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APSU Men’s Golf ready for OVC Tournament

APSU Sports Information 

APSU Men's GolfClarksville, TN – With talent up and down the roster, the Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s golf team is poised to take its rightful place among the Ohio Valley Conference elite when the Governors compete in the 2019 OVC Men’s Golf Championships, beginning Sunday on the Fighting Joe course at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at The Shoals in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

Austin Peay Men's Golf travels to Alabama for the 2019 OVC Tournament. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Men’s Golf travels to Alabama for the 2019 OVC Tournament. (APSU Sports Information)

Entering the event ranked third in the OVC according to GolfStat.com and fourth via the GolfWeek rankings, Austin Peay looks for its first top-five finish among its league contemporaries since 2015 and will challenge Jacksonville State’s two-year reign as champion.

Joining the Govs and the two-time defending champion Gamecocks will be the rest of the OVC: Belmont, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State, Murray State, SIU Edwardsville, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech and UT Martin.

The Govs will tee off at 9:40am (CT), Sunday, paired with Tennessee Tech and Morehead State.

Devoid of seniors, the Govs are no less battle-tested than even the hardiest of OVC competitors: four members of Austin Peay’s five-man lineup appeared in this event last season, and one junior is making his third trek in as many seasons to Muscle Shoals. This lineup has comprised the bulk of an Austin Peay regular season which has already yielded five top-five team finishes.

Leading the way will be sophomore Chase Korte, an All-OVC selection last season who has built on that campaign to take his place among the league’s top talents.

Ranking eighth in the OVC in scoring average (72.5 strokes per round) and third among OVC players in GolfWeek’s rankings, the Metropolis native has appeared in all ten tournaments for the Govs, recording five rounds in the 60s and counting toward the team score in 27 of 28 rounds competed.

Since the start of last October, Korte has been Austin Peay’s top finisher in six of eight events, including four top-10s.

Two juniors flank Korte in the lineup. Possessing Austin Peay’s lowest round of the season, Michael Busse has earned two top-10 finishes during the spring session, the last coming in early March at the Jackrabbit Invitational in Nevada. His counterpart, Austin Lancaster, is a veteran of this event, making his third appearance—he’s posted top-25 finishes in both previous journeys across the Fighting Joe.

Freshman Micah Knisley and sophomore Garrett Whitfield will round out the lineup for the Govs, marking the eighth straight tournament the lineup has remain unchanged in personnel, if not necessarily order.

Knisley has a very good argument for OVC Freshman of the Year, which will be presented at the annual postseason awards gala following the conclusion of the opening round of play—at 74.51 strokes per hole, the favorites are Knisley and SIUE’s Brooks Jungbluth for the honor.

Whitfield was the only Gov to improve his score each day at the tournament last year as a freshman. He’s remained an indispensable presence in the lineup as a sophomore, remarkable in his consistency—only he and Korte have gone without a round in the 80s this season. However, Whitfield has not posted an under-par round this spring after doing so at least once in four of five tournaments during the fall.

Live scoring will be available at GolfStat.com, with the top-five finishers slated to earn all-tournament honors. www.LetsGoPeay.com will have a complete recap each day, while Austin Peay’s men’s golf twitter (@AustinPeayMGO) will have updates throughout the round.

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