Panthers open Fall schedule with fifth-place finish
Sept. 30, 2009

Courtesy of the LaGrange Daily News
The new-look LaGrange College golf team kicked off its fall schedule with a fifth-place finish in the Birmingham Southern Fall Shootout.

Four of the seven spots on the roster are filled with newcomers to the program, and only two regular players from a year ago – Bo Tiller and Adam Garrett – are back.

In Birmingham, one of those newcomers – junior Hudson Keener from Dalton – made the all-tournament team with a third-place finish.

The Panthers shot a 303 on Tuesday.

"All in all, it was a success to finish fifth out of 14 teams," LaGrange College head coach Lee Richter said. "We're pleased with that. There were some really good teams out there."

Keener had rounds of 75, 74 and 74 to finish third, and Richter said it could have been better.

"He's very accurate off the tee, accurate with his irons, but he was very disappointed with the putter," Richter said. "He could not buy a putt. He really hit it well."

Keener, a junior, played at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before transferring to LaGrange.

One of the team's veterans and the only senior, Bo Tiller, was next for the Panthers with rounds of 72, 74 and 78.

Sophomore John Lee Richter, who coach Richter said "improved a lot over the summer," closed his tournament with a 74 on Tuesday after firing scores of 80 and 79 on Monday.

Junior Adam Garrett, a regular in the lineup last year, had scores of 78, 79 and 77.

Garrett is a Troup High graduate.

Hunter Keener, Hudson's brother and a freshman from Northwest Whitfield in Dalton, posted rounds of 79, 81 and 78.

A pair of freshman played as individuals, meaning their scores didn't count toward the team total.

Shiloh Snow had scores of 83, 83 and 84, while Brian Moore came in with rounds of 77, 78 and 83.

Richter said all of the scores would have been better if the players could have figured out the Bermuda greens.

"They were hard to read, hard to putt," he said. "The guys hit the ball pretty good, we just couldn't putt the greens."

The Panthers will participate in the Berry College Invitational on Monday at Coosa Country Club in Rome.

"We have a very young team, but we're a good team," Richter said. "Hopefully we'll get some putts falling up there (in Rome)."