April 22, 2009

2009 Southern Conference Men's Golf Championship Final Results

Florence, S.C. - Tanner Briele finished tied for second place to highlight a pair of Catamounts inside the final top five in the individual finishing order as Western Carolina overcame a seven-stroke deficit on Tuesday to finish third at the 2009 Southern Conference Men's Golf Championship. Briele finished with a one-under 71 on the final round for a 211 to finish tied in the runner-up position, while Ricky Stout rallied six positions to record a career-best, fifth-place finish at the event.

Also, the 2009 All-Southern Conference team was announced with WCU senior Andres Cuenca garnering his third honor to match former Catamounts Matt Cook and Brett D. Miller as the only Catamounts to ever earn three-or-more recognitions. Cuenca led the Catamounts during the regular season in garnering the nod.

Briele's 211 was the third-best 54-hole score turned in by a Catamount this season, while the collective 864 by WCU ranks as the fifth-best, three-round tournament in school history and the best this year. It was also the best score for a WCU squad at the conference championship, improving on the 2002 mark by eight strokes (872-to-864). Western also matched its best-ever finish at the conference tournament with its second-consecutive, third-place finish.

Chattanooga claimed its third-consecutive SoCon team title, edging Georgia Southern by two strokes, 852-to-854. Western, which carded even-par through the three-round event at 864, posted its tourney-low team round of 285 - the second-best round on Tuesday - to finish third, 12 strokes off the pace and eight ahead of fourth-place, Furman (872), with Wofford rallying to fifth with a three-day score of 879.

Elon finished sixth with a team total of 883, followed by Davidson (894), UNC Greensboro (901), College of Charleston (903), Samford (906) and Appalachian State in 11th with a score of 911.

Second-round leader Drew Lethem of Georgia Southern followed his tournament-low round of 66 on Sunday with consecutive rounds of even par to win the individual medalist honors, his first-ever collegiate title. Briele fired back-to-back rounds of one-under, 71, to finish second, just one stroke off the pace.

Stout matched his tournament-low opening round of 69 on Tuesday with a second three-under to improve his career-best finish of sixth a year ago by one position amidst a three-way tie for fifth. He finished the three-round event at 213, three strokes off the leader.

Cuenca (220) dropped three spots in the final standings with a one-over, 73, on Tuesday while classmate Dustin Furnari (220) advanced five spots in the final standings with an even-par 72 as the duo finished tied for 19th. Freshman Martin Summer finished tied for 32nd, shooting his tournament-best round of two-over, 74, on the final 18 holes for a three-day score of 227.