Wet conditions slow down TU
By: Tim Klapac, Senior Editor
In their first action in three weeks, Towson used a strong final round to finish ninth in the Health Plan Mountaineer Invitational in Morgantown, West Virginia last week.
The wet conditions early in the tournament made it difficult for everyone, but especially for the Tigers, combining for a first-round total of 314. Towson would improve throughout the tournament, carding a 303 in the second round and a 293 in the final round.
I think a little bit of it was luck of the draw as far as when it was raining or not, and what hole you happened to be on during those times,” said head coach Mike Larkin. “I thought the guys did a good job through all of that and just keep pushing forward, even after a tough start.”
Sophomore Justin Griffith had the best finish for the Tigers, placing tied for 17th thanks to a final round score of 72. Freshman Brad Riley also placed in the top-25, carding a 73 in the final round for a tournament score of a nine-over par 225, including an eagle on a par 4.
“Justin really played solid all week, I just think being able to play in better weather on Tuesday helped scoring in general,” Larkin said. “He also has gotten so much better at being aware and in control of how he carries himself on the course. The combination of all those things he’s worked on is showing up in his scores.”
Freshman Jeremy Summerson saw the biggest improvement throughout the length of the tournament. Despite a first-round score of 86, Summerson rebounded with a 78 in the second round and a 71 in the final round.
“I think Jeremy adjusted throughout the week to a tough golf course in tough conditions,” Larkin said. “In the final round, he played the way he’s been playing since he got to campus. I think dealing with poor weather conditions on a course like that for the first time in a college event probably caught him a little off guard, but once he settled in he played great.”
Towson has improved each week of the fall season since placing 12th in their opening tournament. Larkin has been pleased with his team’s ability to get better as the weather gets colder.
“In looking at the stats, our final round at West Virginia was probably our best ball striking performances as a team since I started here in the fall of 2017,” he said. “They did that on a championship level golf course, which was set up by WVU to be very challenging.”
The Tigers have a busy week with an appearance in Elon University’s Phoenix Invitational on Oct. 14 and 15 before ending the fall season at home for the Towson Fall Invitational on Oct. 19 and 20. Towson’s lone home match of the fall takes place at Prospect Bay Country Club in Grasonville, Maryland.
“With this quick turnaround, I expect them to pick up right where they left off when we get down to Elon, and then carry that into the end of next week at Prospect Bay,” Larkin said.
