Austin Peay State University Sports Information
Dickson, TN – After a windswept first day at Greystone Golf Club, Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s golf and its guests enjoyed, if not more temperate climates, then at least weather that was nice enough to finish 36 holes and crown a champion of the 2018 F&M Bank APSU Intercollegiate.
The Govs finished fifth overall, the 17th time in the 20-year history of the event they’ve earned a top-five finish in their home tournament.
At 573 (290-283), the Govs were within striking distance of overall champion Belmont (567), whose final-round 277 helped them leapfrog SIU Edwardsville (569), with Trevecca (571) and Binghamton (572) rounding out the top-five.
Among the seven Ohio Valley Conference squads in the field, the Austin Peay State University Govs finished third, behind the Bruins and Cougars but ahead of UT Martin, Murray State, Tennessee State and Eastern Illinois.
For the second year in a row, sophomore Chase Korte was the top finisher for the Govs, posting a 142 (72-70) to tie for ninth. The Metropolis, Illinois native sank nine birdies, tied for the team high, and was two-under for the tournament on the back-nine at Greystone.
Sophomore Garrett Whitfield and junior Michael Busse mirrored one another on the course; Whitfield opened with a 69 and closed with a 74, while Busse opened at two-over and closed at three under, with both tying for 13th at 143.
Whitfield led the Govs with a 2.88 stroke average on par-3 holes and tied for fourth in the field with nine birdies, while Busse was the top Gov on par-4 offerings (3.85/hole), tied for third overall; the Rochester, Michigan native caught fire in round two near the turn, sinking five birdies over hole Nos. 8-15. Whitfield, meanwhile, rallied after a double on No. 10 in the first round two shoot three-under on the rest of the back nine.
Both junior Austin Lancaster and freshman Micah Knisley rallied back from rounds over par in the opening round to fire even-par 72s in round two, with Lancaster equaling Whitfield and Korte with nine birdies.
Among individuals, Sean Butscher led the way with an even-par 144 (72-72), tying for 17th to continue his success over the years at Greystone; he was fifth in the 2016 event. His three-under 33 on the front nine in round one was the best nine-hole split by any Gov during the tournament.
“We played well today,” said head coach Robbie Wilson. “We were 10-under on the 24 holes we played today, and you can’t be upset with that. We got too far behind yesterday and sometimes when you have a lot of ground to make up it’s tough to do. We gave it everything we had today and just came up a little short.”
The Austin Peay State University Govs Golf team will have a short week before returning to the road again, heading to the Kennesaw State-hosted Pinetree Intercollegiate in Kennesaw, Georgia to close out the fall slate, October 22nd-23rd.
