MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Spearheaded by the play of medalist Mats Ege, East Tennessee State reeled in its third General Hackler Championship on Tuesday.
Ege, a sophomore, became the third ETSU player to win the tournament, picking up his first collegiate victory in the process. He finished the two-day, three-round event with a 13-under-par 203.
The Buccaneers began Tuesday's action in second place, two shots behind No. 16 Virginia with one round to play. They pulled away late at The Dunes Golf & Beach Club to beat the Cavaliers by six strokes.
ETSU, which finished with the third-lowest score (24-under 840) in tournament history, defeated six additional teams ranked in the top 50: No. 6 Auburn, No. 39 Louisville, No. 41 Liberty, No. 35 Duke, No. 49 South Carolina and No. 34 North Florida.
ETSU, Wake Forest and North Florida as the only three-time General Hackler winners. For the tournament, the Blue & Gold generated 61 birdies — Ege had 17 to top the 84-player field — and led the field in par-5 scoring (34 under) and par-3 scoring (7 over).
Algot Kleen took seventh place with a 7-under 209 while Archie Davies and his 3-under 213 landed in a tie for 15th. Freshman Matty Dodd-Berry was 2 under on the back nine Tuesday, helping the Bucs make their move to the front.
ETSU has now recorded at least one tournament win for 11 consecutive years. Next up, the Bucs aim to successfully defend their title in The Hootie at Bulls Bay, set for March 26-28 in Charleston, S.C.
