KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – Justin LaRue, yet again, was in the hunt for a tournament title. Unfortunately, his effort came up just short in a playoff at the Irish Creek Collegiate, and he finished second.
 
The Lancers as a team finished tied for 11^th in their final regular season tournament before the Big South Championship in two weeks.
 
RESULTS:
Irish Creek Golf Club
Kannapolis, N.C.
Par 70, 7,038 Yard
 
Team
T11. Longwood: 288-290-291—869 (+29)
 
Individual
T1 (second in a playoff). Justin LaRue: 71-67-70—208 (+2)
T55. Matthew Lyons: 72-74-76—222 (+12)
T60. Nick Rakes: 74-76-73—223 (+13)
T66. David LaFreniere: 74-77-73—224 (+14)
T73. Scott Jordan: 78-73-75—226 (+16)
T73. Zane Moore: 71-78-77—226 (+16)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
Once again, LaRue led the way for Longwood. The junior has been the team's top golfer all season long, and he tied for first after three rounds, his second straight tournament finishing at the top of the leaderboard after he won the Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate in the final week of March.
 
This week, though, he was part of a three-way tie for first with Bryce Corbett of Radford and Fred Tindale of California Baptist. During the ensuing playoff, LaRue outlasted Corbett and fell to Tindale on the fourth playoff hole.
 
He was incredibly consistent throughout the tournament, leading Longwood with 38 pars, tied for third in the field. He tied for the team lead with nine birdies as well. He scored three under on Par 5s for the tournament and was also under par on Par 4s, one of only nine players in the field to record an average score under par on Par 4s.
 
David LaFreniere tied LaRue for the team lead in birdies and posted his best round, a 73, in the final round. Nick Rakes also fired his best round, a 73, in the final round.
 
Matthew Lyons finished second-best on the team on Par 4s while finishing second-best on the team in a tie for 55^th. Scott Jordan and Zane Moore tied for 73^rd.
 
WHAT THEY SAID:
 
"While it's not realistic to think he can keep being in contention every week, we're certainly getting used to Justin putting himself in that position," said Longwood Head Coach Kevin Fillman. "The thing about this week is how even he would admit he wasn't anywhere near his best. That's kind of scary to think about."
 
"As a team, we just weren't very good," Fillman said. "The bottom line is there's a lot we didn't handle well. It's not a good time to struggle, but we have a few days to figure some things out. We're going to give defending the Big South title our best shot."
 
UP NEXT:
 
Longwood opens the Big South Championship on Thursday, April 18 at the Fripp Island Resort in Fripp Island, South Carolina. The stroke play portion of the tournament runs from Thursday to Saturday, April 18-20, with the top four teams advancing to match play on Sunday, April 21.
 
#GoWood #HorsePower