TicketsOct. 7, 2014
CINCINNATI - Senior Baxter Reeves (Montgomery, Ala./Brewbaker Tech/Central Alabama CC) claimed medalist honors at 4-under par 140 while the University of Cincinnati won its first team title of the season at 4-under 572 Tuesday at the rain-shortened Bearcat Invitational at Traditions Golf Club (par 72, 6,728 yards) in Hebron, Kentucky.
Rainy conditions on Monday prevented the scheduled completion of the second round until Tuesday. Due to the travel plans of some of the participating teams, the scheduled third round was never played.
Reeves entered Tuesday tied for eighth but following a 5-under 67, he vaulted to first to finish at 4-under 73-67=140 - winning his first individual crown since joining the UC program prior to the 2013-14 season. He finished one stroke ahead of Belmont's Ashton Van Horne (3-under 67-74=141) and Eastern Kentucky's Jared Brown (3-under 69-72=141).
Reeves' second-round 67 equaled his best single-round score as a Bearcat. He also posted a 67 in his first round of the 2013 Marshall Invitational.
"I putted well for the first time this year and that led to two good scores," Baxter said. "Our team needed this win badly to get some momentum going. It's awesome. I'd take it over an individual victory any day. This is our home course and we wanted to make a lot of birdies, but the conditions wouldn't let us. We stayed patient, made a lot of pars and some birdies and that helped a lot."
"This had been a long time coming for Baxter," UC head coach Doug Martin said. "He has put himself in position a number of times to win golf tournaments and hadn't been able to close the deal. I saw him after his 17th hole and I said, `one more is going to go a long way for you.' And sure enough, he birdied his last hole to shoot 5-under and capture medalist honors. Any time you have a team win and an individual win, it's huge for the program and it's great to see this for Baxter with all the hard work and effort he's put in."
// Team Standings
The Bearcats claimed their host tournament for the first time on Tuesday recording a 4-under 289-283=572 to finish nine strokes ahead of second-place Eastern Kentucky (5-over 292-289=581) and 15 strokes ahead of third-place Belmont (11-over 295-292=587).
The team victory is UC's first since claiming the Cleveland State Invitational on Oct. 1, 2013. Since the start of the 2012-13 campaign, the Bearcats have registered 12 top-5 finishes in 16 tournaments, including seven of nine fall events.
"I'm extremely proud of the entire team - one through 12," Martin said. "As I told them when we met briefly afterward, this isn't just five guys that won the tournament, it's 12 guys. The guys that didn't play this week are pushing the guys that are in the lineup. That's what makes a great team."
// Other Bearcat Scores
UC freshman Davis Baxter (Nolensville, Tenn./Ravenwood High School) earned his third top-10 finish in four fall events after he took fourth place at 2-under 68-74=142. Senior Jared Howard (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome High School) registered his top fall finish, tying two other players for fifth place at 1-under 71-72=143. Fellow senior John Michael O'Toole (Pinson, Ala./Pinson Valley High School/Central Alabama CC) climbed from a tie for 41st place to a tie for 13th position at 3-over 77-70=147. Junior Emerson Newsome (Dacula, Ga./Mill Creek High School) tied for 38th place at 78-74=152.
Sophomore Brennen Walsh (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder High School) was one of six Bearcats playing unattached from the team scoring total. He posted his top finish at the collegiate level, tying for 19th place at 4-over 73-75=148. Sophomore Jared O'Kelley (Canton, Ga./Creekview High School) tied for 27th place at 6-over 78-72=150. Freshman Scot Sapp (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington High School) tied for 38th place at 8-over 77-75=152. Fellow freshman Christian Vining (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) tied for 62nd at 12-over 80-76=156. Sophomore Chad Howard (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome High School) tied for 70th at 82-78=160. Senior Michael Wolf (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller High School) was 80th at 91-87=178.
// Up Next
Cincinnati continues its fall season at the Pinetree Intercollegiate, Oct. 20-21, in Kennesaw, Ga.