Blue Devils Place Sixth At Administaff ASU Invitational

Sunday, April 5

Augusta, Ga.

All Day

Duke University

Day Two

Blue Devils Open NCAA East Regional Play On Thursday

Blue Devils Place Sixth At Administaff ASU Invitational

4/5/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf

By: Duke Sports Information

AUGUSTA, GA -- Sophomore Wes Roach fired a two-under 70 in the final round of the Administaff Augusta State Invitational on Sunday as Duke closed the tournament sixth overall with an 11-under 859. The Blue Devils shot a one-over 289 at Forest Hills Golf Club (par 72, 7,161 yards) in the closing round.

"Our guys played with a lot of calm focus and determination today and throughout the weekend," said head coach Jamie Green. "I am pleased with all the guys efforts. We had depth in our lineup with all five players contributing. That really helped us have a strong week."

Host Augusta State shot an 11-under 277 on Sunday to run away with the team title with a 54-hole score of 36-under (828). Tennessee-Chattanooga finished second at 23-under (841), while Kent State (-21, 843), Central Florida (-15, 849) and Coastal Carolina (-15, 849) rounded out the top 5.

Roach carded his first under-par round of the event on Sunday with the two-under 70. He posted seven pars and two birdies (No. 2 and No. 6) on his opening nine holes of play and moved to four-under on the day after an eagle on the par 5 11th hole. Roach dropped two strokes after bogeys on No. 14 and No. 15, before carding his third birdie of the day on the par 3 16th hole. Following a par on No. 17, Roach bogeyed No. 18 to close the tournament tied for 47th with a two-over 218.

"Wes [Roach] gave a strong effort today," added Green. "He walked with a swagger and determination that we would love to see the rest of the season."

Junior Adam Long shot an even-par 72 in the final round to finish tied for 18th with a four-under 212. The St. Louis, Mo., native opened with back-to-back birdies before slipping back to even-par following bogeys on No. 3 and No. 7. Long rebounded with six straight pars but dropped another stroke with a bogey on No. 14. He closed the day with a birdie-bogey-birdie finish, including a winding 20-foot birdie putt on No. 18, for his third even-par round of the season.

Senior Clark Klaasen posted a one-over 73 in the third round to finish tied for 26th with a three-under 213. The Grand Rapids, Mich., native opened par-par-birdie to get to one-under early in the final round. He bogeyed No. 4 before posting seven straight pars. Klaasen suffered a double-bogey on No. 12 to slip to two-over but responded to play the final six holes at one-under (with a birdie on No. 14).

Matthew Pierce, a sophomore from San Juan Capistrano, Calif., also finished tied for 18th with a four-under 212 after shooting a two-over 74 on Sunday. He had four birdies, eight pars and six bogeys on the day. Pierce, playing in his second event of the season, tied Long for the team lead with 13 birdies for the tournament.

Freshman Spencer Anderson also shot a two-over 74 in the closing round. He carded 14 pars, one birdie and three bogeys on the day. Anderson finished tied for 60th overall with a four-over 220.

"It was great to see our guys compete throughout the lineup this weekend," said Green. "We made the best of each situation from start to finish. This performance should be a springboard for the team heading into our next two tournaments."

Duke returns to action April 10-11 at the River Landing Invitational in Wallace, N.C. The Blue Devils will also be in action April 17-19 at the ACC Championship at Old North State Club.