Men's Golf Wraps Up Fall Season On A Positive At 49er Collegiate Classic
10/25/2006 | Men's Golf
Oct. 24, 2006
CONCORD, N.C. - Sophomore Grant Rafield shot a 1-under-par 71 to lead the Spiders to a final round total of 13-over 301, the fourth-best score Tuesday at the Sleep Inn & Suites/49er Collegiate Classic played at the Cabarrus Country Club.
Rafield finished the tournament tied for 15th at 11-over-par 227, leading the Spiders to a 12th-place finish out of 14 teams.
Playing its last round of the 2006 fall season, Richmond shot a 301 in the final round. The Spiders finished the 54-hole tournament at 929, one stroke behind East Carolina for 11th place and three strokes behind Ball State for 10th place.
"We played decent today," Richmond head coach Adam Decker said. "It's nice to come back in the last round and be competitive."
Rafield, a sophomore who is in his first season on the team, posted his highest-career finish after playing in all four events this fall.
"Grant played really well today, he shot 1-under-par in tough, cold and windy conditions," Decker said.
Scores were high throughout the tournament on the par-72, 7,098-yard course. Richmond senior John Pelet tied for 41st at 234 (78-79-77), while junior Jordan Utley tied for 50th at 236 (75-82-79).
Freshman Hunter Townsend shot a 2-over-par 74 in Tuesday's final round to finish the tournament at 238 (79-85-74). Junior Chris Bagley, a starter on last year's NCAA team who was injured all fall, made his 2006-07 season debut in the 49er Classic and tied for 67th at 243 (80-79-84).
Richmond also played the four fall tournaments without sophomore Tim Courtney, who played in every tournament for last year's NCAA team as a freshman.
Despite playing without two returning starters, Richmond finished fourth in two tournaments this fall at the Joe Agee Invitational and the Big 5 Invitational. Richmond Utley was the individual champion at the Joe Agee Invitational, while Pelet took fourth at the Big 5 Invitational.
"We're going to work hard in the off-season and hopefully get back to being more competitive in the spring events," Decker said.
Richmond opens the spring season Feb. 17-18 at the Rice Intercollegiate in Houston, Texas.