It was a successful performance for the Wake Forest Men’s Golf team, which finished second in the Hamptons Intercollegiate. In the field of 11, the Demon Deacons were able to overcome adversity and fend off several top-tier college squads.
Following an underwhelming 294 in round one, a string of dominant individual forces led to the strong finish. Doing everything they could to fight the strong winds, a competitive placement was all that the Deacons could hope for heading into round two later on Monday afternoon. Despite trailing the powerhouse Georgia by a whopping 19 strokes after 18 holes, hopes were still high for this club.
With a back nine that included eight birdies from the top four, momentum was on the side of Wake Forest. The trio of Nicholas Prieto, Tom Haberer and Kyle Haas took charge with solid scores of 68 and two 70’s, respectively. It was good enough to get the Demon Deacons back in the driver’s seat and make a push on Tuesday’s round three.
“It was a very good team effort today,” Coach Jerry Hass said following play on Monday. “For the most part, we did a great job of realizing we will make those birdies at the end of the round.
With the aim of “hanging around,” an above-average final round would be crucial in Wake Forest’s quest to win a third straight tournament, according to Haas. Facing even more adverse conditions on Tuesday morning, as well as the prospect of battling two SEC schools, their work was truly cut out for them.
After an even front nine followed by back-to-back bogeys on ten and eleven, Haberer made his mark by notching eagles on the 13th and 15th, along with a birdie on 16. His clutch performance, though, was not the only one that gave the Demon Deacons a fighting chance against Georgia and Ole Miss.
To counter Haberer’s final round score of 69, Prieto again played hero with a terrific score of 70. His consistent play, while encouraging, wasn’t quite sufficient to put his team on top. Even with the Rebels struggling immensely in round three, the Bulldogs did just enough to claim the victory amidst the surging effort from Wake Forest.
“We just ran out of holes today, but made a nice charge on the backside,” Haas said. “A lot of positives this week to reflect on this Maidstone golf course. We will be back in action in Charleston next week as we continue to make the Black & Gold proud.”
