Men's Golf | 9/24/2018 4:51:00 PM
Batavia, Ohio – The Robert Morris University men's golf team opened its season in style this afternoon as it captured the team title at the Northern Kentucky Fall Collegiate Classic with a three-round total of 865 (+13). Freshman Chase Miller brought home medalist honors in his first collegiate tournament.
Trailing by a stroke entering the final round, Robert Morris fired a one-over 285 to top tournament host Northern Kentucky by three strokes. Green Bay – who led after the first day – finished third with a 871 (+19), followed by Evansville (874, +22), Detroit Mercy (878, +26), Thomas More (933, +81), and Saint Francis U (952, +100). The Colonials' three-round score of 865 is a school record for a 54-hole tournament – both by total strokes and relative to par – and is tied for the third-best mark in the history of the event.
RESULTS: 2018 Northern Kentucky Fall Collegiate Classic (All Three Rounds)
Miller, a rookie from Bernville, Pa., led wire-to-wire en route to making program history. Entering the morning with a one-stroke lead, he fired a one-under 70 to finish three strokes ahead of the field with a 210 (-3). Miller's number came on the strength of his front nine, as he coupled three birdies and six pars to post a 33. He is believed to be the first RMU player to win in his debut tournament.
Miller's three-under 210 is the lowest 54-hole total score in program history and the third lowest relative to par. The freshman topped C.G. Mercatoris' score of 211 (+1) from the 2010 Bucknell Fall Invitational, while his mark relative to par sits a stroke behind Mercatoris (2011 Mount St. Mary's Spring Invitational) and Daniel Franco Saad (2016 Cleveland State Invitational).
Miller posted a 3.94 stroke average on par fours and a 4.56 stroke average on par fives, both of which led or tied for the lead among the field. His total is the third-best individual score in tournament history, and he joined teammate Max Palmer, Evansville's Dallas Koth, Detroit Mercy's Anthony Occhuito, Green Bay's George Knieser, and NKU's Jacob Poore and Avery Green on the All-Tournament Team.
Palmer finished in a tie for fifth with a three-round total of 215 (+2). The junior carded an even-par 71 on the afternoon, beginning the day with eight pars and a birdie. He added three more birdies and a trio of pars on the back nine, finishing the tournament with 39 pars, tied for the most individually. Palmer also tied for third in par three scoring (2.92 stroke average) and tied for fifth in par four scoring (4.06 stroke average).
Bryce Gorrell brought home his first top-10 finish after posting a career-low score of 70 (-1) in the third round. Gorrell, who placed ninth with a three-round mark of 218 (+5), fired three birdies and five pars on the front nine, before closing with eight more pars over the last nine holes. The senior was strong on par fives, finishing tied for fourth with a 4.67 stroke average.
David Szymanski finished in a tie for 17th after carding a 222 (+9) for the tournament. Szymanski posted a three-over 74 on the afternoon, tallying a pair of birdies and 11 pars over the final 18 holes. He was tied for third in par three scoring (2.92 stroke average) and tied for seventh in par five scoring (4.78).
Kyle Grube placed in a deadlock for 41st with a three-round total of 237 (+24). Grube was one of two players to post an eagle in the tournament, carding a three on the par-five, 550-yard fifth hole in the first round.
This is the 10th consecutive season that the Colonials have won a tournament, a streak that originally started in the 2009-10 season at the Knights Golf Invitational. Since head coach Jerry Stone took over in the spring of 2001, RMU has captured 20 tournament titles, all coming in this 10-season stretch.
RMU's season-opening victory is its first since the 2015-16 season, when it paced the field at the 2015 Bucknell Fall Invitational.
Robert Morris continues its fall campaign on Sunday, Sept. 30 when it competes in the Matthews Auto Collegiate Invitational, hosted by Binghamton University.
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