NC State men’s golf fall portion of the season was a rollercoaster of highs and lows. Its first tournament got canceled. Then, the Pack won the Rod Myers Intercollegiate at Duke by 10 strokes. Dropping the ball in Dallas, Texas, NC State placed 12th at the Trinity Forest Invitational. Finally, the Pack finished the fall on a high note, placing third at the Williams Cup.
On Monday and Tuesday, NC State men’s golf secured its second tournament win of the season at the Battle at Briars Creek in John’s Island, South Carolina.
Playing three rounds of 27 holes per day, the Pack began the spring portion of the season with a tremendous high — winning the Battle at Briars Creek by six strokes. Senior Michael Vick got his first collegiate win, tying for first with two other players at 7-under par. Vick’s average placement in the fall was 37th, with no top-25 placements. The senior broke through in a big way. In fact, Vick had the best 18-hole round of the field as well as his own personal best in the first round with a score of 67.
As a team, the Pack flourished, with four players finishing in the top 15 and only recorded 43 bogeys through three rounds — third least in the field. The No. 51 ranked Wolfpack is set to climb the national rankings after a big win over a field that included No. 35 College of Charleston and No. 37 Wake Forest.
The No. 104 individually ranked player in the nation, Wolfpack redshirt senior Nick Mathews, put on a good showing, placing sixth with a score of 5-under par. Mathews, who earned Ping Honorable Mention All-American honors last season after placing 15th at the NCAA Championship, has also taken a ride on the rollercoaster. After a win at the Rod Meyers Intercollegiate, he struggled in the other two fall tournaments, placing 66th and 41st. Pack fans will be delighted to see that the lefty ace is back to finishing in the top 10.
With each round under par, freshman Xander Goboy shot 4-under to tie for 10th. This marks Goboy’s second top-10 finish of the season in the three tournaments he has played in the red-and-white.
Junior Joey Lenane — ranked No. 106 in the nation — shot 3-under par to place in a tie for 14th. Lenane has finished top-20 in every event this season, including two top-10 finishes.
Sophomore Adam Pedersen placed 66th, shooting 17-over par. Pederson shot his third-best round of the season in round two, where he shot 74.
The Pack will next see action on Feb. 17-19 at the Watersound Invitational in Panama City Beach, Florida. This tournament will feature a field of 12 teams, half of which are ranked in the top 25 — Alabama, Mississippi State, UCLA, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech and Notre Dame.
