72, 77 – 227
T85. Aaron Pha – 77, 78, 77 – 232*
*competed as an individual
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