Bears Finish Strong, Take Fourth in Kennesaw

Monday, October 22

Kennesaw, Ga.

Mercer University

Pinetree Intercollegiate

Photo by: Gerrit Van Genderen

10/23/2018 6:49:00 PM | Men's Golf

Results (PDF)

Mercer men shoot 287 in final round of Pinetree Intercollegiate

By: Gerrit W. Van Genderen

KENNESAW, Ga. – The Mercer men's golf team shot 1-under-par 287 in the third round of the Pinetree Intercollegiate to jump two spots for a fourth-place finish at the Kennesaw State-hosted tournament on Tuesday at Pinetree Country Club.

Led by top-16 individual finishers Martin Plukka (+3) and Spencer Ball (+4), Mercer shot the second-lowest team score of the final round, behind tournament champion Wisconsin's 285. Mercer, which shot 17-over-par (881) over 54 holes, has finished fourth or better in three of four tournaments played this fall.

Mercer Scorecard

4	Mercer	306	288	287	+17	881
T-14	Martin Plukka	77	71	71	+3	219
T-16	Spencer Ball	77	71	72	+4	220
T-29	Kiko Rosete (Individual)	74	75	75	+8	224
T-34	Brennan Bogdanovich (Individual)	75	75	76	+10	226
37	Stanton Schorr	80	75	72	+11	227
T-37	Nolan Miller	75	71	82	+12	228
63	Tyler Copp	77	DQ	72	--	--

Coach Kayden's Take
"We finished strong today with a great ending to the tournament, and I'm very proud of that effort," said head coach Kirk Kayden. "To shoot under par over 18 holes as a team on that difficult of a course is a very difficult and impressive showing.

"Overall we played well this tournament, but the key to further success for us is getting off to stronger starts. Four of five guys shot even-par or better today, which is very good. With their backs against the wall today, our guys showed resiliency."

Mercer on Team Leaderboard
The Bears finished the 54-hole tournament at 17-over-par for a fourth-place finish among the 11-team field. Mercer was well outside the top three; Wisconsin (-7), Kennesaw State (-2) and Western Kentucky (-1) all finished the tournament under par. The Bears improved each round of the tournament, shooting 306-288-287.

Mercer on Individual Leaderboard
Martin Plukka was Mercer's top finisher, tying for 14th overall with a 3-over-par performance in the tournament. The freshman shot 1-under-par 71 on Tuesday, highlighted by a scorching finish that included birdies on four of the last five holes, including the final three. Four of Mercer's five golfers included in the team score shot 72 or lower in the third round.

Up Next
A quick turnaround has Mercer traveling to Greensboro, N.C. for the UNCG-hosted Grandover Collegiate on Oct. 27-28. The Bears will play 36 holes on Saturday and 18 holes on Sunday at the Grandover Resort. It will be Mercer's final tournament of the fall season.

Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's Golf, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerGolf (Twitter) and @MercerBears (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.