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 Tim Eckberg carded a two-day score of 142 to win medalist honors at the Elon/Sea Trail Intercollegiate. |
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Sept. 28, 2003
Sunset Beach, N.C. - WCU senior golfer Tim Eckberg (Walnut, Ill./Illinois Valley JC/Bureau Valley HS) carded a one-over par 73 on Sunday, but his two-day total of 142 stood up as the winning score to take individual medalist honors at the Elon/Sea Trail Intercollegiate, played at the Sea Trail Resort's Rees Jones Course. Western shot 292 as a team on the second day to move up two spots and finish sixth (599) in the 20-team field.
Eckberg, who fired a 69 on day one, becomes just the second Catamount on record (since 1994) to win medalist honors and the first since Jerry Stafford won a rain-shortened, one-round event at VMI in 1996. Eckberg's two-round total of 142 ties for the second-lowest two-day score on the WCU all-time list.
Helping the Cats move up were freshman Tripp Morrow and sophomore Blake Wray. Morrow joined Eckberg in shooting 73 on Sunday, finishing with a two-day total of 151 to place 28th-t in his first collegiate tournament. Wray, who carded an 83 in round one, improved by 12 shots for his one-under 71, which is his best career round by two strokes. Overall, Wray moved from 79th-t on day one to 39th with his two-day total of 154. Junior Chase Kress also showed significant improvement on day, going from an 80 to 75 and finishing with a 155 (48th-t). Also seeing his first collegiate action was freshman Michael Cope, who had rounds of 80-83 (163) to place 86th-t.
Davidson, who also shot 292 on Sunday, moved up two spots to win the annual event with a total of 588. Gardner-Webb had the best round on second day, 289, placed second (591). First day co-leader and host Elon placed third (595) along with Pfeiffer, while Appalachian State was fifth (598).
Western Carolina will return to action Oct. 13-14 at the UTC/Sonic Fall Classic, played at Signal Mountain Golf Club in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Team Score
1. Davidson 296-292=588
2. Gardner-Webb 302-289=591
3. Elon 294-301=595
Pfeiffer 304-291=595
5. Appalachian State 303-295=598
6. Western Carolina 307-292=599
7. Charleston Southern 306-295=601
8. Liberty 294-315=609
9. George Mason 309-303=612
10. Columbia 313-300=613
The Citadel 311-302=613
12. Bethune-Cookman 310-304=614
13. High Point 308-310=618
14. Long Island-Brooklyn 319-300=619
15. Wingate 312-309=621
16. Stetson 311-311=622
17. South Carolina State 316-308=624
18. Radford 319-307=626
19. Wagner 320-313=633
20. Hampton 327-331=658
WCU Scores/Place
Tim Eckberg 69-73=142 / 1st
Tripp Morrow 78-73=151 / 28th-t
Blake Wray 83-71=154 / 39th-t
Chase Kress 80-75=155 / 48th-t
Michael Cope 80-83=163 / 86th-t
Elon/Sea Trail Men's Intercollegiate
Sea Trail Resort - Rees Jones Course
Sunset Beach, N.C. - Hosted by Elon
Sept. 27-28, 2003
