GOLF
FULL TOURNAMENT SCORES & STATS <http://www.letuathletics.com/documents/2017/4/19/2017_ASC_Men>
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS <http://www.letuathletics.com/documents/2017/4/19/2017_ASC_Men%27s_Golf_Championship_Rnd_3_Team_Standings.pdf>
FINAL LEADERBOARD <http://www.letuathletics.com/documents/2017/4/19/2017_ASC_Men%27s_Golf_Championship_Rnd_3_Player_Standings.pdf>
LeTourneau men’s golf finished their 2016-2017 campaign with a sixth-place finish at the American Southwest Conference Championship Tournament on Wednesday afternoon. Junior Mason Terry <http://www.letuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3333> led the YellowJackets playing the course in even-par 216 for the tournament. Terry finished fifth overall and earned All-ASC First Team honors, the first for LETU since 2009.
LeTourneau started the day in fifth place just one stroke behind Hardin-Simmons at Comanche Trace in Kerrville, Texas. The Cowboys held on to a fourth-place finish while UT-Dallas passed LETU with a final round 308. The YellowJackets finished with a 314 round, their highest of the tournament, and were three shots back from UTD and four shots back from HSU.
“I was disappointed with how we finished as a team,” said head coach Walt Williams <http://www.letuathletics.com/coaches.aspx?rc=442>. “I think we are a much better team that what we showed on the course today.”
Senior Seth Walters <http://www.letuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3334> earned his second consecutive ASC Men’s Golf Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year award as voted on by the coaches. Walters finished 24th among the field of 38 with a 75-76-81-232. By winning the award, The annual Fred Jacoby Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year has Seth entered on the list of candidates. Walters won the Fred Jacoby Award for the 2015-16 season.
“We are excited for Mason to earn all-conference as we haven’t been represented in a quite a few years,” said Williams. “It was nice that coaches saw it fit to vote for Seth to be named Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year again this season, he is definitely deserving.”
Junior Daniel Kay <http://www.letuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3329> finished in a tie for 27th as he moved up from 30th on the final day. Kay battled back from an opening round 84 with two rounds of 3-over-par 75.
Fellow junior Chris Clark <http://www.letuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3328> used an opening round 77 to finish the tournament with a score of 241 and tied for 30th. Freshman Buster Byrnes <http://www.letuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3335> saw his first conference tournament action and had a scoring round with opening round 81 for the YellowJackets.
Mary Hardin-Baylor won their seventh ASC title while UT-Tyler finished as the runner-up for the fifth consecutive season.
The Crusaders fired a record-breaking team total of 844 to claim the title. The 844 tops the previous ASC Championship 54-hole record score of 850 by six strokes.
Concordia Texas claimed third place with an 875, Hardin-Simmons posted a 916 for fourth place, and UT Dallas rounded out the top five at 917. Howard Payne took seventh place after shooting 942, and Louisiana College rounded out the eight-team field with a 1,126.
UMHB’s Mats Heien won individual medalist honors by carding a 64-69-68-201 to finish at 15-under-par for the tournament. Heien’s -15 also sets a new ASC record for the lowest 54-hole score about par.
Despite not having the finish they would have liked, LeTourneau men’s golf has plenty be proud of this season including a tournament win at the SGU Cavalier Classic and two individual medalists in Seth Walters <http://www.letuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3334> (Kansas Wesleyan Spring Invite) and Mason Terry <http://www.letuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3333> (SGU Cavalier Classic).
“Overall it was a great season, we set a new single-season scoring average record and won our first tournament since 2011,” said Williams.
This 2016-17 team will have their names all over the LeTourneau record books when final scores and stats are added. Among those will be the team record for birdies in a season, individual low-round score (Walters, 66) and team low-round score (285, John Bohmann Memorial Invite).