Cape Fear men's golf capped off a crazy Fall 2018 Season with a 5th place finish in the Trojan Invitational.
The tournament, held in Alexander City, Alabama, saw the Sea Devils finish with a total two round score of 603 (308 in Round 1 and 295 in Round 2). Their 295 Round 2 score tied for third lowest of the round.
"It was a tough course to play, with water everywhere," said Coach Stewart.
Individually, sophomore Justin Morgan put in a stellar two day performance, shooting 72 and 68, respectively, in route to finishing tied for 1st place.
"[I was] very impressed with Justin Morgan," said Coach Stewart.
He describes Morgan's game as consistent because he always "hits fairways and greens." Morgan entered the second round of the Trojan Invitational five back of the leader and shot -4 under par to tie for first place.
"When you look at the field, and look at the players, Justin played well," said Stewart.
Meanwhile, Brantley Moore shot 80 the first day, but 72 the second day. Coach Stewart said it was "very impressive" for Moore to rebound mentally. "That is very encouraging."
While 2018 finishes on a high note for Morgan, Moore, and the Sea Devils, the fall season has been rocky due to the effects of Hurricane Florence. The storm forced evacuations of the school, forcing the Sea Devils to leave the Anderson University Invitational after one round and left them unable to compete in the NCWC Don Scalf Invitational.
"Everything looked absolutely great prior [Florence]," said Stewart. The team had a good practice day, and were playing well in round one, with two players under par. They were just about finished with the first round of tournament when they got word that the highways in South Carolina would be shutdown. The prospect of getting stuck in South Carolina forced Coach Stewart to make the call and leave the tournament early.
The team couldn't practice for three weeks after Florence. Their courses were flooded and stayed underwater for some time. Practice was limited to little bits of putting or hitting at Wilmington's Municipal Golf Course. Eventually, the courses became available to practice on, and the team resumed play. However, with a lot of time off, the team was not in mid-season form, and they struggled at first.
Things got better, though. After an 11th place finish in the Myrtle Beach Intercollegiate, the Sea Devils responded with a 5th place finish in the NJCAA DI National Preview. Parker Chavis finished tied for 6th in the National Preview, while Morgan finished 18th. Then came the 5th place finish at the Trojan Invitational to cap off the fall season.
Moving forward, Cape Fear will have some time off before the Spring 2019 season begins on February 11th with the Spring Kickoff at Wingate University and Lincoln M.U. in Jacksonville, Florida. Coach Stewart is hopeful to play in a tournament before the Spring Kickoff to give his players an extra chance to play and perform to make up for the tournaments missed in the fall.
He hopes to see his consistent players continue to perform well, and he hopes those who struggled in the fall can bounce back in the Spring. With the Hurricane season behind them, the Sea Devils should be in for a more consistent and hopefully successful Spring season.
Courtesy of Nick Denning
