ADAIRSVILLE, Ga.— Aiming for a conference title and a berth to the national tournament, the Montreat men's golf team competed on Monday and Tuesday at the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Direct Qualifier in Adairsville, Ga. Playing a trio of rounds at Barnsley Resort, the Cavaliers racked up a team total of 963, good for 11
th out of 14 squads. No. 22-ranked Reinhardt University won the team title with a score of 900.
A pair of consistent rounds had Montreat sitting in 11
th after day one. As a squad, the Cavs shot 320 across their initial 18 holes and 321 during round two.
Alex Murphy paced his teammates through 36 holes, turning in a 75 and a 77, respectively. The Monroe, N.C. native racked up three birdies and 22 pars on Monday, leaving him in a tie for ninth out of 74 golfers.
Both
Colton Clevenger and
Austin Lineberger sat tied for 17
th on the individual leaderboard with just 18 holes remaining. Clevenger carded a 76 and a 78, while Lineberger needed exactly 77 strokes in both of his day one rounds. The former totaled three birdies during play on Monday, and the latter registered two birdies.
Luke Hood and
James Griffiths entered the clubhouse in 64
th and 67
th, respectively. One birdie and eight pars aided Hood in shooting 92 and 89. Meanwhile, Griffiths tallied a 101 and a 100.
Flashing consistency again, Montreat turned in a 322 during its final round of play. A trio of Cavaliers delivered sub-80 rounds on Tuesday. Murphy capitalized on three more birdies to shoot a 78, leaving him tied for 18
th at the tournament's conclusion. Clevenger carded the best third-round score among the Cavs, finishing tied for 20
th thanks to three birdies of his own and a 77. Lineberger racked up 11 pars across his final 18 holes, scoring a 79 to conclude the event in a tie for 26
th.
Saving his best for last, Hood bagged two birdies and an 88 to finish 61
st overall. Griffiths ended the week with a 101, leaving him in 65
th individually.
For a complete look at the AAC Direct Qualifier leaderboard, click
here.
The AAC Direct Qualifier marks the conclusion of the Cavaliers' 2024-25 team slate. Montreat finished as high as sixth as a squad in three different tournaments this season, all of which were hosted by AAC institutions.
