By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
North Carolina State men’s golfer Nick Mathews, an Eastern Alamance alum, shot three rounds under par to win the individual championship in Rod Myers Invitational this week at Duke University Golf Club.
Mathews, who’s from Mebane, finished at 14-under-par 202 with rounds of 70, 64, and 68 in the Wolfpack’s season-opening outing.
Mathews, who recorded five birdies and one bogey in Monday’s final round, ended six shots better than runner-up Connor McNeely of Cincinnati across the 54 holes. McNeely had rounds of 71, 71, and 66. There were 72 individual entrants.
The 64 was the lowest score in Mathews’ collegiate career and tied for the sixth-lowest in N.C. State program history. Mathews, a redshirt senior, had birdies on two of the last three holes in the third round.
The 202 registered as the second-best score in the 14-year history of the Rod Myers Invitational, which is named after a former Duke coach.
The first two rounds were contested Sunday, with Mathews posting 70 and 64 to hold a 10-under 134 score and a two-shot edge on Duke’s Ethan Evans going to the final round.
Mathews had an eagle in each of the first two rounds on par-5 layouts. He eagled the 14th hole in the first round and followed that with another on No. 11 later in the day.
N.C. State was the team champion at 842 for a 10-stroke advantage on Duke in the 11-team field. The Wolfpack has won at least one team tournament title in seven of eight seasons.
- At Dublin, Ireland, Elon was the runner-up in the four-team Lyon’s Links Invitational last week at Royal Dublin Golf Club. Wake Forest, the host team, was the winner at 31-under 833, while Elon was at 845. Cal Poly and Maynooth tied for third place at 856.
Elon’s Juan Callejo Ropero tied for sixth place at 212 (67, 68, 77), one shot better than teammate Garrett Risner (tied 8th, 72, 71, 70).
Women’s golf
At Asheboro, Elon placed fourth among 11 teams in the Tot Hill Farm Invitational on Monday and Tuesday at Tot Hill Farm Golf Club.
College of Charleston, the host of the event, won the tournament at 3-over for a 10-stroke edge on East Carolina. Coastal Carolina (25-over) was third before Elon (36-over).
Elon’s Ashely Lafontaine was eighth individually at 4-over (72, 70, 78).
