LEXINGTON, Ky. – Gavin Peach (Charlotte, N.C.) posted his career-best 54-hole score on his way to a top-10 finish, but the No. 22 nationally ranked Guilford College men's golf team faded late, finishing with a team score of 876 (+12) to finish tied for 10
th at the Transylvania Fall Invite on Saturday through Sunday at the University Club of Kentucky.
While some morning precipitation delayed the open on day one, it settled into a pleasant, albeit hot weekend in Lexington, Kentucky with the course yardage figure of 6,926 at the par 72 club. No. 11 Mary Hardin-Baylor topped the field with an excellent open, improving in each round to take the event with a 837 (-23) score. They were followed by No. 15 Trinity University (Tx.) at 847 (-19) and No. 4 Illinois Wesleyan University at 847 (-17). The field featured five teams in the Preseason Bushnell/Golfweek DIII Coaches' Poll and five other Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) schools. Shenandoah University topped ODAC squads in attendance, placing fourth with a score of 856 (-8), followed by Randolph-Macon College at 872 (+8) and Roanoke College at 875 (+11).
Peach picked up right where he left off at the end of the spring, recording his second-career top-10 finish with a tie for 10
th, the senior excelled all weekend. On Saturday morning, he evenly split bogeys with birdies, but finished the round two-under thanks to an eagle on the par-five seventh pin. He was on-pace to finish under par in his second 18 as well, racking up three birdies against just one bogey but a double-bogey on 17 resulted in an even round. No matter, Peach finished strong with five birdies in his final trip to finish with a team-high 11 on the weekend, going two-under again finishing with 212 (-4) strokes, his career-low for 54-holes.
Unfortunately, Peach did not get much help on this weekend.
Holden Yakola (Mebane, N.C.) had mixed results in his collegiate debut. A trio of double-bogeys hurt in the morning of day one, finishing four-over, but he settled in that afternoon. Opening with a bogey, he had just a single one-over hole the rest of the round while eagling on five and posting birdies on 10 and 16 to finish two-under. Unfortunately, four birdies could not keep his final round afloat, finishing three-over and the event with 221 strokes (+5), tying for 40
th.
Braeden Gillen (Holly Springs, N.C.) was the third Quaker finisher, he started tough on his opening nine with consecutive bogeys but recovered with two birdies later, however a trio of one-over holes in the back-nine sunk him to plus-three. He started blazing hot in the afternoon with a trio of birdies on holes five through seven, but a couple of double-bogeys and another one-over later finished him two-above. His final 18 was similar with some excellent holes, posting three birdies and an eagle, but a trio of double-bogeys offset them to finish two-over again. He finished with 223 (+7) strokes to tie for 46
th.
Larsen Gallimore (Walnut Cove, N.C.) followed him up tied for 51
st. Gallimore scuffled early shooting five-above on day one but settled in. He played largely par golf after his open, finishing tied for the tournament-high with 40 even holes. In his second trip he had just two bogeys and a birdie to go one-over before recording four bogeys and two birdies in his final round to shoot plus-two.
Lucas Falcone (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) did not factor into the Guilford scoring, rounding out their lineup finishing tied for 69
th at 228 (+12). He started great, with an eagle and three birdies to keep his score at just one-over in his first round, but he finished the event swinging six-above on Saturday afternoon then five-over on Sunday.
The Quakers are back local next, heading to the Forest Oaks Country Club for the Gate City Invite on Monday, September 14 and Tuesday, September 15.
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