The University of the Cumberlands (UC) Men's Golf team participated this past Monday and Tuesday in the See More Putters SCAD Invite in Savannah, GA at the Wilmington Island Golf Course.  This tournament was a 54 hole tournament where each player would play 2 full rounds of 18 on Monday before playing the final round on Tuesday. 

On Monday, the Patriots had two solid rounds of golf as they shot a team total of 288 in round 1 and 285 in round 2 for a team total of 573, putting them in 3rd place behind Lee University who shot a 566 and College of Coastal Georgia (CCG) who shot a 572.  UC came out with determination on Tuesday and it showed as they once again fired a solid round of 285 and with Lee University and CCG not playing up to par on day two, the Patriots earned a 1 stroke victory for the tournament.  UC shot a tournament total of 858 (+6) which placed them ahead of Lee University (859; +7) and CCG (867; +15). 

The Patriots were led once again in the tournament by Alastair Tidcombe (Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada) who continues to play remarkable golf and was able to capture his 2nd win in a row and the 3rd of the fall season.  Tidcombe shot a tournament total of 207 (-6) and never shot above par as he fired rounds of 71, 69, and 67 on the week at the par 71 course.  Hugo Alvarez Asorey (Oviedo, Spain) also had a solid tournament as he finished tied for 4th place.  Hugo shot a 1st round 70, 2nd round 72, and final round 70 to finish at 212 (-1).  Senior Niclas Rigbrandt (Nykoping, Sweden) fired a 72 in round 1, a 72 in round 2, and 75 in round 3 to finish with at a total of 219 (+6) to finish tied for 14th place.  Matt Walton (Lancashire, United Kingdom) also had a solid tournament as he shot a tournament total of 221 (+8).  He shot a 75 in the 1st round, 72 in the 2nd round, and 74 in the final round to finish tied for 22nd place.  Rounding out the Patriots was Vince Drahman (Noblesville, IN) as he shot an 84, a 74, and a 74 in his three rounds of play to finish at 232 (+19) and tied for 50th place. 

UC Head Coach Chris Kraftick commented, "What a great way to end the fall schedule. We've reached a point in our program where we have to branch out and play more national type events.  This tournament even had 5 of the top 13 teams in the NAIA including UC.  Those teams don't travel out of area so we decided to go to them and it paid off.  After playing so well last week and losing by a shot at Berry, this feels great.  This win meant a lot to our guys and you could see it in their excitement afterwards.  Ally is a special kid and to see his development over the past 12 months and the sacrifices he's made to turn himself into an elite player, it shows and he deserves every bit of this success."

The Patriots have finished their fall schedule and will now carry this momentum into the spring.  UC's spring schedule is currently being finalized and will be posted online as soon as it is made available. 

For more information on the UC Men's Golf program along with other Patriot athletics, please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com.

_{Article provided by Laura Beth Harris, UC Multimedia and Athletic Services Student Assistant}