BERLIN, Md. — Facing less than ideal playing conditions, the Navy men's golf team concluded play Sunday afternoon at the 36-hole Battle at Rum Pointe, where it would hold steady with a fourth-place finish (297-301=598, +22). After a two-hour lightning delay that saw heavy showers fall, the field of 11 teams endured thick fog and high winds throughout the day at Rum Pointe Seaside Golf Links in Berlin, Md.
"After a three-week layoff, Coach Burke and I saw several positives from the team," said Navy head coach
Pat Owen. "We feel we have a really solid nucleus that will continue to improve with each outing. We are excited to compete in our second spring event at the Rolling Green Intercollegiate next Saturday."
Bucknell held off a late rally by Youngstown State to earn the three-stroke victory with a 12-over par 588 (287-301). Youngstown State, meanwhile, turned in the low round (along with Monmouth) in Sunday's final round to place second with a 15-over par 294. Lafayette (594, +18) third, followed by Navy in fourth with Mount St. Mary's (298-302) and Monmouth (305-295) sharing fifth with a 24-over par 600. The Navy "B" squad or commonly known as Navy Gold took 11th with a 70-over par 646.
After beginning the day tied for 12th, Iona's Justin Burkhamer won a playoff against Bucknell's Jackson Bussell to claim medalist honors. Burkhamer tied for the low round of the day with a 3-under par and finished the two-day tournament with a 1-under par 143. Bussell, the leader after the opening round, shot par on Sunday.
Navy's
Chad Deegan (Jr / Newport Beach, Calif.) put together back-to-back rounds of par to finish just a stroke out of the lead (72-72=144, E) and pace the Mids. He reached 15 holes in regulation in the opening round and 13 holes in regulation on Sunday.
Charlie Musto (Sr / Sterling, Va.) and
Ward Wilkinson (Sr / Ashland, Va.) tied for 17th with a 5-over par 149, while
David Miccoli (Jr / Ludlow, Mass.) finished 38th with a 12-over par 156 (77-79) and
Keegan Shreves (So / Potomac, Md.) placed 61st (82-86=168, +24).
Will Meshad (So / Atlanta, Ga.) led the way for the Navy Gold squad, turning in consecutive rounds of 78 (+6) to finish in tied for 38th.
Jake Miles (Sr / Fredericksburg, Va.) placed 52nd at 19-over (83-80=163), followed by
Braxton Tracy (So / Huntersville, N.C.) in 56th at 20-over (86-78=164),
Ben Burton (Jr / Charleston, S.C.) in 56th at 20-over (81-83) and
Reece Massei (Fr / Warrenton, Va.) in 63rd at 38-over (100-82).
The Mids will be back in action next Saturday when they play host to the one-day Rolling Green Intercollegiate at the Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pa.
### Go Navy ###
