Final Results
The Titan men's golfers held their own in a star-studded field over the weekend as they finished fifth at Michigan State's Spartan Classic, missing a share of third place by a single stroke.
The 54-hole tournament, Detroit's first outing of the year, was staged at the Kingsley Club in Kingsley, MI.
Senior David Byrne led the way for UDM as he tied for third place individually. The overnight leader after Saturday's first two rounds, Byrne finished at 5-under-par 208 after rounds of 66, 66 and 76.
Detroit held third as a team after two rounds, then was passed on Sunday by San Francisco and host Michigan State. California – ranked 24th nationally – won the tournament, while UC Davis finished second. The Titans' 864 team total (281-285-298) was the sixth-best in school annals.
“As badly as we wanted to finish even higher, this was a great way to get the season started. We played with the two California teams the last day and learned a lot about how to compete with the 'big guys,'” coach Mark Engel said. “Three of the four teams that finished ahead of us went to the NCAA's a year ago, and we were going toe to toe with them on a really tough golf course until we finally fell back over the last nine holes.
“We learned a lot about ourselves in a great field and we'll keep working hard at things to keep improving.”
Junior Jeff Clarridge joined Byrne in the top 10 as he finished 10th with an even-par 68-72-74-214 final tally. The opening 68 was Clarridge's personal best.
The Titans resume tournament play next Saturday and Sunday when they venture to DePaul for the John Dallio Memorial.
-Detroit Titans-
