The NC State men’s golf team opened its season this weekend at the Kiawah Island Invitational in South Carolina, finishing fifth out of 12 teams.

The team shot a three-round score of 890 [+26] en route to its fifth place finish, led by junior Jacob McBride and freshman Davis Richards.

The Wolfpack started off the tournament strong, shooting a team score of 292, good enough for second place and one stroke behind the leaders after round one.

Richards began his collegiate career with an impressive opening-round performance, shooting a 70 [-2], tied for the top individual score of the round amongst all players.

McBride also opened the tournament on the right foot, shooting a 72 [E], tied for the third best individual score in round one.

NC State struggled the following day, finishing with a score of 301, but bounced back with a 297 final round, securing a fifth-place finish and only two strokes away from finishing in a tie for third.

While the Wolfpack struggled a bit as a team in the final two rounds, McBride and Richards continued to lead the way.

McBride shot a 73 [+1] round two and a 74 [+2] round three for a final score of 219 [+3].

Richards shot a 74 [+2] round two and a 75 [+3] round three, also finishing with a score of 219 [+3] for the tournament.

McBride and Richards finished tied for the sixth amongst individual golfers, eight strokes behind the individual tournament champion.

Other Wolfpack golfers struggled early in the tournament but rebounded and improved as the weekend went along. 

Senior Carter Page, junior Chad Cox and freshman Nolan Mills Jr. had their best performances in the final round Saturday.

Page shot a 76 [+4] and Cox a 75 [+3], each one stroke better than his previous best round.

Mills improved upon his previous best round by two strokes, shooting a 73 [+1] final round.

Next up for NC State is the Golfweek Invitational in Burlington, Iowa, set to take place from Sept. 25 to Sept. 27.