Sam Hall Intercollegiate
Ertel captures second, Kats shoot -4 on final day
9/15/2015 5:35:00 PM | Men's Golf
Sam Houston State golf junior Andrew Ertel erupted for seven birdies to finish 11-under and secure a collegiate-best second-place individually to highlight final round play at the Sam Hall Intercollegiate from Hattiesburg Country Club in Hattiesburg, Miss.
As a team, the Bearkats shot 4-under in the third round and finished 10-over during their season-opening tournament, moving up one spot to eighth place among the 15-team field. Southland Conference foe McNeese State took first at 23-under and the Cowboys' Robert MacIntyre won the individual at 14-under.
“I couldn't be more excited,” fourth-year head coach Brandt Kieschnick said. “I've got a squad of three freshmen, a sophomore and junior – we finished middle of the pack but we shot 4-under par today. I am as excited as I've ever been about this program.”
Erel entered the final round tied for fifth at 5-under after tapping in a combined nine birdies during his opening two rounds while the Bearkats headed into the day tied for ninth at 14-over.
“We didn't put a lot of pressure on ourselves,” Ertel said. “I made a couple birdies early. I kept the ball in the fairway. I knew if I put the ball on the green, I gave myself a chance to birdie. It takes stepping stones to build a great team. I think rounds like this will really help us connect three of these rounds for us which leads to wins.”
Freshman Mason Weld jumped nine spots on the leaderboard, finishing in a three-way tie for 43rd at 6-over after shooting 1-under on Tuesday. The Helotis product tapped in the Kats lone eagle of the tournament on Tuesday, following up a birdie on the 16th with a three spot on the par-5 17th.
Sophomore Jake McCrory posted similar success, moving up six spots after shooting even-par to finish 7-over in a three-way tie for 46th. The Kats shot 10-over on the courses 11 par 4's, placing them tied for second with Louisiana-Lafayette.
“I didn't give them a ton of advice,” Ertel said of the underclassmen. “They came in mature and ready to play. I was really impressed with how level headed they came in. They kept the mistakes to a minimum.”
Freshman Camden DeBonis finished tied for 49th at 8-over while redshirt freshman Logan Yanick logged at tie in 61st at 11-over and redshirt freshman Jesse Massengale took 74th at 18-over. The trio shot 3-over, 1-over and 4-over respectively in their final rounds.
Sam Houston returns to play in two weeks at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational in Denver. The two-day tournament will be played at Colorado National Golf Club beginning Sept. 28. For the latest, follow @BearkatGolf on Twitter and visit GoBearkats.com.
