Austin Peay State University Men’s Golf come in second at 2019 F&M Bank APSU Intercollegiate

October 15, 2019 |

Dickson, TN – A final-round charge by Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s golf team came up just short at the 2019 F&M Bank APSU Intercollegiate, but the Govs pushed eventual champion UT Martin to the brink to take runner-up team honors.

Austin Peay Men’s Golf senior Michael Busse earns individual runner-up honors at 2019 F&M Bank APSU Intercollegiate. (APSU Sport Information)

Austin Peay State University (283-281-283—847) posted its best team finish and best score since winning the event with an 842 in 2014. UT Martin (279-282-283—844) fended off the Govs and a late push from Belmont (851) to hold on for the Skyhawks first-ever victory in the event, with Jack Story becoming the fourth Skyhawk to earn individual medalist honors. Missouri State (856) and Murray State (862) rounded out the top-five.  

“It’s tough to be disappointed with shooting 17-under for the week,” said Austin Peay State University head coach Robbie Wilson. “UT Martin hit a lot of shots to close out the tournament; you’ve got to hand it to them. We just made a few too many bogeys down the stretch. UT Martin is a good team; they’ve got a good group. Our conference as a whole is good top to bottom and we’ll have seven or eight teams who’ll challenge for those match play spots come April. It’s tough to put together three great rounds like we did and like Martin did.”

“It’s great to play close to home. We’ve got a great group of parents who travel and support us, but playing and playing well close to home is always important to us.”

Senior Michael Busse battled Story for the individual title to the very last hole, ultimately settling for runner-up honors—his best career finish as a Governor. At 68-69-71, Busse’s 208 was his best 54-hole score of 2019-20, aided by a 3.80 stroke average on par-4 holes for the tournament and a team-high 13 birdies.

Busse nearly threw a scare into Story on No. 18 in the final round; two strokes behind with both players chipping from off the green, Busse’s chip hit the lip of the hole and skipped past. Had he sunk the chip, Story’s putt from 15 feet would’ve been a make or break shot.

Freshman Tate Dickerson carded a two-under 70 to finish tied for eighth (73-69-70), becoming the first freshman Austin Peay golfer to earn a top-10 finish in the home tournament since Chase Korte in 2017. He also earned a top-10 in his fourth career start, the first Gov since Korte to need less than five starts to earn a top-10 finish.

Korte was no slouch on the final day of play either; he finished with a 214 (73-71-70) to tie for 14th, highlighted by four birdies on Hole Nos. 9-12. Korte birdied No. 11 in all three rounds; there were only 26 other birdies on No. 11 recorded between the other 70 players in the field.

Lancaster (2.92), Korte (3.00) and Busse (3.00) each averaged par or better on par-3 attempts; along with individual Garrett Whitfield (2.83), that gave the Govs four of the 12 players in the field to turn that trick, and enabled the Govs to average 3.01 strokes per hole on par-3 as a team.

Freshman Morgan Robinson may have played his way into the lineup; the Houston County product earned a second top-20 with a final-round 69 (75-71-69—215) to finish one-under for the tournament, tied for 18th. Whitfield (73-74-73—220, t-32nd), Micah Knisley (75-74-74—223; 43rd) and Jay Fox (82-76-79—237; 66th) rounded out the field for the Govs.

“I was impressed with our new guys,” Wilson said. “Tate played great. We’re so excited to watch him develop. Morgan has a ton of talent and he’s a big part of this team’s future.”

The Govs are set to close out the 2019 fall schedule next week at the Kennesaw State-hosted Pinetree Intercollegiate in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Box Score

F&M Bank Austin Peay Intercollegiate
Greystone Golf Club
Dickson, TN
Dates: Oct 14th-15th, 2019

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