Falcons Make Late Charge, Finish Sixth at Bearcat Invitational

Tuesday, October 12

Hebron, KY

All Day

Bowling Green State University

Bearcat Invitational

October 12, 2010 | Men's Golf

Bowling Green's 283 Topped All Teams in Final Round

By: by Matthew Daley, Athletic Communications Intern

TOURNAMENT RESULTS: Final Team Leaderboard (.pdf)

Sometimes, the best test of true mettle occurs when an athlete or team faces adversity -- when their results are not what they hoped for or expected. If that was the case for the Bowling Green State University men's golf team on Tuesday (Oct. 12) in Hebron, Ky., the team passed their test with flying colors.

In the first round of (Cincinnati) Bearcat Invitational, the Falcons fired a 301 on the par-72, 7,103 yard course at the Traditions Golf Club. It was the team's first round of 300 or above since the first round of the season in New York, and it put the team in tenth place, solidly in the middle of an 18-team field.

The second round could not be completed on Monday; when the teams resumed play today, Bowling Green completed the second round with a score of 298. The total of 599 through 36 holes dropped the team to 11th place, 21 shots behind the leading team.

Today's third and final round proved to be that test of mettle, and the Falcons responded by posting the best team round of the entire tournament. None of the other 53 combined team rounds on Monday or Tuesday could match the Falcons' total of 283 over the final 18 holes. In fact, their round topped the next-best round by three strokes.

Bowling Green's five-under-par round vaulted them to sixth place in the final standings, and they gained ten shots on the eventual tournament winner, Oakland. Their final total of 882 bested tournament host Cincinnati by three strokes, and the Falcons finished within shouting distance of Mid-American Conference opponents Northern Illinois (873) and Ball State (874).

Individually, four Falcons shot par or better in the final round.

That group was led by junior captain Drew Preston, who found final round moxie and carded a 69 after scoring double 75s in the first two rounds. His 219 gave him a 12th place finish.

Two other members of the Orange and Brown contingent secured top-20 finishes. Wes Gates improved upon his back-to-back 74s to earn a 72 in the final round and tie for 15th place. Sophomore Charlie Olson improved in each of his three rounds, moving from a 77 to a 74 and then to a two-under-par 70. He tied for 20th with a total of 221.

Parker Hewit also improved over each round, including a five shot jump from the second to the third round. His final round 72 gave him a 228 for the tourney and a 51st place finish.

Freshman Chris Melvin carded scores of 75 in each of his first two rounds as he finished with a 54-hole total of 233.

The Falcons will attempt to parlay this momentum into success at their final tournament of the fall schedule. That tourney takes place in Hopkinsville, Ky. next Monday and Tuesday (Oct. 18 and 19) at the APSU Intercollegiate.