Mercer’s men’s golf team finished up their fall season on Oct. 18 after a two-day tournament in Kiawah Island S.C., at one of the toughest courses in the nation. Mercer finished the tournament in sixth place after a strong three rounds from sophomore James Beale.
Mercer opened the tournament playing two rounds on Monday, Oct. 17 with totals of 298 and 292. Hans Reimers once again led the way for the Bears, posting scores of 72 and 73 on his opening two rounds. These scores were good enough to put him in a tie for 11th place overall after the first day of play. James Beale shot 75 on his opening round, and significantly improved on his opening round total during the second round of the day scoring a 71. Beale was the only Mercer player to shoot below par for the day. Freshman Trey Rule made his debut playing for the Bears, shooting impressive 74s on both of his first two rounds. Senior Josh Cone (78, 76) and junior Thomas Holmes (80, 74) both finished the day 10 over par with two round totals of 154. Junior Alex Street wrapped up the opening day with a total of 155 with of an opening round 77 and a second round score of 78. Mercer’s first day performance was enough to land them in a tie with Notre Dame for sixth place out of the 12 team field. Both teams were six strokes behind fifth place team College of Charleston and 23 strokes behind leader Florida.
Mercer began the final round of the Invitational on Tuesday looking to move up the leader board after a strong closing round on Monday. Beale carded another strong performance for the Bears, shooting a 73 and finishing the tournament 13th overall out of 72 participating golfers. Cone finished second for Mercer with a two over par 74. Rule finished out his first collegiate tournament with a 76 and placed 27th overall for the Bears. Holmes and Street both finished the day with 78s placing them in 51st and 53rd respectively.
Reimers wrapped up the final round of Mercer’s fall season with an 81, placing him in 37th overall place. Mercer finished the day as the sole owner of sixth place, two strokes above Notre Dame and 13 strokes behind fifth place recipient and tournament host the College of Charleston. Florida maintained their day one lead, taking home the tournament title with a final score of six under par and beating the second place team by 11 strokes. When asked about his team’s performance, head coach Steve Bradley said, “I was a little disappointed overall. We wanted a top five finish and we didn’t earn it. I still don’t think we are reaching our potential yet.” The Invitational at Kiawah Island was Mercer’s last tournament for the fall, with the spring season starting on Jan. 30.
The break in tournament play will be a chance for the team to assess their progress and prepare for the very busy spring season. When asked about his team’s plans for the break, Bradley said, “I’ve been encouraged by our progress. We’ve been working on the right things judging by how the players have improved, and we will continue to do so over the break. We have a hardworking team, and the guys will put in the needed effort to get better.” The Bears will undoubtedly be working hard this offseason to get ready for the seven scheduled tournaments in the spring, culminating in the A-Sun championships on April 16-18.
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