golf

Men’s golf takes third

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Published Oct 24, in Golf, Sports

The Mercer men’s golf team recently competed at the AutoTrader Classic at the Berkley Hills Country Club in Duluth, Ga. After finishing sixth at the Brickyard Collegiate, the Bears looked to improve upon their performance in their last tournament of the fall season.
After the first day of play which consisted of the first two rounds, the Bears rounded out the day with a combined stroke count of 595 which was good for third place.
“The guys played good, but we kind of stubbed our toe at the end,” Mercer head coach Steve Bradley said. “The 10th hole is the hardest hole on the course and we made a double and triple on it.  Other than that, we were solid this afternoon and if we play well tomorrow can move into second.”
Junior James Beale led the way for the Bears as he fired a 70 and a 74 in the first two rounds, leaving him in a six-way tie for fifth place overall with several of the country’s top collegiate golfers, including the reigning U.S. Amateur Champion.
“Those guys are good players and so is James,” Bradley said.  “He shot three-over in the second round with a double on ten that I know he wishes he could have back. He’s gone back to just playing golf and let go of self-imposed expectations, and he’s playing great right now.”
Junior Hans Reimers was tied for 19th place overall after finishing with scores of 75 and 72 in the first two rounds of play.  Sophomore Trey Rule was tied for 28th overall after shooting 78 and 71.  Senior Thomas Holmes posted scores of 72 and 78 and was tied for 32nd. Freshman Jeffrey Heinicka, Jr. rounded out Mercer’s competitors with a 36-hole total of 151.  He was tied for 37th place overall.
Senior John Gregory Joseph recorded scores of 72 and 76 while competing as an individual and is tied for 22nd place overall.
“Trey bounced back from a 78 to lead us in the afternoon and Hans also showed a lot of fight,” Bradley said.  “I’m very proud of our effort.”
Mercer shot 289 in the final round of play to complete the tournament with a three-round total of 874.  At the conclusion, the Bears were just eight strokes behind in-state rival Georgia State for second place while another in-state rival, Georgia Southern captured the team title with a stroke count of 859.
Head Coach Steve Bradley credited his players on a well played tournament.
“Obviously to finish third is nice, we had a shot at second, but Georgia State just played slightly better than us over the last five holes,” Bradley said. “Our guys have come a long way over the past six weeks. Trey’s tie for 11th finish was his career-best, James had another top-10 finish and Hans played solid for the second-straight tournament.”
Junior James Beale took home the team’s best individual finish, tying for eighth place overall with a three-round total of 216. Sophomore Trey Rule’s final round 70 combined with scores of 78 and 71 in the opening two rounds to place him tied for 11th overall.   Junior Hans Reimers finished in a tie for 17th at the event with a three-round total of 220, while freshman Jeffrey Heinicka, Jr. used 225 strokes and tied for 31st place. Senior Thomas Holmes capped his tournament with a 79 on Tuesday and tied for 50th place at 229.  His classmate, John Gregory Joseph, shot 76 on Tuesday and tied for 27th at 224.
“Overall I’m very happy with our play in this tournament and happy with the fall and how we’ve gotten better,” Bradley said. “The guys have a competitive fire now and after we take a couple weeks off we will get right back after it to get ready for the spring.”
James Beale’s performance in the AutoTrader Classic garnered him his third Atlantic Sun Conference Golfer of the Week honor this season.
Mercer is now finished with its fall schedule and will take a few months off before resuming play in the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational at the Sawgrass Country Club on Feb. 24, 2013.

Men’s golf barely misses top 5 with 6th place finish at Kiawah

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Published Nov 2, in Golf, Sports

Mercer’s men’s golf team finished up their fall season on Oct. 18 after a two-day tournament in Kiawah Island S.C., at one of the toughest courses in the nation. Mercer finished the tournament in sixth place after a strong three rounds from sophomore James Beale.
Mercer opened the tournament playing two rounds on Monday, Oct. 17 with totals of 298 and 292. Hans Reimers once again led the way for the Bears, posting scores of 72 and 73 on his opening two rounds. These scores were good enough to put him in a tie for 11th place overall after the first day of play. James Beale shot 75 on his opening round, and significantly improved on his opening round total during the second round of the day scoring a 71. Beale was the only Mercer player to shoot below par for the day. Freshman Trey Rule made his debut playing for the Bears, shooting impressive 74s on both of his first two rounds.  Senior Josh Cone (78, 76) and junior Thomas Holmes (80, 74) both finished the day 10 over par with two round totals of 154. Junior Alex Street wrapped up the opening day with a total of 155 with of an opening round 77 and a second round score of 78. Mercer’s first day performance was enough to land them in a tie with Notre Dame for sixth place out of the 12 team field. Both teams were six strokes behind fifth place team College of Charleston and 23 strokes behind leader Florida.
Mercer began the final round of the Invitational on Tuesday looking to move up the leader board after a strong closing round on Monday. Beale carded another strong performance for the Bears, shooting a 73 and finishing the tournament 13th overall out of 72 participating golfers. Cone finished second for Mercer with a two over par 74. Rule finished out his first collegiate tournament with a 76 and placed 27th overall for the Bears. Holmes and Street both finished the day with 78s placing them in 51st and 53rd respectively.
Reimers wrapped up the final round of Mercer’s fall season with an 81, placing him in 37th overall place. Mercer finished the day as the sole owner of sixth place, two strokes above Notre Dame and 13 strokes behind fifth place recipient and tournament host the College of Charleston. Florida maintained their day one lead, taking home the tournament title with a final score of six under par and beating the second place team by 11 strokes.  When asked about his team’s performance, head coach Steve Bradley said, “I was a little disappointed overall. We wanted a top five finish and we didn’t earn it. I still don’t think we are reaching our potential yet.” The Invitational at Kiawah Island was Mercer’s last tournament for the fall, with the spring season starting on Jan. 30.
The break in tournament play will be a chance for the team to assess their progress and prepare for the very busy spring season. When asked about his team’s plans for the break, Bradley said, “I’ve been encouraged by our progress. We’ve been working on the right things judging by how the players have improved, and we will continue to do so over the break. We have a hardworking team, and the guys will put in the needed effort to get better.” The Bears will undoubtedly be working hard this offseason to get ready for the seven scheduled tournaments in the spring, culminating in the A-Sun championships on April 16-18.

Men’s golf makes history, finishes 8th at Brickyard

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Published Oct 19, in Golf, Sports

Mercer men’s golf team finished eighth out of the 15-team field at the end of their first home tournament of the year during the first week of October. The Brickyard Collegiate, taking place Oct. 7-9, featured some of the nation’s top golf programs such as Georgia Tech, Florida State, and The University of Georgia.
Mercer teed off early Friday morning with expectations to perform well on their home course. The Bears were led by Hans Reimers and Josh Cone who both shot one over par (73) for the day. The score was enough to place both Mercer golfers among the top 25 individuals within the field. Mercer’s third individual spot was held down by a solid performance by junior Alex Street, who shot a 76 during the opening round, enough to finish 47th individually and beating out half of the competition. James Beale finished one stroke behind Street, and Mercer’s opening round was rounded out by Thomas Holmes, who shot an opening score of 83. Mercer finished the day in 10th place at 11 over par while leaders Georgia Tech, Florida State, and University of North Florida finished -8, -6, and -4 respectively.
The Bears began Saturday, looking to improve upon Friday’s 10th place finish, and the Bears did exactly that shooting a composite one over par for the day, moving them into fourth place overall and the second lowest team score for the day. Reimers once again led the way for the Bears shooting a 69 overall. Beale had a strong second round for the Bears shooting 71 overall. Thomas Holmes greatly improved on his opening round total by shooting 74 overall. Mercer’s second round was rounded out by Street and Cone who shot a 77 and 75 respectively. Mercer’s strong performance was their best in team history at the Brickyard, and men’s coach Steve Bradley was very proud of the team saying, “I know that [assistant coach Jacob Davidson] and I believe in them.  Putting a round together like this helps them believe in themselves.” Mercer was unable to capture the top spot from Georgia Tech, who built upon their opening day lead by shooting an aggregated three-under for the day. After the second round, Georgia Tech remained in first place with a 13-stroke lead over second place UNF and 15 over third place Florida State.
Mercer’s final round was similar to their second round performance with a four-over team performance, but the Bears fell from fourth to eight place overall, a team best in their history of competition at the Brickyard. James Beale and Alex Street finished out strong overall performances for the Bears by leading the team with 74s during the final round. Reimers and Cone both shot a 77, and Mercer’s Thomas Holmes rounded out the final round shooting a 78. When asked about Mercer’s performance, junior Alex Street said, “We had our best brickyard showing ever. We finished tied for eighth which was disappointing considering we were tied for fourth after the second round, but we learned a lot from the final round. Overall everyone had a good tournament and we are making tons of progress as a team.” Georgia Tech maintained their first place finish shooting 17 under par, and winning the tournament by a wide margin of 17 strokes. Florida State regained second place and UNF held onto third place, rounding out the top performances.
With one tournament left in the fall, the men’s golfers look to finish strong and build off their performance at the Brickyard.

Women’s gold places 5th at LPGA due to canceled 2nd, 3rd rounds

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Published Oct 19, in Golf, Sports

On Oct. 7, the Mercer women’s golf team headed to Daytona Beach, Fla. for the LPGA Invitational hosted by Xavier University. The tournament was played at the LPGA International Legends Course.  After 18 holes, the Bears saw themselves in a tie for fifth place with a team composite score of 310 strokes.
Head Coach Gary Guyer was not happy with his teams’ performance, thinking that they could have played better all around. “We could have played a lot better today. We are 12 back and will need two good rounds to catch Campbell. Mary Alice (Murphy) was the only one that could get anything going today. She is just tenacious,” Guyer said. “Many players complain about something, like fast greens and long rough. She ignores all that and finds a way to get the ball in the hole. She is a solid player” added Guyer.
Murphy finished the day tied for third place out of 72 total entrants. After 18 holes of golf, Murphy was just one over par boasting a score of 73 on the day, placing herself just three strokes behind the leader. Lacey Fears was tied for 16th place with a score of 77. Aurelie Wiriath was tied for 29th overall with a 79.
Kimmy Graff (tied for 39th) and Sarah Louie Brown (tied for 45th) booked scores of 81 and 82, respectively, to finish up the score sheets for Mercer.
Unfortunately, due to rain, the tournament could not be finished and the results stood only after one round of golf not giving the Bears a chance to improve upon their day one efforts.
In November, the Bears head to Hawaii for the Rainbow Wahine Invitational, where they look to complete a solid performance.

coaching spotlight: new golf coach Steve Bradley

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Published Sep 7, in Sports

As the semester begins, Mercer students arrive back on campus and look to get settled into their new classes and apartments. Along with these Mercer students, men’s golf coach Steve Bradley looks to get ready for his first year as coach for Mercer. The Cluster sat down to ask Coach Bradley a few questions.

Cluster: What is your background?
Bradley: I began my collegiate career at Florida State playing golf before transferring to the University of Florida. I played golf there and finished my undergraduate coursework. I then worked in corporate America for a few years before returning to coach at UF. I was the assistant coach there for three years, learning from one of the best golf coaches in the nation. After those few years, I knew I was ready to coach my own program and accepted the job here at Mercer.

Cluster: What can be some of the challenges encountered when moving from a large school such as UF to a smaller school like MU?
Bradley: One difference between the schools is the academic standards. It is nice to go to a school where students are truly student athletes and consistently excel within their sport and also in the classroom. Another difference is that being a smaller school, Mercer doesn’t always offer several sections of a course that some of the athletes need to take so it becomes harder to schedule practice times and workouts around classes.

Cluster: Why did you choose Mercer?
Bradley: I believe in what the athletic department is doing here, and I felt that they have excellent support not only within the university but also from the community. I also really like the small town/small city aspect for myself and my family. Overall, I felt it was a really good place for me to come and coach.

Cluster: What is your coaching style?
Bradley: I feel like I can relate to the players very well and I am also very organized. I see the long-term goals and I know what we need to do to achieve those goals. I feel like I can earn my players respect, and I have a vested interest in them not only as athletes but also as individuals and people. I want the players to realize that we are very team-oriented and we represent MU and the students here.

Cluster: If you weren’t coaching, what would you be doing?
Bradley: I worked in corporate America in both sales and management before coaching at UF. I found that management is very similar to coaching; you try to help employees grow and improve and watch them develop. If I wasn’t coaching, I’d probably be back in one of those settings. I enjoy being able to watch and help employees grow and develop.

Cluster: If there is one thing that you could let Mercer Students know about the sport of golf or the golf team, what would it be?
Bradley: We are no different than the other students and student athletes, and we’d love to see them come out and support us at the Brickyard, a tournament that has some of the best golf teams in the nation. Throughout this year and the coming years, we will do our best to represent Mercer on the course and within the classroom.

The Mercer men’s golf team kicks of the beginning of their season with the Waterchase Invitational on Sept. 19.

Men’s golf finishes 4th in A-Sun thriller

Reimers finishes in a tie for 2nd as a freshman

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Published Apr 27, in Golf, Sports

 

(photo courtesy of MercerBears.com) Head coach Andrew Tredway believes Josh Cone has a good shot of extending his year by receiving a bid into the NCAA tournament.

Mercer’s men’s golf team recorded the lowest round of the Atlantic Sun tournament during Wednesday’s final round at the Chateau Elan Golf Club in Braselton, Ga., as they shot a combined 277 to move up the standings to finish fourth. Kennesaw State would capture their first conference tournament title by nine strokes over North Florida while Campbell would take third during the three-day tournament.

“It was a fun day out there,” said head coach Andrew Tredway following the championship on MercerBears.com. “We got off to a hot start and then the guys finished it, which was so big for our programs,” he added.

Fueling the move up the team standings during the final day of play was freshman Hans Reimers (T-2nd, 70-71-69) who came within three strokes of taking the individual tournament title. Josh Cone (T-17th, 72-74-70) would also put together a fantastic round for a five way tie for 17th, finishing at +3 for the tournament.

“Josh Cone has been so steady all year—just a top 20 machine,” added the head coach. “I’m confident that the NCAA committee will look favorably upon him and what he’s done. What I’m so proud of him for is his patience throughout the season. He could have really gotten frustrated at times but he just put his head down and kept going.”

Reimer’s finish set a record for the best placement by a Mercer freshman at the event as well as a program best three-round score at the conference championship.

“Hans really played well this week and really all spring,” Tredway commented. “He came into a new situation and made the most of his opportunity and that’s what it is all about. He’s such a hard worker and he could turn himself into a top tier player when it’s all said and done.”

Teammates Matt Kocolowski (T-24th, 76-72-70) and Mookie DeMoss (T-31st, 81-72-68) would also contribute rounds below par with DeMoss posting the second lowest round of the day. Thomas Holmes (DNF, 76-DNF-78) would complete the first and third rounds after battling a case of food poisoning on Tuesday. After the final round Tredway was extremely complementary of Holmes’ effort despite his individual score not counting. Tredway said, “He was sick all week and he just kept grinding. He’s a true warrior and I want him with me in battle anytime.”

Now that Mercer’s season is complete Tredway will look to prep his returning golfers for next season, but Josh Cone will likely receive a bid to the NCAA Regionals to continue his 2010-11 individual season. If Cone is selected, he’ll be only the second player in school history in all sports to receive an at-large bid.