CHESTERTON, Ind. (9/7/2016) -- Senior
Kyle Gaines posted a career-low 4-under 68 for a top-10 finish as the University of Detroit Mercy men's golf team took fourth place at the Crusader Collegiate.
The event, hosted by Valparaiso, was held on the Par 72, 6,972-yard Sand Creek Country Club.
As a team, the Titans posted a 920 (309-314-297), but their last round tally of 297 was more than 10 strokes better than their first 36 holes.
Gaines finished the day with six birdies and added an eagle for his 4-under 68. Overall, he finished in seventh place with a 221 (76-77-68).
Freshman
Scott Sparks shared 13th with a 230 (76-82-72), ending the event with an even-par 72, while junior
Eric Macrow took 17th with a 232 (76-78-78).
The Titans will have two weeks of practice before their next event as they will play in the John Dallio Memorial from Sept. 19-20.
Here is how the Crusader Collegiate unfolded:
- Senior Kyle Gaines' card of 221 (76, 77, 68) was just one stroke shy of his 54-hole career low, which he has achieved three times with the last at the Bobby Nicholas Intercollegiate in 2015.
- His 4-under 68 was his best career round by two shots. In his final round, he knocked in six birdies and an eagle. At one point, he had five birdies in a row from holes 4-8 and after parring nine, he eagled the Par 5, 10th hole.
- Gaines ended the event with a team-high 13 birdies.
- Freshman Scott Sparks rebounded from his second round 80 to tally an even-par 72 on the final 18. He had 11 pars and four birdies in his final round and ended the tournament with nine birdies. In round two, he recorded an eagle on the Par 5 10th hole.
- Sparks was also top 20 for the second-straight event sharing 13th by carding a 230 (80-77-73).
- Junior Eric Macrow picked up his seventh career top-20 finish by placing 17th with a 232 (76-78-78).
- Macrow also registered eight birdies and 28 pars.
- Freshman Jonathan Brillati made his collegiate debut playing as an individual and ended tied for 18th overall with a 233 (80-76-77) scorecard.
- He picked up 12 pars and a birdie in his final round and ended the 54-holes with a team-high 29 pars, while posting five birdies.
Head Coach Luke LaFave '02 on the Event:
"Overall, I like what I have seen so far, but there is a lot of room for improvement. I was able to see almost everyone play in the pressure of a tournament, and that will help all of us as we get ready for another event."
"Kyle played great. He has been knocking on the door to break 70 for awhile now. He had a great run with five birdies and an eagle in a seven-hole stretch. He played confident and hit the ball a lot better overall. If he had some putts fall for him yesterday, he would have had a great event."
"It was a great bounce back round for Scott in the final round. He played very solid other than a span of about five or six holes in round two, but I like the way he bounced back."
"Jonathan played very well in his first tournament. He hit the ball well and could have made a few more putts."
