10.5.2011

FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood University won its second-straight men's golf tournament this past week, posting 291-287-293--871 at the 13-team Joe Agee Invitational hosted by the College of William and Mary October 3-4 at the Colonial Heritage Golf Club in Williamsburg.  Senior Austin Gray|Midlothian (Monacan) won his second consecutive event as well, posting one-over-par 71-71-75--217 among the 72-player field.  The Lancers, coached by 15th-year head coach Kevin Fillman, return to action next weekend, Oct. 15-16, at the Barnabas Health Intercollegiate hosted by Seton Hall University, a 36-hole event at the Fiddler's Elbow Country Club in Bedminster Township, New Jersey.

A Quick Look Back At The Joe Agee Invitational
Austin Gray was followed closely by senior Ross Sumner|Callao (Northumberland) (219, 3rd), along with freshman Blake Carter|Bassett (Bassett) (223, t-10th), senior Kenny Leech|Boca Raton (Grandview Prep) (227, t-17th), and sophomore Dylan Jensen|Martinsville (Carlisle) (231, t-31st).  Carter posted a new collegiate-best for both 36 (145) and 54 (223) holes while playing in only his second college tournament. 

Head Coach Kevin Fillman
“As I said a couple weeks ago, it's always great to win.  That's why we play.  The best part from my standpoint is to see the guys get rewarded for the effort we put into it.  Winning college golf tournaments is not easy, so to have won back-to-back events is a pretty special accomplishment.  What probably set us apart from the rest of the field was our toughness.  The weather most of Monday was less than good.  When it's 40-something degrees and raining, players must have a certain attitude to be successful.  It's physically, mentally and emotionally draining, and, quite honestly, some players just don't want to be out there in it.  That's not an option with us.  We weren't 20 shots better than the field in terms of talent, but we were in the areas that really counted.  Going into the final round, we just needed to stay aggressive, play smart, and, basically, stay out of our own way.  Fortunately, we were able to do all of those for the most part.  The only thing in college golf that's more difficult than winning as a team is winning as an individual, so for Austin to do it in consecutive tournaments is simply amazing.  He got a lot of help from his buddies too.

“We've never been to Seton Hall's event, so I don't know much about the golf course yet.  I'll know a little more before we get there for our practice round.  We should, obviously, go into the tournament with a lot of confidence.  It'll be to our advantage to be one of the Southern-most teams in the field.  Despite what we've accomplished recently, we have plenty to work on to make us better.  After we concentrate on school the rest of this week, we'll get to working on those things.  As always, we'll be ready to play.”

In The Rankings
Longwood is ranked 137th among 272 Division I men's golf teams in this week's Golfstat Rankings.  The Lancers' ranking is based upon their 50.377 winning percentage through three tournaments. Stanford University is the top-ranked program this week with its 95.697%.  Longwood is ranked 191st in this week's Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, released before the tournament at William and Mary, with a rating of 75.04. Stanford is top-ranked as well this week with its rating of 68.41.

More From Williamsburg
Austin Gray led the field in par 4 scoring (3.97, -1), was third in birdies (10), and tied for 13th in pars (35).  Ross Sumner was second in par 4 scoring (4.00, E), tied for seventh in birdies (8), and tied for ninth in pars (36).  Blake Carter tied for first in par 5 scoring (4.75, -3), tied for fourth in birdies (9), and tied for eighth in par 4 scoring (4.20, +6).  Kenny Leech also tied for fourth in birdies (9).  Longwood led the field in par 4 scoring (4.20, +30), par 5 scoring (4.98, -1), and birdies (42), while third in pars (162), and tied for fourth in par 3 scoring (3.13, +8).

In The Zone
Austin Gray has averaged 70.83 over his last six rounds while winning back-to-back tournament titles.  His respective rounds have been 68, 71, 69, 71, 71, and 75 during his consecutive medalist honors at the Bucknell Invitational (9.16-17) and the Joe Agee Invitational (10.3-4), respectively.

Close At The Top | Season Statistics
Through three tournaments and nine rounds of golf, only one shot separates the top two golfers for Longwood.  Austin Gray (647) is averaging 71.89 with a low round of 68, while Ross Sumner (648) is averaging 72.00 with a low round 69.  Kenny Leech (661) is averaging 73.44 with the team's low round of 67, followed by Blake Carter (448-74.67, 70), freshman Jason Schumacher|Glen Allen (Deep Run) (225-75.00, 70), and Dylan Jensen (687-76.33, 71).  The Lancers are averaging 290.00 as a team through three events, and while early, still well ahead of the school-record scoring average of 295.10 established during 2008-09.

In The Record Book
In addition to tying the school record for 54-holes (208) while winning the Bucknell Invitational (9.16-17), Austin Gray also tied for the fifth-best 36-hole score (68-71--139).  His two-under-par 208 matched that of Chris Shuford posted in 2004, though Shuford's total was at eight-under, while the one-under 139 was most-recently posted by Scooter Buhrman in 2009 (-5).  Kenny Leech tied the sixth-best round in school history with his second-day, three-under-par 67, equaling that posted most-recently by both Buhrman (-5) and Adam Webb (-3) in 2008.

A Look At The Barnabas Health Intercollegiate
The two-day, 36-hole tournament will include 18 holes on Saturday, Oct. 15 and 18 holes on Sunday, Oct. 16.  Last year, the Fiddler's Elbow Country Club River Course played 7,014-yards and as a par 72 layout.  Binghamton University is the defending champion after posting a 587 last year. Longwood will be making its first appearance in the event hosted by Seton Hall.

Up Next
Longwood will participate in the OBX Collegiate Invitational hosted by Old Dominion University Oct. 23-25, a 54-hole tournament at the Kilmarlic Golf Club in Powells Point, North Carolina.