Dukes Charge to Fifth Place Finish at Tar Heel Intercollegiate

Saturday, March 27

UNC Finley Golf Club | Chapel Hill, N.C.

James Madison University

Tar Heel Intercollegiate

Dukes Charge to Fifth Place Finish at Tar Heel Intercollegiate

3/29/2021 8:54:00 PM | Men's Golf

@JMUMGolf Final Results Photo Gallery

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The James Madison men's golf team made a birdie-filled charge across their final nine holes on Monday afternoon, vaulting up the leaderboard and into a fifth-place finish at the Tar Heel Intercollegiate, hosted by North Carolina at the par-72, 7,242-yard UNC Finley Golf Course.

The Dukes, who entered the day in 10th among 14 teams, started on the 10th hole and played their first nine holes in 1-over before erupting for a combined 13 birdies across the eight holes that drove them up the leaderboard and gave them a final-round 280 (-8). The mark was the third-lowest in the field on the day and pushed them past Virginia Tech, Maryland and No. 44 UNCW in the final standings.

Sophomore Ignacio De Pineda led the way, racking up five birdies and matching his career low with a round of 68 (-4) that moved him into a tie for 55th among 87 players, while junior Ignacio Montero carded a 70 (-2) to finish tied for 27th.

Freshman Neal Shipley continued his strong week with a final-round 71 (-1) that gave him his third career top 10 in a tie for 10th at 213 (-3) for the week. Four of the nine players that finished ahead of Shipley are among the top 100 players in the country, including two from host North Carolina.

Senior Walker Cress matched Shipley with his own 71 (-1), tying for 48th on the week, while sophomore George Heath finished tied for 55th after a Monday round of 76 (+4).

Playing as an individual, freshman Alexandre D'Aurelle de Paladines tied for 57th at +11 after a final round 75 (+3).

QUOTING COACH CHEVES
"This was a huge day for us. We still battled on our first nine and we knew we just needed to make the turn, but for us to finish the way we did was really important and great for us to see moving forward. We aren't quite where we want to be yet, but this was a really big first step for us to build on."

UP NEXT
The Dukes are back in action later this week, staying in North Carolina to compete at the Irish Creek Collegiate in Kannapolis, N.C. on April 2-3.