HPU Men’s Golf: MacDougall Paces Panthers with Record-Setting Round

• Sophomore Brendan MacDougall fired a -9 (63) to tie Yung Joo (Liberty ’00) and Daniel Kim (Gardner-Webb ’12) for the lowest round in Big South Championship history.
• Sophomore Alec Weary posted seven birdies on the day to card a -5 (67), which would have been HPU’s lowest championship round ever if not for MacDougall’s effort.
• High Point recorded a 285 (-3), which is the lowest round in program history in the conference event.

NINETY SIX, S.C. – High Point University men’s golf sophomore Brendan MacDougall tied a Big South Championship record carding a -9 (63) to lead the Panthers’ milestone-setting performance in the second round of action at the Patriot at Grand Harbor.

MacDougall racked up nine birdies and nine pars to tie Yung Joo (Liberty ’00) and Daniel Kim (Gardner-Webb ’12) for the event’s lowest round ever. Thanks to his second-round explosion, the Calgary, Alberta product will enter Sunday with a one-stroke lead. Right behind MacDougall, sophomore Alec Weary’s -5 (67) would have produced the lowest round at the conference championship in HPU history if not for MacDougall’s incredible day.

As a team, High Point recorded its lowest round in championship history with a -3 (285) and will begin Sunday’s final round in fifth, but just two strokes out of third. The under-par round gave the squad five par-or-better rounds this season – the most in program history.

“What a performance on moving day, I’m very proud of this team,” head coach Brady Gregor said. “The atmosphere coming down the final holes, you just can’t replicate it because you have to experience it first hand. Brendan’s and Alec’s individual scores and records speak for themselves, but any time you get two individuals who go out and shoot their career bests in the conference championship it says a lot. Most importantly, after today’s round we are still in position to go win a conference championship both as a team and individually and that’s the number one goal when we stepped on campus this fall.”

MacDougall started fast birdying his first three holes and never slowed down. He posted birdies on the fifth, seventh, 10th, 11th and 14th before knotting the record with a birdie on 18. Along with tying the event’s record, his 63 is the lowest round ever by a Panther and gives him the most birdies in a single season at HPU (101).

Meanwhile, Weary is in third after shooting a -5 (67), which is tied for the fourth-lowest round in High Point history. Weary posted seven birdies on the day and now ranks second in the field with 12 birdies behind MacDougall’s 13. Similarly, the Bluffton, S.C. native is tied for the best par-5 scoring average (4.38) as MacDougall leads in par-4 scoring (3.80).

Overall, the Panthers’ 35 birdies lead the field through 36 holes, which gives the team a school-record 366 birdies this season. HPU’s 285 was the third-best in the field on Saturday and puts HPU (583) one stroke behind Gardner-Webb (582) and two behind Campbell (581). Liberty, meanwhile, paces the field with at 572 entering Sunday.

Rounding out the counting scores for the Panthers, junior Davis Kiger shot a 77 while senior Emile Menard fired a 78. Both scores were improvements from day one as the upperclassmen are tied for 37th and 39th, respectively. HPU’s fifth on the day, sophomore RJ Bartolomucci, enters the final round tied for 35th (74-81, 155).

Along with Gardner-Webb and Radford (595), the Purple & White will tee off at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday for the final round of action.

Record-Breaking Performances:
• Brendan MacDougall tied the Big South Championship record for the lowest round with a -9 (63).
• MacDougall’s 63 is the lowest round in HPU history.
• MacDougall’s 101 birdies this season are the most by a Panther in a single season.
• MacDougall’s 14 par-or-better rounds this season are the most in HPU history.
• Alec Weary’s -5 (67) is the second-best round by a Panther in the Big South Championship.
• Weary’s -5 is tied for the fourth-lowest round in program history.
• Both Weary and MacDougall posted the lowest round of their career.
• High Point’s 285 is the program’s best round in the Big South Championship
• HPU’s five par-or-better rounds this season are the most in program history.
• HPU’s 366 birdies this season are the most in program history.