After posting opening round scores of 294 and 301, the men’s golf team sat in sixth place, poised to make a run to the top of the leaderboard on the second day of play. Unfortunately, inclement weather made conditions unplayable and forced the cancelation of the final round of play.

File photo/Old Gold & Black

With only the first day’s scores counting, the Deacon squad finished tied for sixth place at the Seahawk Invitational in Wilmington, N.C. on March 1-2. The event, which was held at Landfall Country Club, saw the Deacs get off to a good start in the first round of play on March 1.

The team shot a combined six-over par score of 294 and was led by senior Brendan Gielow, who posted a team-low one-under par score of 71. The second round of the day, however, was not as successful for the Deacons.

After getting off to a strong start in the first round of the day, weather conditions deteriorated and helped result in the second round team score of 301, which placed the Deacs tied for sixth place with Virginia Commonwealth University. Gielow, who led the Deacs in the first round, shot a second round score of 75 to finish the day two strokes over par and tied for 11th place as an individual.
Sophomore Lee Bedford had a successful day as well, posting scores of 73-75 to finish the day four strokes over par and tied for 16th place overall.

Freshman Evan Beck also had a strong showing for the Deacs, rebounding from a first round score of 76 to shoot a 74 in the second round and finish the day six strokes over par and tied for 24th place.

Freshman Charlie Harrison and senior Travis Wadkins both finished the day eight strokes over par and tied for 33rd place.

With the first two rounds out of the way, the Deacons were looking to recover from the first day of play and make a day two run at the podium.

As the team started its final round of play on March 2, several Deacons began a climb up the leaderboard, but inclement weather conditions caused the final round to be canceled, with only the first two rounds of play counting towards the final standings. With the cancelation of the final round, the Deacon squad finished the Seahawk Invitational with a two-round score of 595, which was good enough to earn them a sixth place tie.

“We were playing pretty well today, so we probably would have moved up,” Head Coach Jerry Haas said. “We are getting better and will hopefully peak at the right time.”

It was clear, though, that the weather played a key role in the event.

As conditions deteriorated on the first day of play, the Deacs were forced to play their second round in harsh conditions, leading to the team posting a second round score of 301. Despite the second-round trip-up, Haas was pleased with the way the team played.

“I like their attitudes and the way they are approaching things,” Haas said. “When you are a competitor all you want to do is get out there and prove you are better.”

The Deacon squad continues to be led by Gielow, who, after winning the individual crown at the JU Invitational on Feb. 9 and leading the Deacs to a team title at the Wexford Intercollegiate on Feb. 23, was named the ACC Player of the Month.

“(Brendan) works extremely hard on his game,” Haas said. “He is a grinder with a lot of talent and those are the guys who are successful and turn into great players.”

The Deacons will finish the spring season with four events in the Carolinas before the NCAA Regionals begin play on May 20. The team will be back in action on March 13-14 when they travel to the General Hackler Championship in Myrtle Beach, S.C.