Flames finish 3rd at Kiawah Invitational
Photos courtesy of Lee Flames.
The Lee University men’s golf team kicked off its season at the Kiawah Invitational in South Carolina this past Monday and Tuesday. Backed by a strong start, the team has a lot of expectations heading into the season.
“I feel like we did good. I think it was moving in the right direction for the first tournament and I think it shows everybody what were capable of,” said Scott Odell, fifth year player in the MBA program at Lee.
The Lee men’s golf team finished third at the Kiawah Invitational, taking the scores of the top four men for the tournament. They finished 9 under par with a final score of 279. Red-shirt sophomore Connor Pollman was one of the more consistent players, shooting a 72 and a 71 to finish at the invitational.
Head Coach John Maupin has been the men’s and women’s golf coach for the past 12 years. He continually instills a winning mentality into his players and tasks them to become greater.
“It was our first tournament. I thought we were a little rusty our first day, but our second day, we were sharp,” said Maupin.
Though the men’s golf team struggled the first day of the tournament, they saw a complete turn around in day two. They were satisfied with finishing third out of the tournament but felt like they could have done more.
“Golf is one of those sports—like a lot of other sports—that you’re not going to get better at unless you consistently do it. You have to keep practicing on a daily basis and push yourself to reach new levels because if you’re not moving forward you're moving backwards,” said Odell.
The team’s focus this year is winning the conference championship, making it to regionals and then competing at a national level.
Freshman Beck Burnette played skillfully at the Kiawah Invitational. He shot 5 under par, finishing with a final score of 67 in the final round to place him in a 10th place tie.
“I think as a freshman to come in and shoot one of the low rounds in the tournament showed a good sign,” said Maupin.
Burnette showed signs of nervousness going into his first collegiate golf tournament but quickly adapted to the atmosphere he was playing in. Once the butterflies were gone, he stuck to his game plan and got the momentum going through his first hole with a good putt.
“I think I’ve learned a lot already in the first event, and I'm ready to build on that and take that into my next tournament and contribute as much as I can to the team,” said Burnette.
The men’s golf team has another tournament, the Cougar Invitational, coming up next Monday and Tuesday in Columbus, Ga.
For further information on the Lee men’s golf team and scheduling, check here.
