CAMDEN — After three days of play at Camden Country Club, the Newberry Wolves finished in second place as a team at the 2019 South Atlantic Conference Championship, owning the top two individual scores in the field.
The Wolves were led by senior Harry Bolton, who became the individual medalist after leading wire to wire and finishing the tournament with an individual score of 210 (E). Bolton was the only competitor to shoot for par, clinching the tournament victory with a final round score of 71 (+1).
Bolton’s third day of play was highlighted by birdies on holes two, seven, and 16 to stay out in front of the pack. His best round of the tournament came in round one when he shot a 66 (-4), the highest individual round in the tournament for the Wolves. This is Bolton’s first conference tournament win of his career and his first tournament win of his senior season, vastly improving upon his finish of 45th place at the 2018 SAC Championship.
Bolton wasn’t the only competitor to finish near the top of the leader board for the Wolves, with sophomore Adrian Villiger turning in a stellar performance to finish in second place with a score of 212 (+2). Villiger finished with a final round score of 72 (+2) for the Wolves after playing a very consistent final, highlighted by a birdie on hole 11 and par on 14 holes.
This was tied for Villiger’s highest finish at a tournament this season as he also finished in second place at the Donald Ross Intercollegiate last October. His best round of the tournament came in the first round when he shot a 68 (-2), the second best individual round of the tournament for the Wolves, helping contribute to Newberry’s stellar first round performance of 278 (-2).
Felipe Garces was next for the Wolves, finishing eight strokes back from Villiger with an individual score of 220 (+10) for the tournament. Garces was extremely consistent throughout for the Wolves, posting scores of 73 (+3), 74 (+4), and 73 (+3) through each round. His individual score placed him in a three-way tie for 12th place in the field of 55, third highest on the leader board for Newberry.
Senior Ben Thompson was unable to follow up his day one performance of 71 (+1), ultimately posting identical scores of 76 (+6) in rounds two and three. His total score of 223 (+13) was good for a tie for 21st place on the individual leader board. His final round was highlighted by a birdie on the eighth hole, but seven bogeys on the final proved too much to improve his position in the standings.
Finally, Martin Moreno wrapped up the scoring for the Wolves with an individual score of 231 (+21), ending his tournament in a tie for 33rd place on the leader board. His final round score of 79 (+9) was highlighted by a birdie on hole five, but his best round of the tournament came in the opening round, where he was able to shoot a 73 (+3) to help shoot the Wolves out in front.
Ultimately, it was an extremely consistent Queens team that uprooted the Wolves’ championship hopes, as the Royals were able to post identical scores of 288 (+8) in all three rounds to take home the SAC title.
Newberry will now await selection for the 2019 South/Southeast Regional tournament. The top 10 teams in the Southeast Regional rankings will earn bids, with the Wolves currently sitting in eighth place.