NC State men’s golf finished seventh at the Watersound Invitational, taking place at Shark’s Tooth Golf Club Monday and Tuesday. A stellar 13-under-par team performance in the final round moved the Wolfpack up four spots on the leaderboard after a mediocre start to the tournament.
The Watersound Invitational featured some of the stiffest competition the Wolfpack will face all season, including the top-ranked amateur golfer, Florida State’s Luke Clanton. At the team level, the tournament featured No. 12 Vanderbilt, No. 14 UCLA, No. 16 Georgia Tech, No. 19 Mississippi State, No. 23 Alabama and No. 24 Notre Dame.
Redshirt senior Nick Matthews headed the charge for the Pack, tying for sixth with a final score of 5-under par. This marks Mattews’ third top-10 finish of the season, as he continues to trend in the right direction after a few less-than-desirable results in the fall.
Matthews’ first round of 73 put him tied for 28th, but subsequent rounds of 70 and 68 enabled the lefty to secure another top-10 placement.
Senior Michael Vick, the winner of the Pack’s previous tournament at The Battle at Briars Creek, tied for 30th at even par. Vick got off to a poor start, shooting 6-over par through the first 10 holes of the tournament, but followed that up by shooting 6-under through the next 22 holes to get to even par.
Along with Vick, freshman Hunter Stetson and senior Cade McLaughlin finished at even par, tying for 30th.
Stetson fared the best in the opening round, leading the Pack with an even-par 72. A second-round 75 all but dashed his hopes of being in contention, but Stetson bounced back in the final round with a 3-under par score of 69. This marks the freshman’s first top-50 finish in a tournament featuring some of the toughest competition that the Pack will see all year.
Junior Joey Leane, playing in the two-spot for the Wolfpack, finished at 1-over par, tying for 37th. Leane recorded a triple-bogey on the third hole of the tournament, forcing him to rally to get back into the mix. He stayed the course, playing the next 33 holes at 2-over par. Finally, Leane broke through in the final round, shooting 4-under par with six birdies — helping the team climb the leaderboard four spots from 11th to seventh.
Freshman Xander Goboy played the tournament at 21-over par, finishing 75th. Goboy shot an even-par 72 in the final round, but this was not enough to make up for his first two rounds of 83 and 82.
The Wolfpack will next take to the links Mar. 16-18 for the General Hackler Invitational at the Dunes Golf & Beach Club in Conway, South Carolina. This tournament will feature No. 2 Auburn and No. 27 Duke.
