Men’s golf places sixth at ACCs after strong final round

Alec Sawyer, Assistant Sports Editor • April 21, 2019

Senior Stephen Franken drives the ball on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018 at Lonnie Poole Golf Course. Franken finished strong with a score of -3 in the 2nd round of the Wolfpack Intercollegiate.

Thanks to a 5-under-par final day of competition, the NC State men’s golf team finished in sixth place at the ACC Championships this weekend at the Old North State Club in New London.

The Wolfpack finished the three-day tournament with a team score of 856 (-8), moving up the leaderboards on the final day of competition Saturday with a 283 (-5). The Pack shot 287 (-1) on day one, followed by a 286 (-2) on day two.

After sitting in eighth place through two days, the Wolfpack moved up two spots to pass Clemson and Virginia Tech with its strong final day. Georgia Tech won the ACC title with a team score of 827 (-37), 15 strokes better than every other team in the field.

With its sixth-place finish, the Wolfpack continued a strong season and improved on its eighth-place finish at last year’s ACCs. Sophomore Easton Paxton led the way for the Pack this weekend, finishing in a tie for ninth place with a three-round score of 211 (-5).

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Paxton was a big part of the Pack’s great final round, as Paxton shot a 68 (-4) on Saturday for his best round of the championship. He opened play up with a 70 (-2), before shooting his worst round of 73 (+1) on the middle day of competition.

Closely behind Paxton were seniors Stephen Franken and Harrison Rhoades, who both shot a three-round score of 214 (-2) to tie for 18th place. Franken struggled in the first round, shooting a 74 (+2), but bounced back well with two rounds under par. He shot a 69 (-3) on day two, before finishing play up with a strong 71 (-1).

Rhoades was incredibly consistent for the Pack, shooting a 71 (-1), 70 (-2) and 73 (+1). Junior Christian Salzer placed fourth on the Pack’s leaderboard, tying for 32nd with a three-round score of 218 (+2). Salzer started and ended his tournament by shooting a 72 (E), with a 2-over-par 74 on Friday.

Junior Benjamin Shipp rounded out the Pack’s competitors at ACC, tying for 38th in the field with a three-round score of 220 (+4). Shipp shot a 74 (+2) each of the first two days of competition before improving to a 72 (E) in the final round.

The Wolfpack will now wait to see what its future holds, as the NCAA men’s golf selection show will take place on May 1 at 9:00 p.m.