Kansas Climbs Again, Finishes Seventh at Irish Creek
April 7, 2013
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – Kansas senior Alex Gutesha shot his second-consecutive round-under-par and junior Ryley Haas carded the lowest round of his Jayhawk career to help Kansas finish the Irish Creek Collegiate in seventh place Sunday. Kansas tied for the third-lowest total over the final 18 holes and climbed the leaderboard for the second straight day before closing at 297-287-288—872 (+20).
Gutesha followed up a 2-under 69 in Saturday’s second round with a 1-under 70 Sunday and finished in ninth place – his second top-10 finish in the last three tournaments – with an even-par 213 at the Club at Irish Creek. Haas, a transfer from Hutchinson Community College, used the best round of his career, a 1-under 70, to close with the best 52-hole tournament score of his career at 7-over 220. It was good enough for 31st and KU’s third-best tally for the tournament on the par-71, 7,099-yard course.
Kansas used a 1-over 72 from Chris Gilbert, who finished among the tournament’s top-15 shooters, and a 3-over 75 from Stan Gautier for its 288 total, bested only by Charlotte’s 281 and Richmond’s 285 on Sunday. No. 45 North Carolina narrowly held onto its three-day lead to escape with a two-stroke win over No. 49 North Carolina State at 282-285-292—859 (+7). Kennesaw State’s Jimmy Beck survived a furious charge by Charlotte’s Franco Castro, who shot a tournament-best 65 in the third round but fell one stroke short of Beck’s 8-under 205.
Gilbert finished among a tournament’s top 20 for the seventh time in nine events this season and tied for 15th after shooting 72-71-72—215 (+2). Gautier wrapped a pair of over-par scores around an even par 71 shot in the tournament’s second round, but contributed all three of his totals to the team score while finishing tied for 47th with a score of 78-71-75—224 (+11). Bryce Brown closed the tournament at 85-76-81—242 (+29).
Kansas has one more chance to fine tune its lineup before the Big 12 Conference Championship and will travel to Iowa for the Hawkeye Invitational next weekend (April 13-14). The Jayhawks will close the regular season at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan., over four rounds against its Big 12 counterparts April 22-24.
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