By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
OLD HICKORY, Tenn. – For the third time in the 2021-22 campaign, the Tennessee Tech men's golf team delivered a runner-up finish, closing out the rain-shortened Big Blue Intercollegiate with a spectacular showing Tuesday afternoon. The finish marked the Golden Eagles' fifth top-five result of the year.
Needing to complete the rest of Monday's second round, which was paused due to inclement weather and course flooding, the 13-team field had a late start to the day on Tuesday, waiting for residual rain to subsist before picking play back up. With the late start at the President's Reserve Course at Hermitage Golf Club, it was decided to forgo the third and final round, shortening the event to 36 holes.
The Golden Eagles produced the second-best round of the day, shaving nine strokes off their first-round 295. The purple and gold fired a 286 to place second overall, capping the week with a 581 to finish just four shots behind tournament champion Wright State. The Raiders were led by individual medalist Tyler Goecke, who captured the top spot on the leaderboard with a 70-71=141.
Delivering the top showing for the Tech squad was Bracton Womack, tying for second overall among the 75 participants with a 144. On Tuesday, the senior was efficient, collecting 14 pars and a pair of birdies for an even-par 71. He finished the event second overall in total pars, racking up 28 over the two rounds.
A pair of youngsters tied for sixth in the field for the Golden Eagles, with both Jackson Skeen and Mark McDearman turning in finals scores of 146. Skeen, a redshirt freshman, completed the second round with a 1-over 72, tallying three birdies along the way. A sophomore, McDearman crushed five birdies to drop an even-par 71, leading the entire field in par-4 scoring with a mark of 3-under for the tournament.
Next on the leaderboard for the Cookeville crew was Nick Sutton, tying for 14th overall after producing a 148. The sophomore carded a 75 with a trio of birdies to conclude his week. Chance Taylor rounded out the Tech lineup, finishing with a 149 to tie for 21st after shaving five shots from his first-round score. The junior capped the day with a 1-over 72, also distributing three birdies across his scorecard.
Two Golden Eagles competed in the event as individuals, led by Sean Anderson. The sophomore tied for 51st after supplying a 78 on the day and totaling 157 for the week. Redshirt freshman Alexander Bassel knocked eighth strokes off his first-day total of 86, shooting a 78 in the second round for a 164.
Tech will wrap up the 2021-22 season at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships in Cape Girardeau, Mo., competing at Dalhousie Golf Club from Sunday, Apr. 24 through Wednesday, Apr. 27.
| Top 5 Teams: | ||||||
| 1. | Wright State | 292-285=577 | +9 | |||
| 2. | Tennessee Tech | 295-286=581 | +13 | |||
| 3. | UT Martin | 296-294=590 | +22 | |||
| 4. | Belmont | 300-291=591 | +23 | |||
| 5. | Murray State | 307-285=592 | +24 | |||
| Leaderboard (75) Golfers | ||||||
| 1. | Tyler Goecke (Wright State) | 70-71=141 | -1 | |||
| T-2. | Bracton Womack | 73-71=144 | +2 | |||
| T-6. | Mark McDearman | 75-71=146 | +4 | |||
| T-6. | Jackson Skeen | 74-72=146 | +4 | |||
| T-14. | Nick Sutton | 73-75=148 | +6 | |||
| T-21. | Chance Taylor | 77-72=149 | +7 | |||
| T-51. | Sean Anderson* | 79-78=157 | +15 | |||
| T-68. | Alexander Bassel* | 86-78=164 | +22 | |||
| *competed as an individual |
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Photo courtesy of Tennessee State Media Relations