SAPPHIRE VALLEY, NC – The Winthrop men's team closed out the fall season with its best performance as the Eagles finished fifth out of 18 schools at the Hummingbird Intercollegiate which was completed Tuesday at the par-71, 6,767-yard Country Club of Sapphire Valley.
The Eagles shot a 288 in the final round and finished at 576, just nine shots behind tournament champion Furman which erased a six-stroke lead over the final six holes to rally past Kentucky.
Winthrop was led by sophomore Brandon Truesdale and freshmen Brad Sill and John Conners, who tied for 20th place after firing 1-over par scores of 143. Truesdale was tied for second after Monday's first round when he shot a 3-under par 68. He had a 75 on Tuesday while Sill had rounds of 72-71. Conners opened with a 70 and finished with a 73. Sophomore Kyle Bearden carded a 147 (77-70) to tie for 42nd place while freshman Kamito Hirai came in at 64th place with a 150 (76-74).
First-round leader Garland Ferrell helped lead the Paladin charge, carding three birdies on the back nine and eagled the par-5, 482-yard 14th hole for a second-consecutive day to win the individual medalist honors.
The Winthrop men will open the spring season on Feb. 7 at the Jacksonville Intercollegiate at the TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, FL.
