Dukes Close Mountaineer Invite in Sixth

Monday, October 9

Pete Dye GC | Bridgeport, W.Va.

James Madison University

Mountaineer Intercollegiate

10/10/2017 8:13:00 PM | Men's Golf

@JMUMGolf JMU MG on Instagram 2017-18 Statistics Final Results

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. - Senior Matt Cowgill fired a 3-under 69 on Tuesday afternoon to push himself into the top 15 and lead the James Madison men's golf team on the final day of the Health Plan Mountaineer Invitational, hosted by West Virginia at the par-72, 7,308-yard Pete Dye Golf Club.

Cowgill racked up five birdies and an eagle in his final round, his fourth par-or-better round of the year, as he climbed 14 spots into a tie for 15th at 217 (+1) across 84 competitors. Freshman Ignacio Montero and junior Shota Ozaki each joined Cowgill under par at 1-under 71, putting them both into a tie for 27th at 221 (+5) for the week.

As a team, the Dukes posted by far their best round of the week, carding a 3-under 285 to keep sole possession of sixth at the 16-team tournament, trailing Utah and Eastern Kentucky, who tied for fourth, but just three strokes. Bowling Green took home the team title by two strokes over host West Virginia, closing its week at even-par 264 on the tough Pete Dye track.

Freshman Walker Cress closed his best career tournament with a 3-over 74, keeping himself in a tie for 10th at even-par 216 to set a new collegiate 54-hole low en route to his first-ever top-10 finish. Junior Ben Tucker closed out the JMU performances for the week with a 3-over 75 that put him in a tie for 43rd at 223 (+7) for the week.

QUOTING COACH FORBES
"I was happy with the way we came out of the gates quickly this morning. We didn't close as well as we'd have liked to, but our early play put us in great position. We still have work to do in the next couple weeks, especially in terms of depth."

KEEPING THE IRONS HOT
The Dukes continued to perform well on Pete Dye Golf Club's par-3's on Monday, closing their week at just 5-over (3.08 avg.) on the course's four shortest holes, the best mark in the 16-team field. Senior Matt Cowgill led the way, tying for the best individual performance in the field at 5-under (2.58) across his three rounds.

UP NEXT
The Dukes will return to action on Oct. 21-22, when they make the trip to Camden, S.C. for the 2017 Camden Collegiate Invitational, where JMU is the reigning champion. Last season, the Dukes used a final-day even-par 280 to turn a four-stroke deficit into a nine-stroke victory over host South Carolina.