Charleston Southern University Athletics
General Hackler Championship
James takes third, Keur finishes fifth at General Hackler
3/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Junior Austin James finished third and sophomore R.J. Keur tied for fifth to lead Charleston Southern to an eighth-place finish at the 2016 General Hackler on Sunday at The Dunes Golf & Beach Club.
James (-7) played his final 14 holes 5-under par to finish in sole possession of third, two shots back of medalists Jimmy Stanger of Virginia and Matthew NeSmith of South Carolina. Keur finished at 5-under, four strokes off the pace.
No. 19 South Carolina won the tournament by seven strokes over No. 24 Virginia. The Gamecocks finished at 841 (-23) as a team. Kent State (-12) was third, followed by North Carolina (-9) and North Carolina State (-7). CSU (+4) was seven strokes back of No. 30 North Florida (-3) and No. 32 Texas A&M (-5).
The duo was a combined 12-under and helped CSU finish eighth in a field full of nationally-ranked players and teams.
"Great performances by Austin and R.J. this week,' CSU Director of Golf Mike Wilson said Sunday afternoon. "It was great to get Austin in as the clubhouse leader and it is always a good thing when you have an individual with a chance to win the tournament."
The Bucs were eighth and had their lowest round of the weekend on Sunday with a team 287 (-1), fueled largely by a 68 (-4) from James and 70 (-2) from Keur.
Even with the strong individual performances, Wilson wasn't satisfied with the way the Bucs finished their rounds on Saturday and Sunday, letting shots slip away on the team score late.
"Even in a field as tough as that as a team we are not satisfied with an 8th place finish. We know if we take care of what we need to do as a team we will be right where we want to be come conference, regionals, and at the national championship.
James fired a 68 (-4) in the final round and played all three rounds under par. He entered the week as the No. 43-ranked player in the country and could move up after an impressive showing.
Keur showed his explosiveness during his final round 70 (-2). After a pair of early bogeys, he reeled off five birdies in an eight-hole stretch to get back to red numbers and notch another Top 10.
Senior Taylor Zoller put together his best round of the event with a 73 (+1), but it could have been better. He played a stretch of eight holes at 3-under before bogeys on the last two holes. He was 71st.
Sophomore Jake Ezell shot a 76 (+4) on Sunday and played his final eight holes at even par. He tied for 52nd.
Freshman Clayton Gregory posted a 79 (+7) and finished 68th, but closed on a high note with birdies on two of his final four holes.
John Graves finished 83rd and had a birdie in his round of 82 (+10) on Sunday.
-CSU-
