Savannah Invitational - 2024 Spring

No. 10/12 Men's Golf Takes Third at Savannah Invitational, McEwen Ties for Second in Individual Scoring

3/5/2024 5:56:00 PM

SAVANNAH, Ga. - The No. 12/10 Washington and Lee University men's golf team took third place and scored the best 54 hole total in program history, 17 under par and a complete scorecard of 278-289-280--847. 

The Savannah Invitational's 847 total is not only the lowest 54 hole total in W&L team history but the first round of the tournament (278, -10) is the second-lowest round score vs par.  Ten strokes under par matched the 2006-07 team's Camp LeJeune Intercollegiate score and was one stroke behind the 2022 ODAC Men's Golf Championships 11 strokes under par (273, -11).

The Generals were led by first-year Jonathan McEwen's runner-up finish with a tournament-best 18 birdies and 29 holes for par to total 47-of-54 holes scored par or better over the three rounds. The rookie produced a scorecard of 68-69-69--206 to finish 10 under par to match Pierce Robinson's '23 program-best 54 hole score vs par at the 2023 ODAC Championships.

McEwen tied for second with Methodist's Aiden Spampinato and Emory's Jackson Klutznick.The trio was one stroke behind the winner, Zackery Coker, of Huntingdon College who hit a tournament-best 66 (-6) during the second round. 

Top-ranked Methodist won the team title, 23 strokes under par, thanks to a -14 final round to fill out the scorecard of 279-288-274--841. Second-ranked Emory was the tournament's runner-ups, 20 strokes under par, for a total score of 844.

The Blue and White finished 11 strokes ahead of fourth-place Sewanee, ranked No. 11/12 in the national polls, and No. 21 Huntingdon College finished even with par to round out the tournament's top-5. 

Full results from the first and partial second rounds can be found here: GolfStat Scoring
 

THE COURSE BASICS

  • March 4-5, 2023 
  • 54 Hole Tournament
  • The Club at Savannah Harbor: Par 72 - 6851 yards
  • The Field: 95 Individuals, 19 Teams
  • Round 1 Average Score: 73.82
  • Round 2 Average Score: 73.95
  • Round 3: Average Score 74.55

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

Jonathan McEwen (68-69-69--206, -10)

  • McEwen matched the program-best 54 hole total score.
  • McEwen was named to the Savannah Invitational All-Tournament team.
  • The rookie finished one stroke under par on par 3s with an average score of 2.92 strokes per hole. 
  • On par 4s, McEwen averaged 3.87 strokes and was five strokes under on par 5s. 
  • McEwen led all golfers with 18 total birdies. 

Walker McPhail (71-72-67--210, -6)

  • Place: 7th
  • McPhail recorded 12 birdies and jumped seven positions between the second and third round on the individual's leaderboard.
  • McPhail finished seven strokes under par for an average of 4.42 strokes on par 5 holes. 

Will Braxton (68-78-72--218, +2)

  • Place: T28
  • Will Braxton recorded nine birdies in his first action of the 2024 spring season.
  • After struggling in the second round, Braxton improved 11 spots on the leaderboard. 
  • Braxton was tied for first after round one. 

Cannon Crane (71-72-79--222, +6)

Turner Edwards (74-76-72--222, +6)

  • Place: T45
  • Turner Edwards produced the largest improvement, 21 positions, between rounds two and three in individual standings. 
  • Edwards scored eight birdies in the three rounds. 

W&L BY THE NUMBERS

  • The Generals led all teams in par 5 scoring, 17 strokes under par, and averaged a scored of 4.72 strokes on par 5 holes.
  • W&L averaged 3.20 strokes on par 3s and 4.02 strokes on par 4s. 
  • The Blue and White recorded a total of 167 holes on par and 56 birdies over the three-round tournament. 

UP NEXT

The Generals are back in action next week on March 10-11 at the Tiger Invitational hosted by Hampden-Sydney College at the Forest Creek Golf Club in North-Pinehurst, N.C.
 
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
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