Wheeler Ace & French 66 Highlights Desert Finish

Sunday, February 28

Goodyear, Ariz.

Murray State

Loyola

Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics

3/1/2016 4:04:00 PM | Men's Golf

Results

Murray State's Preston French fired a career-low 66 and the Racers' men's golf team came home with an eighth place finish at the Loyola Intercollegiate in Goodyear, Arizona at Palm Valley Golf Club.

The Racers' benefited from a an amazing effort from the senior French with a career-low 6-under-par 66. It helped the team to its best score of the 54-hole event. MSU shared eighth place with Elon and William & Mary. MSU had team scores of 286-293-284=863.

French jumped from 42nd place after two rounds to a final 13th place finish. His totals were 72-74-66=212 as the top Murray State finisher. He started on the 10th hole and made the turn with a 6-under-par 30, then scrambled coming home with an even par 36.

Other MSU finishes included Brock Simmons in 26th place with scores of 75-70-71=216 and Duncan McCormick in 58th place with scores of 71-74-76=221. Jared Gosser and Gabe Wheeler shared 61st place. Gosser had scores of 73—74-74=222 and Wheeler 70-79-73=222. Wheeler was MSU's round one leader and Simmons in round two.

The Racers' final round was also marked by a hole-in-one by Wheeler. On his seventh hole of the day he stepped to the tee of the par-3 17th. Choosing a 5-iron, Wheeler knocked it in from 204 yards for his first ace as a Racer.

"Until that point I was not playing well," Wheeler stated. "The hole-in-one turned my whole round the other way and I ended up having a decent finish. I knew it was in when the spectators up behind the green started yelling. I was more shocked than anyone."

Wheeler, a freshman from Sikeston, Mo., said the hole-in-one was the second in his life. The first came when he was 13 years old playing with his dad.

Arkansas State won the event with a total 833, ahead of runner-up Indiana at 842. James Madison (847), UT Martin (851) and Connecticut (852) made up the top-5. Missouri State (856) and Seton Hall (858) were sixth and seventh.
DePaul (873), Utah Valley (873), St. John's (881), Air Force (884), Loyola (MD) (884), Drake (891) and Manhattan College (928) rounded out the field of 17 teams.

Tanner Napier of ASU was the medalist with scores of 66-68-64=198.

The Palm Valley course is played to a par-72 and 7,015 yards.

Murray State's next challenge is at the Grover Page Classic (March 14) at Jackson Country Club in Jackson, Tenn.

Arkansas State 279 281 273  833 -31
Indiana 271 293 278  842 -22
James Madison 278 284 285  847 -17
UT - Martin 288 283 280 851 -13
Connecticut 277 290 285 852 -12
Missouri State 281 293 282  856 -8
Seton Hall Univ. 279 287 292 858 -6
Elon 288 292 283 863 -1
William & Mary 275 295 293  863 -1
Murray State 286 293 284  863 -1
DePaul 284 299 290 873 +9
Utah Valley 287 293 293  873 +9
St. John's 289 301 291  881 +17
Air Force 288 301 295 884 +20
Loyola - Maryland 297 299 288  884 +20
Drake 292 305 294 891 +27
Manhattan College 310 314 304 928 +64