Following a disappointing first round, No. 20 N.C. State rebounded to clinch a three- under finish at the 18-team Rio Pinar Invitational on Monday and Tuesday in Orlando. The three round tournament was won by the University of Central Florida, which hosted the event.
The main themes of the tournament were a lack of comfort with the golf course as well as inconsistency from the Wolfpack. Standout freshman Albin Choi struggled the first two rounds before shooting a six-under 66 in the final round to grab a ninth place individual finish. Raleigh native Chad Day posted a +1 total and senior Brandon Detweiler came in just behind Day with a +2 finish after stumbling down the stretch with a 77 on Tuesday.
“None of us really played a solid three round tournament,” Detweiler said. “A couple of us had a good round here or there, but overall it was disappointing. We were the highest ranked team there and I thought we were the best team there. We didn’t prove that.”
Echoing the sentiments of the Akron, PA native, Day agreed that State’s potential is much higher than what they displayed in Orlando.
“We can definitely improve on this finish if we can make a few more putts,” Day said. “I don’t think any of us putted well and from what I understand the greens this weekend will be very similar. I think playing down here gave us a little heads up for what is coming this weekend.”
Checking in 20 shots behind the Golden Knights and 15 shots behind Liberty University, the Pack left Rio Pinar Country Club knowing that they were never in contention to win after falling too far behind in the first round. However, several of the players said that self-described poor play and inconsistency wasn’t the only factor involved in how the tournament shook out.
“UCF had a big advantage with local knowledge that only comes from playing the course a lot,” Detweiler said. “The grass is a different grass than you’ll see just about anywhere else.”
Adding to Detweiler’s thoughts, Day said that he was not as comfortable out in the unfamiliar conditions of Central Florida’s home course.
“It honestly helps when you know where you can miss your shots”, Day said. “It allows you to be more comfortable every shot. Obviously it’s a big advantage, and that’s why every team wants to host their own tournament.”
Assistant coach Chip Watson noted that he could tell that some of the team’s players struggled because they had only seen the course once before tournament play. Watson is in his third season as assistant coach to Richard Sykes.
“We had only played one practice round and the grass was different than what it’s like up in North Carolina,” Watson said. “They took advantage of their home course advantage.”
Watson continued by saying that mental preparation would be key as State resumes play this Friday. The Chris Schenkel E-Z-Go Invitational will take place in Statesboro, GA on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
“We’re a little disappointed because we were the top-ranked team coming in, but the teams that beat us are ranked 31st and 33rd in the country,” Watson said. “Everyone’s game is there, we just have to be mentally prepared going down there. It’s not the end of the world.”
