BURLINGTON, N.C. - The Appalachian State men's golf team finished third at the Phoenix Invitational behind a final team round surge of 8-under-par (276) Tuesday afternoon.
"Extremely proud of this App State golf team," first-year head coach Danny Forshey said. "Five players have shot personal bests so far this season. We shot the low round of the day to make a charge up the leaderboard today. Looking forward to the next one."
The third-place finish marks the program's first back-to-back top-three finishes in tournament play since the beginning of the 2018-19 campaign. A 276 round three from the Mountaineers tied the second-lowest team round in program history.
Gardner-Webb claimed the Phoenix Invitational team title at 19-under. App State finished 9-under (843) for the tournament after entering the day seventh overall at 1-under.
Timothius Tirto Tamardi and Jake Lane both led the Tuesday morning charge well into the afternoon by carding rounds of 68. Tamardi shot his lowest 54-hole tournament total (70-69-68) of his collegiate career, a 6-under-par 207, which ties the second-lowest 54-hole tournament total in school history. Tamardi tied for eighth on the leaderboard, his fourth career top-10 finish.
Lane doused his second eagle of the invitational during Tuesday's third and final round today on hole No. 17, a 605-yard par 5. He finished tied for 24th with a 2-under-par 211 (73-70-68).
Speaking of eagles, App State connected on a total of four eagles at the Phoenix Invitational, giving Forshey's team six on the year. Lane sank two, while Lukes and Gunnell each drained one of their own.
Carding a second-round 68 and eagling on 17, walk-on Dylan Lukes not only shot his lowest single round of the 2019-20 season but for his collegiate career overall.
Lukes' 3-under-par 210 (71-68-71) is also his lowest career tournament total. He finished tied for 19th.
Nicholas Gunnell's 4-over 217 (71-76-70) effort is also the lowest overall posted score of his career. Gunnell recorded an eagle, his second of the year, in round one on No. 17. Amassing a final round of 70 ties the lowest round of play for Gunnell this season. He finished the tournament tied for 49th.
Lukas Jönsson entered the clubhouse with a 6-over-par 219 (72-77-70) finishing tied for 56th.
Freshman Addison Beam finished 1-under as an individual in his first college tournament.
The Mountaineers will compete next in the two-day Grandover Collegiate, hosted by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, at the Grandover Resort. The event is set to begin on Sunday, Oct. 27.
