Men’s Golf Finishes as the Runner-Up at The American Championships

Tuesday, May 3

Lecanto, Fla.

University of Memphis

American Athletic Conference Championship

Photo by: Ben Solomon

Men’s Golf Finishes as the Runner-Up at The American Championships

May 03, 2016 | Men's Golf

Thomas Perrot earns individual runner-up finish

LECANTO, Fla. –Memphis shot a final round score of 281 – seven strokes under par and the second-lowest round in the tournament – to climb two spots on the final day, moving into a runner-up finish. The runner-up finish is the best for the Tigers as a member of the American Athletic Conference, and the best finish since 2012 when that squad won the Conference USA Championship.

The 281 for Memphis is tied for the lowest round by a Tiger team in a conference tournament since the 2008 squad shot an opening-round 277 in the C-USA Tournament.

"Today was the play that I had been waiting on," said Memphis head coach Blake Smart. "While I'm pleased overall we had the firepower to contend, we didn't give ourselves the opportunity. We have got to be a three round team if we want our season to continue past next week. I love the momentum heading into the preparation week, and now we can finish up finals and focus on getting a little better everyday."

Leading the Tigers on Tuesday – and the entire three days – was senior Perrot, who carded a five-under par 67 on the final round, putting him at six under par, and gave him an individual second place finish. His runner-up finish was second straight season he was the team's top finisher at the conference championships, and the highest individual finish since Jonathan Fly finished as the tournament medalist at the 2011 C-USA Championships.

Perrot did not have a bogey on the final day, and finished with five birdies and 13 pars. He opened the day with a birdie on the par-four second hole, and another birdie on the par-five fifth hole, before closing the front nine with five straight pars to make the turn at two strokes under par.

He kicked off the back nine on the Par-72, 7,025-Yard Black Diamond Ranch Course with birdies on three of the first five holes, dropping him to five under par, and closed the day with four consecutive pars to put him in the clubhouse with a 67 on the day, and a 210 for the three rounds.

His 67 was the lowest round of the day, and the second-lowest of the tournament's three days, and came on the heels of rounds of 71 and 72.

Lars van Meijel saved his best round for the end, as he carded a final-round 70 – two strokes under par – and closed the tournament with a two-over par 218, placing him in a tie for 14th in the field.

He opened the round with back-to-back pars, before bogeying the par-four third hole. A birdie on the par-three fourth hole dropped him back to even par. A par on the fifth hole was answered with a bogey and birdie over the next two holes, and another birdie on the ninth hole set van Meijel into the turn at one stroke under par.

After three consecutive pars to open the back nine, he birdied the par-three 13th hole, and then recorded the team's only eagle in the tournament with a three on the par-five 14th hole, putting him at four strokes under par. After back-to-back pars, he closed the round with two straight double bogeys to give him an 18-hole score of 70, which is tied for 14th in the field, an eight-spot climb from the second round.

"Thomas was really solid today going bogey free," said Smart. "When he and Lars are both clicking this team can get after it."

After a six-over-par 78 on Monday, Eithel McGowen answered back strong, and opened the third and final round with a par and birdie over the first two holes, and remained under par for the remainder of the round. A birdie on the par-five fifth hole dropped the junior to two strokes under par, which he held through the remainder of the front nine.

McGowen opened the back nine with two pars, before recording his first bogey on the par-four 12th hole. After a par, he birdied the 14th and 15th holes, putting him at three strokes under par. A bogey on the par-three 17th hole put him at two strokes under par, which is the score he took into the clubhouse after the round. His final round score jumped him seven spots in the final individual standings into a tie for 20th overall with a three-round 221.

Sophomore Taylor McCullum had an up-and-down final round that saw four birdies, four bogeys, and a double-bogey, finishing with a two-over 74. He had a promising start with a birdie on the par-four second hole putting him at one under par, which was evened with a bogey on the par-four sixth hole. His sole double-bogey came on the seventh hole, and a birdie on the ninth sent him into the back nine with momentum of standing one stroke over par.

McCullum had a difficult start off of the turn with bogeys on the 11th and 12th holes; however, a birdie on the par-five 15th hole put him back at two strokes over par. The final four holes of the day saw two pars (15th and 16th), a bogey (16th), before closing the round with a birdie on the par-five 18th hole, giving him his final total of 74. His three-round total of 228 put him in a tie for 31st in the field overall.

After a collegiate-low 69 in the second round, Sydney Chung struggled in the final round, and was the Tigers' fifth scorer on the final day. His front nine was strong, despite starting with a bogey on the first hole, a 413-yard par four. He came back with six straight pars until his second of two bogeys on the front nine got him on the eighth hole.

On the back nine he had five bogeys and four pars, as he took a final-round 79 into the clubhouse. His three-round total of 224 put the junior in a tie for 23rd in the field.

The Tigers will await a hopeful placement into the NCAA Regionals, which will be announced live at 8:30 a.m. CT on Thursday morning. The 81 selected teams will play at the six selected regional sites: Albuquerque, New Mexico; Marana, Arizona; Franklin, Tennessee; Kohler, Wisconsin; Stillwater, Oklahoma; and Tuscaloosa, Alabama.