Strong final round earns Panthers tie for fourth at Callaway Collegiate
March 4, 2008

Rare is the day when the LaGrange College golf team isn't on the course practicing. No matter the conditions, head coach Lee Richter will have his players out slogging through the mud, or fighting the wind, or braving the cold. The coach figures there's always a chance similar conditions could pop up during a tournament, so he wants his players to prepared for anything.

Good thing.

The Panthers have competed in two tournaments this spring, and they've both been played in less than desirable conditions. After enduring winds in excess of 30 m.p.h. in the Huntingdon Invitational, the Panthers faced another tough day on Tuesday in the final round of the Callaway Collegiate Invitational.

The rain came early in the day, and the wind arrived and never left as the players made their way around the Mountain View course at Callaway Gardens. And just as the Panthers endured the conditions at the Huntingdon tournament to earn a high finish, they were one of the top teams at the Callaway tournament as well.

The Panthers were fifth after Day 1, and they moved up to fourth in the final standings with a stellar 299 on Tuesday. It's the strongest showing the Panthers have ever had in the tournament. Nine of the 20 teams in the field were ranked in the top 20 in NCAA Division III, including the country's top four teams. Methodist, which has won numerous Division III championships, took the top spot.

"It's a very prestigious field, a very prestigious tournament because of the quality of the field,"

Richter said. "We had a really strong performance, and I'm very proud of the guys."

The start of Round 2 was delayed about four hours because of a rain storm that moved through the area, but neither the wait or the conditions seemed to bother the Panthers.

"Typically, our team has been pretty good in bad conditions," Richter said. "I guess that's because we go and practice in those conditions just in case we have to play in them. A lot of it, I tell them, is mind over matter. It's tough to play in wind and rain, but you have to understand everybody's playing in it."

Ryan Howard had the best second-round score for the Panthers, and his 71 was the second lowest score of the day. Howard made a 12-stroke improvement from his Round 1 score of 83. At the Huntingdon tournament, Howard had the lowest score in the final round on a miserable day.

"He has shown he plays pretty well in bad conditions,"

Richter said. "He's the only senior, so I was real proud of him."

The Panthers' top finisher was Anthony Yacovazzi, who had rounds of 74 and 75, good enough for fourth place and a spot on the all-tournament team. Ryan Willis shot a 75 on Tuesday after opening with a 79, and Freddie Uribe followed up his 77 with a 78 on Tuesday. Bo Tiller made a six-stroke improvement between rounds, going from an 84 on Monday to a 78 on Tuesday. Adam Garrett, a freshman from Troup High playing as an individual for the Panthers, had an 81 on Tuesday after opening with a 76.

As good as LaGrange College was on Day 2, Methodist was even better, firing a 288 to run away with the team title. Methodist had a 309 in the first round.

"That was incredible," Richter said of Methodist's performance. "They showed why they've won nationals nine times."

Darton, which has won three straight junior-college national championships, was second with scores of 311 and 296. Texas-Tyler (301-308) was third, followed by LaGrange College (313-299) in fourth.

Despite the weather hiccup, Richter said the tournament went well, and he gives a lot of the credit for that to the staff at Callaway Gardens.

"Callaway Gardens went over and beyond the call of duty with that they did with this tournament," Richter said. "The superintendent and the pros and the assistant were very helpful, very supportive. We wound up having to stay there all day, and they wound up giving us the course all day. We just send out a big thank you to them for helping us with this tournament."

LaGrange College will play in the Rome News-Tribune Invitational in Rome next week.

Courtesy of the LaGrange Daily News