KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – Sophomore R.J. Keur and senior Taylor Zoeller tied for 16th and junior Austin James was 19th to give Charleston Southern's three top-20 finishes in The Invitational, which concluded Saturday at The Ocean Course. The Buccaneers finished eighth as a team, climbing one spot in the final round.
Georgia Southern won the tournament with an 873 (+9) total, passing host-College of Charleston on Saturday with a 290 (+2) in the final round. CofC finished at 877 (+13) as a team, followed by Kentucky (+24) and UAB (+24), who tied for third. North Carolina State (+26) was fifth.
CofC's William Rainey took medalist honors, finishing at 5-under following a 1-under 71 on Saturday.
James finished with a 76 (+4) which included four more birdies, bringing his total to 14 for the tournament, which led the field. Keur added his second-straight 73 (+1), while Zoeller had 16 pars in his 74 (+2).
"We played much better today even though scores were higher," CSU head coach Mike Wilson said. "Really pleased with R.J. & Taylor's rounds. Austin James led the field in birdies, just need to eliminate the big numbers. We are not pleased with an eighth-place finish. We will get back to work on Monday to prepare for Iowa."
Freshman Jonathan Phillips was the Bucs' next-lowest finisher. He tied for 46th at 16-over. He struggled to an 83 in the final round.
CSU travels to the Golfweek Conference Challenge in Burlington, Iowa. The tournament, held Sept. 25-27, is a compilation of all of last year's conference champions, played at Spirit Hollow Golf Club.
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