Story by Keith Jaco
Staff writer
rjaco@murraystate.edu
Murray State’s men’s golf team took home fourth place on Sunday in the EKU Classic at the University Club at Arlington in Richmond, Kentucky.
The Racers’ fourth place honors are a tremendous improvement to their finish in 14th-place last September.
The Racers played a consistent contest with scores of 286, 288 and 289 in three rounds of play. Just one stroke separated Murray State and Morehead State for third place as the Eagles finished the weekend 22 over par.
Murray State was led by senior Gabe Wheeler, from Sikeston, Missouri, with a 13th-place finish on scores of 72, 72 and 70. Freshman Dalton Bagwell, from Paducah, Kentucky, followed Wheeler with scores of 70, 73 and 72 for a spot in 17th-place.
Junior Justin Wendling, from Lithia, Florida, competed as an individual for the weekend, firing 74, 77 and 75 for a total of 226, earning 67th-place overall.
The Racers lacked their No. 1 player for rounds two and three, as junior Austin Knight, from Hopkinsville, Kentucky, withdrew from the event after shooting a 71 in round one. Knight began to experience symptoms of dehydration towards the end of round one and was pulled from the contest, leaving the Racers with just four participants.
Murray State rallied to notch back-to-back Top-5 finishes to start the season, giving Head Coach Eddie Hunt much to be excited about going forward.
“I was extremely proud of the team and how they played,” Hunt said. “We had everybody on the team contribute to the final score and that’s something you want to see in a young team.”
Hunt was pleased to see his team rally and play together after Knight withdrew following round one.
“After Austin had to withdraw Saturday, we thought he didn’t need to play today,” Hunt said. “We felt that he needed to get back to Murray and get in better shape. The team really stepped up though. Gabe Wheeler had an excellent tournament, and overall we had everyone contribute.”
Looking ahead, Hunt is optimistic that his team has the tools to compete all season.
“I think what we’re doing is working,” Hunt said. “We’ve got a really good lineup one through five, and once we get Avery Edwards back and well we’ll have some good competition for those five spots.”
The Racers will travel to Madison, Illinois, next Monday to compete in the SIUE Derek Dolenc Invitational.