Standing outside of Lonnie Poole Golf Course, senior Mark McMillen paused slightly before summarizing the long-awaited feeling N.C. State has been searching all spring to find.
“Relieved.”
After trailing by two shots heading into the final round of the Wolfpack Spring Open, State utilized a 5-under 283 team score on Sunday to overcome Lamar and East Carolina. Needing positive momentum to earn a NCAA Regional bid, the home win arrived at the perfect time.
Junior Mitch Sutton erupted for a final round 67 to catapult into second place individually for the tournament, and his play gave State a comfortable cushion during the final moments of the tournament. The last tournament the Wolfpack hosted at the par-72, 7,358-yard course was one to forget for Sutton, as he injured his wrist and was forced to withdraw just days before the team struggled to a seventh place finish.
“It’s pretty awesome being able to come back to our home course and host our own tournament,” Sutton said. “Finally putting together a good tournament for myself really helped out the team.”
The 67 is a collegiate best for the All-American, and as his senior teammates played one last tournament in Raleigh, McMillen echoed the team’s sentiments on Sutton.
“He’s been getting back at it, and I thought he was close, but just wasn’t quite back yet,” McMillen said. ”Today he showed that he is back.”
Coach Richard Sykes has seen Sutton battle a lot of adversity after breaking his wrist in October, and the longtime headman said he knew it was just a matter of time before he broke through.
“Mitch Sutton has been struggling all year with a broken wrist, he got it well, and then he shoots that 5-under round,” Sykes said. “That’s pretty strong. It’s pretty special, especially leading up to the conference championships next Friday.”
The first tournament win for the men’s golf program since hosting the Wolfpack Intercollegiate in October of 2010 could not have come at a better time for Sykes’s group.
“In the middle of March, we pitched two last-place finishes,” Sykes said. “And that wasn’t much fun. We’ve been on a steady climb since then with the second place finish last week and first place this week. I’m not surprised when they play well because they are all good players.”
In McMillen’s last go-around under Sykes, getting a huge victory late in the season brings a smile to the Smithfield native’s face.
“I don’t think we have pressure on us, but we needed to play well these last couple of tournaments to lock up a regional bid,” McMillen said. “Unless we play really bad next week, I think we should be fine. So it feels really good.”
The ACC Championships will take place at Old North State Club in London, N.C. this upcoming Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Sutton’s performance could be a large factor in whether the Pack can make a run at contending for its conference.
“I’ve played [the course] twice already in my career and I like the course,” Sutton said. “I like the way it sets up, so hopefully I can just go out there and play well.”
