Cress, Dukes Capture Titles at River Run Collegiate

Monday, September 23

River Run CC | Davidson, N.C.

James Madison University

River Run Collegiate

9/24/2019 6:28:00 PM | Men's Golf

@JMUMGolf JMU MG on Instagram Final Results Photo Gallery

DAVIDSON, N.C. - Senior Walker Cress captured the first individual victory of his collegiate career on Tuesday afternoon, helping lead the James Madison men's golf to the team title at the River Run Collegiate, hosted by Davidson at the par-72, 7,317-yard River Run Country Club.

Cress carded a final-round 69 (-3) on Tuesday, tied for the lowest round on the 88-player leaderboard on a difficult final day in Davidson. The performance erased the three-shot deficit he faced entering the final round and staked him a three-shot victory of his own, punctuated by a birdie on the 18th and final hole that closed his week at a career-best 207 (-9).

As a team, the Dukes only added to their 11-shot lead entering the day, firing a 2-under 286 that marked the 15-team field's lowest final round by seven shots and pushed JMU's winning margin to an eye-popping 22 strokes over second-place Charlotte.

The victory, JMU's first since a 24-shot win at the Jackrabbit Invitational on March 8-9 of this past spring, marked the Dukes' second in a row at the River Run Collegiate, after winning last year's edition by a single stroke when Cress finished birdie-par to seal the victory.

Junior Ignacio Montero (213, -3) and sophomore George Heath (215, -1) both carded top-five finishes of their own on Tuesday, taking home fourth place and a tie for fifth, respectively. Montero carded a 1-over 73 that included a birdie at the last, while Heath posted a steady round of 71 (-1) that included 13 pars.

Freshman Neal Shipley closed out the JMU scoring with a 73 (+1) of his own that vaulted him 12 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for 21st (222, +6), while sophomore Nick Schlickenrieder was tied for 39th at 227 after a final-round 75 (+3).

Playing as an individual, sophomore Ignacio de Pineda climbed eight spots in his final round, closing with a 74 (+2) that ended his week at 224.

QUOTING COACH FORBES
"I'm extremely proud of our guys today. They had a target on their backs and came out focused on finishing off the win today. They had tougher conditions today than yesterday, but to battle through that and actually add to their winning margin shows the kind of toughness we'll need this year."

UP NEXT
The Dukes will be back in action in two weeks when they return to Pete Dye GC in Bridgeport, W. Va. to take part in the Health Plan Mountaineer Invitational, hosted by West Virginia. Last season, the Dukes finished fourth in a 14-team field at the event.