Mercer University
Mobile Bay Intercollegiate
Men's Golf Finishes Eighth in Mobile
2/21/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
MOBILE, Ala. – The Mercer men's golf team slipped to an eighth place finish in Tuesday's final round of the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate after collecting a team score of 296 at the Magnolia Grove Crossings Golf Course. Individually, sophomore Hans Reimers posted Mercer's best finish, tying for 15th overall with a three-round total of 217.
Mercer's final round 296 came on the heels of a 290 and a 289 in the opening two rounds and placed the Bears four shots in front of both Louisiana-Lafayette and Kentucky. The Bears' effort came up one stroke shy of Mississippi State for seventh place and six swings behind host South Alabama for sixth place.
Middle Tennessee State claimed the tournament team title for the second-straight year with a three-round score of 858. Memphis checked in a second with an 859 while Wake Forest claimed third at 865.
"Overall we weren't very sharp today," Mercer head coach Steve Bradley said. "The course was playable, so it's a bit disappointing to shoot like we did today."
After posting a pair of birdies and bogeys on Tuesday's front nine, Reimers carded eight pars and an birdie on the back nine en route to his second-straight sub-par round. Reimers' finish marked his third top-20 placement of the year and fifth of his career at Mercer.
"Obviously happy for Hans," Mercer head coach Steve Bradley said. "He's been working hard on his mental game and this event was a good reflection of that."
In a field of 75 golfers, Reimers was one of just seven participants to notch two sub-par rounds at the event. His other sub-par round came in the form of a 69 on Monday's second 18.
James Beale, Trey Rule and Josh Cone all came into the clubhouse on Tuesday with 75's in the final round. Beale's 75 gave him a two-day total of 220 and a tie for 25th, while Rule finished the event in a tie for 34th at 222 and Cone landed in a tie for 42nd at 223.
"James was solid," Bradley said. "We've come to expect that out of him and expect him to only get better."
John Gregory Joseph was eight-over on Tuesday's first eight holes before scoring pars in nine of the final 10 holes. His 81 combined with scores of 74 and 73 in the opening two rounds to place him tied for 60th overall.
"We've got a short week this week, so we don't have long to lick our wounds before leaving on Friday," Bradley said.
Friday's departure prepares the team for a Saturday practice round at the John Hayt Intercollegiate. The annual event is hosted by North Florida at the Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida and features 18 holes of competitive play on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
