COLUMBUS, Ohio – Guilford College’s men’s golf team moved up three places Tuesday to finish in a tie for fourth place at the Gordin Classic at the Columbus Country Club. The fifth-ranked Quakers posted the third and final round’s third-lowest team score Tuesday, a three-under par 285, to finish with an even-par 864.
Defending NCAA Division III men’s golf champion Illinois Wesleyan University picked up where it left off Monday and shot 278 Tuesday, the day’s low score. The top-ranked Titans shot a 24-under 840 over 54 holes and won the 15-team tourney by six shots over Huntingdon College. The Hawks shot 281, Tuesday’s second-best score, to finish 18-under par for the tournament at 846. Emory University and Guilford both shot 285 Tuesday. The Eagles claimed third place at 853 (-11) 11 strokes in front of the Quakers and Wittenberg University (289-280-295-864).
Illinois Wesleyan’s Rob Wuetherich claimed medalist honors by a stroke over Huntingdon’s Drew Mathers. Wuetherich started Tuesday in second place, six strokes behind Mathers, but turned in the third round’s low score, a four-under 68. Mathers unraveled Tuesday with a 75 and finished at nine-under 207. Wuetherich’s teammate, Jimmy Morton, also shot 68 and shared third place at 209. Guilford’s James Mishoe was part of a five-man pack tied for fifth at 211 (-5).
Guilford junior Addison Manring (Stoneville, N.C./McMichael) sparked the Quakers’ strong third-round showing with a four-under 68, which proved Tuesday’s low individual round. He started the day on the 10th hole and birdied four of the first eight holes. He played holes 1-4 three-over, but birdied three of his last five holes to match his lowest college round.
Quakers senior Zach Evens carded his second sub-par round of the tournament Tuesday with a one-under 71. He finished in a share of 13th place at 213 (-3). Teammate Louis Lambert shot 74 Tuesday and provided Guilford’s fourth score. He shared 52nd place among individuals at 225, five shots ahead of teammate Jack Lee (77-76-77-230).
The Gordin Collegiate Classic honors the memory of longtime Ohio Wesleyan University coach Dick Gordin. Gordin, who served as the Bishops’ golf coach from 1955-93, guided 22 of his last 25 teams to the NCAA Division III or College Division tournaments, bringing home six top-five finishes in his last eight years, including runner-up finishes in 1990 and 1993. Gordin was named NCAA Division III Coach of the Year in 1987 and 1993.
Hosted by Ohio Wesleyan since 1991, the Gordin Collegiate Classic annually matches 12 of the best Division III teams, featuring most if not all of the top-10 finishers from the previous spring’s Division III Championship tournament. This year’s event included 12 teams ranked among the top-25 in the current Division III Bushnell Golfweek Poll.
Coach Adam Crawford’s Quakers compete in the Royal Lakes Fall Invitational in suburban Atlanta October 7-8.