RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico — The No. 12-ranked Georgia men’s golf team eclipsed the school record for the lowest tournament total in finishing second Tuesday in the Puerto Rico Classic.
Playing Grand Reserve Country Club’s par-72, 7,506-yard layout, the Bulldogs posted a 10-under 278 Tuesday to land at 53-under 811 for the event. Team honors went to Oklahoma at 59-under 805, while Tennessee came in third at 47-under 817.
The 53-under total easily topped the school mark of 42-under set during the 2000 Golf World. Georgia finished the Puerto Rico Classic with the two lowest rounds in school history as well, 23-under on Sunday and 20-under on Monday.
“Our goal, as with any tournament, is to win, so we’re disappointed that we were unable to do that,” Georgia head coach Chris Haack. “But we’re leaving here extremely proud of our showing. Our guys were dialed in from start to finish, and they should be pleased with their efforts. We went head-to-head with the No. 1 team in the country, so that experience is going to pay off for us down the road. It was a great event, and we’ve got a lot we can build on.”
Freshman Maxwell Ford paced the Bulldogs on Tuesday with a career-best 6-under 66. Senior Trent Phillips added a 2-under 70, while juniors Nicolas Cassidy and Ben van Wyk each signed for a 1-under 71. Freshman Buck Brumlow had Georgia’s non-counting round of even-par 72.
Ford placed second at 16-under 200, setting his career bests for finish and low tournament total. He came in four back of Chris Gotterup of Oklahoma. Phillips wound up fourth at 15-under 201, giving him 21 career top-10s, which ranks fifth in school history. Van Wyk took 16th at 11-under 205 for his best Georgia showings since transferring from Augusta University. Brumlow checked in at a career-best 9-under 207, followed by Cassidy at 7-under 209.
Playing as individuals, junior Connor Creasy and senior Will Kahlstorf posted a 4-under 68 and a 1-over 73, respectively, on Tuesday. Creasy finished at 7-under 209 and Kahlstorf at 2-under 214.
The Bulldogs next will compete Feb. 27-March 1 in the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas.