The Pack took third place at the Wolfpack Intercollegiate this weekend at the Lonnie Poole Golf Course on Centennial Campus. The course provided a challenge for golfers from around the ACC in its inaugural collegiate tournament and garnered rave reviews.
“It was really well-run by everybody involved. It should get better and better every year,” senior Brad Revell said.
A trio of Tobacco Road teams took the top three spots in the tournament standings. UNC-Chapel Hill led the field at the conclusion of play Friday and held on for the win, finishing eight strokes over and beating second place Duke by seven strokes.
The Wolfpack battled through windy conditions Friday to secure a second-place finish through two rounds. Though the team finished strong with its best performance of the tournament Saturday, that elusive first place finish eluded it on home soil. N.C. State came in third at 20-over.
However, there were more meaningful, lingering concerns for the entire Pack team. The players donned pink collared shirts instead of State’s signature red in honor of longtime head coach Richard Sykes’ wife Pam, who is battling breast cancer.
“We were all really excited when we heard we were wearing pink,” senior Adam Hogue said. “We all support Pam. I hear she’s doing well, which is good. We’re just glad to help out and support the cause.”
State’s golfers did her proud last weekend. Duke’s Adam Long escaped with individual medalist honors as his birdie on the 17th hole gave him the one-stroke win.
State’s Hogue jumped from 19th Friday to a second-place finish Saturday, a career high. He was just one stroke off Long’s score at 215. Hogue shot a team high – five birdies in the final round, including two on the final two holes of the tournament.
“I made less mistakes, made more puts, and got a lower score,” Hogue said. “The weather was a little better and the course was playing a little bit easier. All in all, [Saturday] was a good day.”
Hogue said he was glad he unintentionally saved his best for last in the only on-campus tournament he will be a part of at N.C. State.
“It was fun having it out here my senior year,” Hogue said. “I’ve had some troubles in the past and I’m finally starting to get it together. I’m trying to go out on a high note and finish strong.”
State entered five individual golfers into the tournament, and one participant, junior Brandon Detweiler, came close to cracking the top-10. He finished at five-over and tied for twelfth place.
Junior and defending individual NCAA champion Matt Hill was two-over in each round of play and finished in 15th place. Revell struggled in the final two rounds and finished last on his team at 16-over.
Revell used two words to describe his performance at the Wolfpack Invitational: “absolutely awful.”
“I was pretty confident coming in and it just wasn’t meant to be, I guess,” Revell said. The Pack will have a week off to practice before the ACC Championship, which will take place April 23-25 at the Old North State Club in New London, N.C.
