Shield Guides Mids to Rehoboth Beach Invitational Victory

Sept. 27, 2011

â€¢ 2011 Rehoboth Beach Invitational - Final Results

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Anchored by team captain Tim Shield's (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich.) 3-under par 139, the Navy golf team scored a commanding victory over the nine-team field at the 2011 Rehoboth Beach Invitational played Monday at Kings Creek Country Club. The Mids turned in a 4-over par 572 (287-285) over 36 holes of play, owning a 13-stroke advantage over second-place Mount St. Mary's who registered a 17-over par 585 (290-295).

"It was good to see both our Navy Blue and Gold teams be rewarded after a great week of practice leading into the tournament," said Navy head coach Pat Owen. "Kings Creek is a very tight course that requires quite a bit of precision. I thought our players did a phenomenal job of executing the game plan we had put together this week."

The Mids easily won the tournament after placing three golfers among the top seven. Shield shot a 2-under par 69 to open the competition and reeled in a 1-under par 70 to put himself into a tie for medalist honors alongside Penn's Marco Fortades and Lafayette's Rob Robertson. Shield, however, was declared third via a match of cards, giving way to Fortades, who was playing as an individual in the tournament.

Shield, who dropped out of the Navy Fall Classic due to an illness and sat out the Bucknell Fall Invitational the following week, is the fourth different Navy golfer to post a top-five finish this fall - freshman August Jonas (Jacksonville, Fla.) and sophomore Bobby Keating (Garden City, N.Y.) placed first and third, respectively, at the season-opening Navy Fall Classic, while senior Peter Reilly (Merrimack, N.H.) turned in a second-place effort at last week's Bucknell Fall Invitational.

"Iâ€ˆthought it was great leadership on Tim's part to miss the first couple of tournaments and come back to direct the team to a victory," added Owen. "I think the four different players finishing among the top five this season shows we have quite a bit of depth."

Meanwhile, Reilly turned in his second top-five performance of the year by way of his 1-under par 141 at Kings Creek CC, tying for fourth place. Finishing just a stroke behind Reilly in seventh was Jonas, who put together a 71 in the first round and was 1-over in the second to finish 1-over for the day at 143.

Second-year standout Drew Selby (Charlotte, N.C.) opened up with a 5-over par 76, but bounced back over the final 18 holes with a 73 to conclude the day in 16th with a 7-over par 149. Meanwhile, Keating rounded out the five-man team with an 11-over par 153 to place 27th.

The Mids also brought their Gold squad which, had it been scored as a team, would have finished fourth with a 23-over par 591 (293-298). Sophomore David Hall (Huntersville, N.C.), the 2011 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, earned his first top-10 finish of the year by tying for eighth with a 3-over par 145. Hall opened up the day by shooting par, but slipped back just an inch with his final 18 mark of 3-over par 74.

Two-sport performer Sean Murphy (Hudson, Ohio) had one of his best efforts in his young career, placing 13th with a 6-over par 148. Meanwhile, sophomore Chris House (Raleigh, N.C.) continues to improve as he turned in an 8-over par 150 (73-77) to finish 20th, alongside teammate Tyler Kuhn (Louisville, Ky.). Senior Collier Jones (Little Rock, Ark.) closed out the scoring for the Navy Gold team with a 15-over par 157 to place 38th in the standings.

The Midshipmen return to action this weekend when they play host to their arch rivals, the Black Knights of Army, in the annual Star Match. The two-day, 36-hole event will be scored as match play or the more familiar Ryder Cup-style format with four 4-ball matches played on Saturday and seven singles matches played on Sunday. The first team to reach six points will be declared the winner.

Navy has won 10 of the last 13 Star Matches, including four of the last five.

### Go Navy ###