Photo by APSU Athletics
A pair of rounds in the sixties served Austin Peay State University men’s golf well over the first 36 holes of the Hummingbird Invitational at the Country Club of Sapphire Valley.
The Govs shot even-par 284 in both rounds, tying with Ohio Valley Conference foe Belmont for seventh in the 15-team field. Georgia Southern (550) leads the tournament, followed by Wofford (559) and Chattanooga (562), with the Govs a mere six shots out of the top-three heading into Tuesday’s final round. The Govs far outstripped two of their OVC brethren, finishing four shots ahead of Tennessee Tech and eight up on Eastern Kentucky.
Sophomore Chase Korte and junior Michael Busse led the way at different times. Korte fired an opening-round 68, backed up with 72 for a 140 and a tie for 14th. Busse rallied back from an opening-round 74 to post a career-best 67 in the second round; his 141 ties him for 17th with 18 holes to play. Korte led the Govs with nine birdies, while Busse was the leader with 24 pars and closed his second round with a four-under 31 on the back nine.
Of the ten birdies recorded over the opening 36 holes on the par-3 No. 16, the Govs had two in the second round—one from Busse and the other from sophomore Garrett Whitfield, who ranks 36th after two rounds (70-73—143).
Junior Alex Vegh shot a one-under 35 on the front nine in round two on his way to back-to-back 72s (144), while junior Sean Butscher closed out the day for the Govs with a 157 (81-76) thanks to a second-round rally of his own.
Final-round action in Sapphire Valley commences 7:30 a.m. (CT), Tuesday, with the Govs scheduled among the first pairing to go off Hole No. 1 alongside Central Arkansas and Belmont.
Courtesy of APSU Athletics
