The NC State men’s golf team started the spring semester of the 2018-19 season by finishing in fifth place at the Sea Best Invitational on Dye Valley’s Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
The first two rounds were played Monday while round three was played Tuesday morning.
The Wolfpack finished fifth in a 14-team tournament. Florida State won the tournament while North Florida and Florida rounded out the top three. NC State finished ahead of local schools UNC-Chapel Hill, Campbell and East Carolina who finished sixth, tied for seventh and ninth, respectively.
Senior Stephen Franken paced the Pack with a fourth-place finish after shooting a 68 in the second and third rounds. The reigning ACC Player of the Year started with a 72 in the first round before rallying for the 15th finish in the top five of a tournament in his career.
Junior Christian Salazar finished in 21st place, with a 214 total score, highlighted by a 68 during round two.
Junior Benjamin Shipp shot a 76 in round three, which hurt his final score and dropped him to 25th after a shooting a 70 and 69 on Monday. Shipp finished with a 215.
Sophomore Easton Paxton rebounded after an 80 in round one. He shot a 69 and 72 in the last two rounds to take a 50th-place finish.
Senior Justin Hood rounded out the Wolfpack lineup and shot a 227, good for 68th place.
Senior Harrison Rhoades competed individually and finished in 35th place, with a 218 final score.
The Wolfpack will return to action on Feb. 17 when it travels to Rio Grande, Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rico Classic.
