Dukes Best No. 32 Liberty in 36-Hole Match

Sunday, January 29

The Landings Club | Savannah, Ga.

James Madison University

Liberty

1/29/2017 7:58:00 PM | Men's Golf

@JMUMGolf 2016-17 Schedule 2016-17 Statistics

SAVANNAH, Ga. - The James Madison men's golf team opened the spring portion of its 2016-17 campaign with a win on Sunday afternoon, triumphing over No. 32 Liberty by a 569-582 margin in a 36-hole stroke play match at the par-72, 7,094-yard Deer Creek Course at The Landings Club.

The Dukes, who entered the spring ranked 58th in the country by GolfStat, followed a morning round of 4-under 284 by battling through 30-mph winds en route to a 3-under 285 in the afternoon. Liberty held the lead after the first 18 holes with a 6-under 282, but shot a 12-over 300 in the gusty second round.

Senior Ryan Cole paced the Dukes, opening his day with a 1-under 71 before matching his season low with a 6-under 66 in the afternoon to close the contest at 7-under 137. Sophomore Shota Ozaki finished just three strokes behind Cole with a pair of under-par rounds that saw him close at 4-under 140 (71-69).

Junior Jack Floydd joined the duo under par, finishing at 1-under 143 with the help of a 3-under 69 in the morning, while freshman Quinn Tardif (73-78=151) and sophomore Alex Henderson (76-76=152) each contributed a score on the afternoon.

Playing as an individual, freshman Walker Cress matched his best score of the season with an even-par 72 in the morning, following it with a 1-over 73 to finish at 1-over 145. Senior Poom Pattaropong (77-73=150) and junior Matt Cowgill (76-80=156) also competed as individuals on the afternoon.

QUOTING COACH FORBES
"The guys played really well today, considering the cold weather in the morning and the strong winds in the afternoon. This was a quality win over a top-50 opponent that we can use to build momentum for the spring."

COMPLETE RESULTS
80166

UP NEXT
The Dukes open up the tournament portion of their spring schedule in roughly a month, when they travel to Grand National Lake in Opelika, Ala. to take part in the Tiger Invitational hosted by Auburn from Sunday, March 5-Tuesday, March 7.