KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — The ninth-ranked Catawba College men's golf team won its third championship of the season on Tuesday, fending off a pair of hard-charging foes to capture the Irish Creek Intercollegiate crown.
Catawba, the lone Division II program in a field that held nine Division I squads, lost its opening-day lead but rallied late as two podium finishes powered the first-place, 856 (+4) effort. Host Appalachian State briefly jumped ahead using 10 birdies on holes 11-14, but a six-over-par end to the round dropped the Mountaineers behind the Catawba Indians at 858 (+6). Old Dominion had the next-best third round – after App State – to capture the third-place position with a final score of 859 (+7).
Tied with Paul Esnault heading into his final hole, Ignacio Zapata of North Carolina A&T birdied No. 4 to garner individual medalist honors with a 70-71-67 (208, -5) scorecard. Esnault was the standalone runner-up as teammate Ilia Antoniadis and Vegas Melen (Sandhills CC) shared the final position on the podium just two strokes back.
RESULTS
2. Paul Esnault (209, -4)
T-3. Ilia Antoniadis (210, -3)
T-15. Pranay Kapur (216, +3)
T-39. Allan Lockwood (224, +11)
T-47. Maxence Bonnet (225, +12)
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Individuals
T-39. Connor Carter (224, +11)
T-57. Alec Barker (228, +15)
T-69. Ryan Masterton (235, +22)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Esnault made an eight-spot hop on Day 2 with five birdies against two bogeys to collect a 68, finishing the tournament with the seventh-best 54-hole score in program history and his fourth podium of the season
- Antoniadis also nabbed his fourth podium of the year after falling from the top spot but retaining a top-three position with a third-round 74
- Kapur came into the day at even par, running into some setbacks early before a level back nine helped the sophomore hold onto a share of 15th place
- Lockwood dotted three front-nine birdies in a tough round finishing at 78, but the Elizabethtown, Ky., native retained a position in the top half of the field
- Bonnet rounded out the Catawba team with a third-round 82 that followed his one-over opening day, landing a shot outside the top 50 percent
- Of Catawba's eight golfers competing, Carter had the second-lowest third round with an even-par 71 for a significant 24-slot hike into a tie for 39th
- Barker and Masterton rounded out the Catawba contingent with their best rounds occurring the second attempt en route to earning shares of 57th and 69th place, respectively
UP NEXT
With the regular season complete, Catawba turns its attention to the South Atlantic Conference Championship held Apr. 19-21 in Greenville, S.C., at The Preserve at Verdae.
