Oct. 4, 2005

Complete Results

Memphis, Tenn. - Holding a nine-shot lead entering the final round, the Memphis men's golf team had a little bit of margin for error. The Tigers were forced to use some of that margin but their final team round of nine-over 297 was good enough to hang on for their second straight Memphis Intercollegiate title by five strokes over Southern Miss at the Colonial Country Club South Course. Individually, Keven Fortin-Simard won his second career individual title, as he shot an even par 72 in the final round to finish at eight-under par 208, four shots ahead of the field.

The course played easier in the final round than in the first two, as three teams shot rounds of under par on Tuesday, compared to just one subpar round in the first two on Monday. Wisconsin, Iowa, and Mississippi State all shot subpar rounds while Penn State shot even par. Memphis had only the 11th-best round of the day but its nine shot lead entering the final round was enough to win the tournament at 12-over 876 (291-288-297). Southern Miss fired a five-over 293 to finish second at 17-over 881 (287-301-293). Wisconsin used its two-under 286 in the final round to move up to third while Iowa and Penn State used strong final rounds as well to finish tied for fourth with Kansas State, who was third entering the final round, at 20-over.

Fortin-Simard was also the second straight Memphis individual medalist at this event. He ended the tournament at eight-under 208 (69-67-72). It was the sixth top 10 finish of his career and the fourth top five finish. Fortin-Simard finished four strokes ahead of Southern Miss' Justin Elliott, who hung onto second place with a final round 74 and finished at four-under 212 (67-71-74). The only other two players to finish under par were Marshall's Shawn Warren (73-70-71--214) and Kyle Ritchie of Tulane (72-72-70--214) who each finished at two-under par. Robert Rohanna of Penn State and Tim Schaetzel of Michigan each finished at even par.

Also for Memphis, Ian Rochester came up with his second top 10 finish of his career as he shot a final round two-over 74 to place tied for eighth at two-over 218 (72-72-74). Lewis Clarke finished at six-over 222 (71-76-75) and in a tie for 22nd. Mike Regenold struggled in the final round, shooting an 80 to finish tied for 59th place at 16-over 232 (79-73-80). Josh Ray ended his first collegiate tournament with his best round, a four-over 76 to finish at 22-over 238 (82-80-76) but it was his finish on the par 5 18th hole that highlighted his tournament as he holed out from the fairway for an eagle 3. Two Memphis players also competed as individuals. Robbie Greenwell finished at 19-over 235 (77-83-75) while Clayton Ellis finished at 24-over 240 (84-79-77).

There was a hole-in-one in the final round, that being recorded by Penn State's Greg Pieczynski, who aced the par 3, 183-yard fifth hole with a five iron.

"We struggled a little bit today in the final round but we came up with some big shots when we had to and we had built ourselves enough of a lead where we didn't have to be perfect," said Memphis coach Grant Robbins. "Southern Miss played very well today and gave us a run for our money. They deserve to be commended for their effort. Overall, I'm pleased with our performance at this tournament and hopefully it will jumpstart our season and give us some momentum in our remaining two fall tournaments."

Memphis next competes in the Missouri Bluffs Intercollegiate in St. Charles, Mo. next Monday-Tuesday, October 10-11. The tournament is being hosted by Missouri and is being played at the Missouri Bluffs Golf Club.