University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Golden Eagles Win Raisin' Cane Classic
9/11/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
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Golden Eagles Win Raisin' Cane Classic
Hattiesburg, Miss. - The University of Southern Mississippi built a big lead after Monday's opening two rounds of the Second Annual Raisin' Cane Classic and needed every bit of that lead today as Head Coach Steve Johnson's Golden Eagle team posted a final-round 292 total and a one-stroke victory over Jacksonville State, at the Canebrake Golf Club.
Southern Miss recorded team rounds of 280 and 278 Monday, both school records, and backed that with a solid 292 today for an 850 54-hole total, and needed a five-foot Tim Yelverton putt on the final hole to preserve the victory. Jacksonville State made the dramatics possible with the best team round of the tournament, an eight-under-par 276, that saw all four of its players record subpar rounds,
"Our round today was not great, but it was good enough," Johnson said. "We didn't play as well today as we did Monday, but it's difficult to play at that level every day. Our showing in this tournament is the product of a lot of hard work on the part of the players, including those who were not among the five who played."
The tournament victory is the first for the Golden Eagles since the early 1990s, when Johnson himself was a member of the team.
Yelverton's final putt was good for a one-over-par 72 today, a total that earned him medalist honors and a spot on the all-tournament team, along with teammate Michael Soroka (67-71-72--210) and South Florida's Tele Wightman (67-69-74--210), who tied for second and Louisiana-Lafayette's Orn Hjartarson (67-71-73--211), Jacksonville State's Jose Campra (73-70-69--212) and South Florida's Ricardo Carrillo (72-68-72--212).
Other Southern Miss players and their scores include Justin Emil (72-68-74--214), who tied for seventh, Jake Pasch (73-74-74--221), tied for 26th, and Chris Speight (86-73-77--236) who finished in 60th place.
Louisiana-Lafayette's Theo Sliman (74-73-67--214), who finished in a tie for seventh place, recorded the best round of the day with a four-under-par 67, one stroke better than Jacksonville State's Nick Mackay (73-73-68--214) who also tied for seventh.
