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Golfers Ready to Hit the Links
August 18, 2015 12:53 PM | Golf
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. Monday was the first day the West Virginia University golf team was allowed to practice in preparation for its first varsity season.
However, the 10 Mountaineers on the roster will tell you they’ve been preparing all summer for this moment.
Golf is a different collegiate sport than most. Players are allowed to independently play in tournaments outside of the NCAA season – most of which occur during the summer months. Many of the Mountaineers chose to go this route, and came away with several top-finishes in anticipation of the 2015-16 season.
“Our guys continued to gain valuable tournament experience this summer, which is vital to each player’s continued development,” said coach Sean Covich. “The returning players participated in some great events including Easton (Renwick), who won the West Penn Amateur. Mason (Short) played in the Southern Amateur while Tae Wan (Lee) played in the Western Amateur. Chris (Williams) and Jon (Ransone) each played in their State Am and State Opens. It was also very encouraging to see the incoming players have success this summer, like Max Sear for instance, who tied for first at the Canadian Junior National Championship.”
Easton Renwick was one such player. The Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, native won the 115th West Penn Amateur at St. Clair Country Club in Pittsburgh, carding a 212 to finish four strokes under par. He ended five strokes ahead of the next-best finishers to take home a trophy that went to Arnold Palmer on multiple occasions. Renwick also tied for 15th at the 102nd Pennsylvania Amateur Championship, shooting a 68 in the first round before finishing with a 218 for five over and took low amateur honors (T-7th) at the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association Open.
Canadian Max Sear finished atop the leaderboard at the Junior Spring Classic this May, forcing a playoff with a score of 69-70-70=209 for two under par. He then took second at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship, recording a 288 on the scorecard to finish even par at the Summerlea Golf and Country Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec. Sear also teed off in the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship in early August, carding a pair of 75s before missing the cut.
Toledo, Ohio, native Jon Ransone made it to the final four of match play at the 2015 CDGA Amateur Championship, while transfer Avery Schneider made it to the quarterfinals of the tournament. Ransone defeated Garrett Brickey, 4 and 3, in the round of 32 before topping Maxim Boone, 4 and 2, in the round of 16. Schneider defeated Kyle Ransome, 2 and 1, in the round of 32 before finishing one up on Dominic Caminti in the round of 16. The two future teammates, Ransone and Schneider, met in the quarterfinals, with Ransone defeating Schneider 3 and 1 to advance. He then fell to eventual champion Josh Wick in the semifinals.
A trio of Mountaineers took part in the West Virginia State Open, with Chris Williams and Alan Cooke posting identical scores of 213 to tie for third. The two claimed Low Amateur Honors at the tournament, which was hosted at the Berry Hills Country Club in Charleston. Fellow West Virginia native Cole Hand tied for 50th at the event.
Prior to the WV State Open Cooke tied for fifth at the West Virginia Amateur, played at the Greenbrier Resort. He finished with a score of 67-75-77-74=293 for four over. Both Cooke and Williams just missed qualifying for the U.S. Amateur, with Williams finishing four strokes behind the leader with a 143 (even) and Cooke six strokes back after carding a 144 to finish one over par.
Hand took a pair of victories on the Callaway Junior Golf Tour. He shot a 71 to take first at Bel Meadow Country Club in Clarksburg before firing a 68 to win at Edgewood Country Club in Pittsburgh.
Mason Short competed at the 109th Southern Amateur at the Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Mississippi. He may have missed the cut, shooting 75-77, but was able to scout out the location of a future tournament for the Mountaineers, who will compete at the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship in April. Short won Southern Amateur Qualifier in Richmond, Virginia, shooting 72 to finish even and in the lead by one stroke. He also shot 72-76-71 at the Magnolia Amateur, tying for 37th overall.
Next up for the team is the Mountaineer Cup, an inter-squad match the Mountaineers will use to make some tweaks to their game prior to the start of the season.
“The ‘Mountaineer Cup’ will start our first week of practice. This inter-squad “Ryder Cup” style event will make it fun and competitive as the team will be divided into “Gold” and “Blue” playing three different formats (fourball, combined score and singles) over three days,” said Covich. Our seniors, Easton (Gold) and Mason (Blue) will be captains of each squad. This event will allow the new guys to play some of our home courses in a fun, competitive environment before we start playing qualifiers on those courses next week.”
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