Men’s golf ties for fifth at Shoal Creek Intercollegiate

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Kansas men’s golf entered the day in seventh place and would go on to gain two spots, finishing tied for fifth place with Kennesaw State at the Shoal Creek Invitational in Birmingham, Alabama, Tuesday.
 
KU head coach Jamie Bermel receives his 42^nd career top-five finish, as the Jayhawks got their first taste of a PGA caliber course and collected a team score of 12-over par (876). Texas A&M was the only school to finish under par shooting a three-round 856 (-8), nine shots ahead of runner-up North Florida in the 14-team event.
 
Thunderstorms forced many golfers to begin their day finishing what they started on Monday, concluding their second rounds. Kansas’ Andy Spencer, Drew Shepherd and Ben Sigel started the day strong with three straight pars each going into the third round of play. Spencer finished round two 1-under par. Shepherd would finish 3-over (75) and Sigel shaved off two strokes on the back nine to bring his round two score down to 2-over (74).
 
“I told the guys last night we need all five guys playing well and for the most part everyone was pretty solid,” Bermel said. “We played really well on the front and then kind of lost focus and had some careless errors, but finished strong.”
 
Senior Charlie Hillier started the day tied for fifth place in the 88-golfer field and opened up round three with eight straight pars and a birdie. Charlie Hillier went on to finish the back nine strong adding another birdie to his scorecard, finishing the tournament 1-under (215) and tied for seventh place. His top 10 finish marks the 11^th of his KU career.  
 
“This is a golf course that has no let up,” Bermel said of Shoal Creek Country Club which has hosted many major PGA events. “If you try to force a shot in there and don’t pull it off, the penalty is severe.”
 
Kansas’ individual golfer Jake Scarrow finished the remainder of round two strong with four pars and a birdie. Scarrow went on to conclude round three 2-over, making him 6-over in the tournament and tied for 30^th at 222. Sigel, who tied Scarrow for 30^th, and Harry Hillier replicated each other’s third round performance finishing 1-over. Sigel led the team in birdies with five in round three.
 
Spencer and Shepherd found difficulties with the 7,300 yard par-72 course, as Spencer tallied a 3-over 75 and Shepherd finished 4-over 76 in their final round. Spencer’s solid first two rounds, 72-71, had him finish tied for 24^th, while Shepherd ended tied for 33^rd, one stroke behind Scarrow and Sigel. Sophomore Harry Hillier carded a 1-over on Tuesday, finishing tied for 47^th (226).
 
“I’m not excited for a fifth-place finish but I think the young guys grew up a little bit on the golf course this week,” Bermel said.
 
Kansas will take a quick break before heading to Valentine, Nebraska, where they will compete in the Jackrabbit, Sept. 30-Oct. 2, at the Prairie Club.
 
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