TicketsWEST POINT, Miss. -- Freshman Ryan Ford built off his explosive Monday to finish third, and the No. 33 Cincinnati men's golf team tied for eighth in the Mossy Oak Collegiate.
The Bearcats were one of nine top-50 teams there (six in the top-25) and were only two strokes out of sixth. Monday's second round was suspended halfway through after course conditions delayed the start and darkness settled late.
"This was a great week for our guys to see the next level of play we need to get to as a program," head coach Doug Martin said. "We played with three top-20 teams for the 54 holes. They do certain things better than us, and the difference is very small. We certainly didn't play our best, and we have some things to work on prior to Vanderbilt next week. Ryan Ford had another good week with a great chance to win."
Ford finished ahead of all 15, top-100 golfers in the field. It was his second-best finish of the year, behind a second-place showing at the Dorado Beach Collegiate in Puerto Rico to begin the spring that earned him AAC Golfer of the Week honors. His 12-under 204 was three strokes off his tally there, as well as a 12-stroke improvement from his last outing.
Rylan Wotherspoon added a final-round eagle to help Cincinnati to a tourney-best four. Sam Jean had two under-par rounds to start and was the team's second-best performer at No. 38. Wotherspoon' 73-70-71 consistency had him 2-under for 45th.
Cincinnati, at 18-under, has shot under par in eight of nine events this year.
Cincinnati returns to action next week at the familiar Mason Rudolph Championship, hosted by Vanderbilt, on Monday.
Cincinnati Scores
T3. Ryan Ford (64-70-70=204)
T38. Sam Jean (70-69-74=213)
T45. Rylan Wotherspoon (73-70-71=214)
T59. William McDonald (71-76-71=218)
84. Ty Gingerich (77-73-76=226)
Team Scores
1. Tennessee (824)
2. Auburn (825)
3. Mississippi State (826)
4. Ole Miss (835)
5. Liberty (838)
6. Alabama (844)
7. LSU (845)
T8. Kansas State (846)
T8. Cincinnati (846)
10. Troy (855)
11. Middle Tennessee (861)
12. Southern Miss (863)
13. UAB (866)
14. Memphis (868)
15. Lamar (882)
16. Louisiana Tech (884)
17. Louisiana (896)
18. Abilene Christian (903)
The Bearcats were one of nine top-50 teams there (six in the top-25) and were only two strokes out of sixth. Monday's second round was suspended halfway through after course conditions delayed the start and darkness settled late.
"This was a great week for our guys to see the next level of play we need to get to as a program," head coach Doug Martin said. "We played with three top-20 teams for the 54 holes. They do certain things better than us, and the difference is very small. We certainly didn't play our best, and we have some things to work on prior to Vanderbilt next week. Ryan Ford had another good week with a great chance to win."
Ford finished ahead of all 15, top-100 golfers in the field. It was his second-best finish of the year, behind a second-place showing at the Dorado Beach Collegiate in Puerto Rico to begin the spring that earned him AAC Golfer of the Week honors. His 12-under 204 was three strokes off his tally there, as well as a 12-stroke improvement from his last outing.
Rylan Wotherspoon added a final-round eagle to help Cincinnati to a tourney-best four. Sam Jean had two under-par rounds to start and was the team's second-best performer at No. 38. Wotherspoon' 73-70-71 consistency had him 2-under for 45th.
Cincinnati, at 18-under, has shot under par in eight of nine events this year.
Cincinnati returns to action next week at the familiar Mason Rudolph Championship, hosted by Vanderbilt, on Monday.
Cincinnati Scores
T3. Ryan Ford (64-70-70=204)
T38. Sam Jean (70-69-74=213)
T45. Rylan Wotherspoon (73-70-71=214)
T59. William McDonald (71-76-71=218)
84. Ty Gingerich (77-73-76=226)
Team Scores
1. Tennessee (824)
2. Auburn (825)
3. Mississippi State (826)
4. Ole Miss (835)
5. Liberty (838)
6. Alabama (844)
7. LSU (845)
T8. Kansas State (846)
T8. Cincinnati (846)
10. Troy (855)
11. Middle Tennessee (861)
12. Southern Miss (863)
13. UAB (866)
14. Memphis (868)
15. Lamar (882)
16. Louisiana Tech (884)
17. Louisiana (896)
18. Abilene Christian (903)