St. Andrews Presbyterian College | Laurinburg, NC | GolfM

Latham holds Myrtle Beach Lead and 15-year Old Turtle

October 3, 2011
By: Lisa Becka, Head Men's and Women's Golf Coach

First Round

Sunset Beach, NC- St. Andrews University junior Matt Latham fired a 4-under par round of 68 on Monday and leads the 13-team Myrtle Beach Intercollegiate by one shot heading into Tuesday’s final round at Sea Trail Resort.

Playing on the 6,761-yard Jones course, Latham wielded a hot putter and drilled five birdies. Latham led the field in par-4 scoring at 3-under and tied for first in par-3 scoring at 2-under. He has a one-shot cushion over Barton’s Dermot McElhennon, Pfeiffer’s Michael Blair and Wingate’s Braden Jackson. Five players are tied at 70 and five more are deadlocked at 71 in the 70-player field.

As a team, the Knights recorded a score of 7-over 295 and stand eighth. Freshman Carl Rudhag contributed a 72, freshman Severin Kolmeder shot 75, sophomore Andrew Primeau 80 and junior Richard Caisley 82. Matt DeGiorgio, playing as a individual, carded a 1-over 73.

The St. Andrews women’s team did not fare as well, placing 20 th out of 21 teams with a score of 407. Sadiyya Gillespie shot 85, Morgan Clay 89, Dara Legard 112 and Christina Agosto 121 for the Knights.

“Considering that Matt was up until 1 a.m. doing homework, I thought the fact that he shot 68 and is leading the golf tournament is remarkable,” fifth-year head coach Lisa Becka said. “He was hot with the putter, and even when he missed greens, he was able to scramble for pars. He only needed 11 putts on the front nine and 26 overall. He hit 12 greens (eight on the back nine).”

“I was wild off the tee,” Latham said, “but I was on fire on the greens. My wedge game was good. I felt really confident about getting up and down and was able to do it almost every time.”

Wingate is the frontrunner in a hotly contested team race at 4-under 284, one shot clear of UNC Pembroke (285) and three better than Pfeiffer (287). Six teams are within six shots of the lead. Barton is fourth at 288, Belmont Abbey fifth at 289 and Armstrong Atlantic sixth at 290.

The average score the first day was a 74.64. The field made three eagles and 181 birdies on the slow, soft greens on a pleasant morning and afternoon. Play begins at 8 a.m. on Tuesday.

St. Andrews is paired with Lincoln Memorial University and Walters State Community College and will start off the No. 1 tee.

“I just hope my guys play to their potential tomorrow,” Becka said. “Matt is a great player who has a ton of talent. He’s the kind of guy that if he trusts his skills, he can close the deal and win this tournament.”

Following the round, Latham, Becka and the rest of the Knights players got a rare opportunity to hold Herman, a 15-year-old sea turtle who is now 80 pounds but will grow to nearly 600 pounds.

Latham and his mates enjoyed the experience and plan to conquer the short grass at Sea Trail as easily as Herman was eating it on Monday afternoon.

-GO KNIGHTS-

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Latham holds Myrtle Beach Lead and 15-year Old Turtle

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