ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. — The Montreat College men's golf team began its 2026-27 campaign on Monday and Tuesday with a trio of rounds at the Coastal Georgia Fall Invitational, hosted by the College of Coastal Georgia at Sea Palms Resort in St. Simons Island, Ga. Battling a loaded field featuring three top-10 ranked squads and a total of five top-25 foes, the Cavaliers combined to score a 905 across 54 holes of golf, good for 12^th out of 15 teams.
 
Montreat's 905 marked the program's best three-round tournament team score since at least 2020. The Cavs ended eight strokes back of Georgia Military College and seven shots ahead of Columbia College. No. 5 Reinhardt University won the tournament with an 825.
 
Monday's action featured a pair of 18-hole rounds. During the initial round, the Cavaliers' four scorers combined for a 309 overall. Cooper Crump and Colton Clevenger each carded a 5-over-par 76 during the opening 18 holes, with the former notching one birdie and the latter tallying three birdies along the way. Austin Lineberger also contributed to the team's effort with a pair of birdies and a 78. Kenan Kim wrote down a pair of birdies on his first-round scorecard as well, while Alex Murphy delivered one. Both Kim and Murphy needed 79 strokes to complete 18 holes.
 
Bouncing back with the best tournament round of his Montreat career, Murphy capitalized on four birdies and just one bogey to shoot a 3-under-par 68 on Monday afternoon. Crump also had four birdies as he joined Clevenger and Lineberger in turning in 77s to close out day one. Clevenger birdied the fifth hole during the second round, and Lineberger did the same at No. 18. The four Cavs combined to shave 10 strokes off the team's initial 18-hole score, this time compiling a 299.
 
Saving its best team score for the final round, the Cavaliers concluded the Coastal Georgia Fall Invitational with a 297. Crump's 1-over-par 72 featured 13 pars and two birdies, while Murphy's 2-over-par 73 included a trio of birdies. Clevenger and Kim closed out Montreat's scoring account on Tuesday with a 76. The former birdied one hole, while the latter scored two birdies to go along with his eagle on hole No. 5.
 
At the end of three rounds, Murphy led a total of seven Cavaliers with a 7-over-par 220. The performance proved good enough to tie for 37^th out of 92 golfers. Jaxon Henegar, who played as an independent throughout the tournament, landed in 49^th with his 223. Crump wrapped up his 54 holes just two strokes further back, tying for 54^th with a 225. Clevenger (T-67^th; 229), Kim (T-78^th; 233) and Lineberger (85^th; 238) also completed three rounds for Montreat. Luke Winter joined Henegar in participating as an individual. The freshman tied for 86^th with his two-day total of 240.
 
"We didn't get off to as strong of a start as we were hoping for in the first round, but the guys were able to put together some good play in the second and third rounds," said Head Coach John Sullivan. "Definitely some wins to focus on for this week."
 
For a look at results from the Coastal Georgia Fall Invitational, click here.
 
The Montreat College men's golf team is right back in action next Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 21-22, at the Stitch Golf Sandhills Flyers Fall Intercollegiate in Southern Pines, N.C.