The NC State men’s golf team finished in a tie for seventh place with a score of 3-over par at the Watersound Invitational at Sharks Tooth Golf Course in Panama City Beach, Florida Feb. 20-22. Its middle of the pack finish was a hard-earned result in its first tournament of the spring season against a 14-team field full of ACC and SEC competition.

Leading the way for the Wolfpack was graduate student Easton Paxton with a tie for 9th, finishing at 3-under par. Paxton was consistent throughout all three rounds shooting 71 each day. This was the fourth time in his career that he has finished in the top-10 of a tournament.

Finishing tied for 16th at 1-under par was junior Max Steinlechner. He closed his tournament with his best round, shooting 70. His clutch play on day three moved him 15 spots up the leaderboard. 

Junior Spencer Oxendine finished tied for 28th with a score of 2-over par. He opened with a nice under par round of 71, but rounds of 73 and 74 to close the tournament saw him move down the leaderboard.

Next on the leaderboard for the Wolfpack was junior Brandon Einstein finishing tied for 62nd with a score of 13-over par. It was an up-and-down tournament for Einstein shooting 80, 70, and 79. 

Rounding out the Wolfpack lineup was sophomore Ethan Choi with a 66th place finish at 15-over par. His best round of the week was in round 1, opening with a 74.

Winning the team event by five strokes was Georgia Tech with a score of 15-under par. Canon Claycomb of Alabama ran away with the individual title winning by eight shots with a score of 14-under par. 

NC State will be back in action Mar. 7-8 at the Wake Forest Invitational at No. 2 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. This will be a great test for Wolfpack golfers to compete on a U.S. Open host site.