April 26, 2022

Tech finishes first in stroke play, locks down No. 1 seed for match play portion of OVC Championships

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Yet another outstanding performance propelled the Tennessee Tech men's golf team to a first-place finish in the stroke-play portion of the Ohio Valley Conference Championships Tuesday afternoon, earning the Golden Eagles the No. 1 seed for the league's match-play segment that will determine the 2022 conference title on Wednesday.

By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Yet another outstanding performance propelled the Tennessee Tech men's golf team to a first-place finish in the stroke-play portion of the Ohio Valley Conference Championships Tuesday afternoon, earning the Golden Eagles the No. 1 seed for the league's match-play segment that will determine the 2022 conference title on Wednesday.

Tech will square off head-to-head with No. 4 SIUE in the match-play semifinals, kicking off action at 7:30 a.m. CT at Dalhousie Country Club. The winner will advance to the finals, taking on the winner between No. 2 UT Martin and No. 3 Morehead State for the league's annual title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Golf Championships.

Tied for second heading into the third and final round of stroke play, the Golden Eagles delivered one more strong showing with a 299 to finish at 893 overall. Tech bested the Skyhawks and Eagles by five shots, representing the only team in the field to turn in three sub-300 rounds during stroke play.

Morehead State's Joe Muschong held on to claim the tournament's medalist honors, posting a 217 for a one-stroke victory. Golden Eagles Nick Sutton (third from left) and Bracton Womack (far left) each secured spots on the OVC All-Tournament Team, becoming the just the second set of Tech teammates to make the squad and first since TTU Sports Hall of Famer Scott Stallings and current TTU head coach Polk Brown did so in 2006. They also represented the first Golden Eagles to make the All-Tournament Team since Will Brooks did in 2018.

Sutton placed fourth in the field of 45 golfers, concluding the day with a 1-over 73 and a 220 total score for stroke play. The sophomore racked up three birdies, including one on the final hole of the day. His 71.88 stroke average for the season represents the third-lowest in the OVC this year and for a single season in program history.

Womack showed improvement each day, culminating in an even-par 72 for Tech's best round of the day. The senior tied for fifth at 221 overall, tallying three birdies, including one on the 18th hole. He wrapped up the final 10 holes at 2-under without a bogey.

Just one shot behind was Jackson Skeen, making the most of his first career OVC Championships by tying for seventh overall. The redshirt freshman posted a 3-over 75 on the day with a trio of birdies, including another on the 18th hole. He completed the stroke-play portion of action with a total score of 222.

Next on the leaderboard for the purple and gold was Sean Anderson, carding a 79 for a 230 final to tie for 20th. The sophomore tallied one birdie on the day. Fellow sophomore Mark McDearman rounded out the Tech lineup, posting an 81 to finish with a 246 overall. He completed stroke play with two more birdies on Tuesday.

For the match-play semifinals, McDearman will face off against SIUE's Luke Ludwig while Skeen will take on Anthony Ruthey. Anderson will match up with the Cougar's Presley Mackelburg, Womack will square off with TJ Baker, and Sutton will compete against Brooks Jungbluth.

Top 5 Teams:
1.	Tennessee Tech*	296-298-299=893	+29
T-2.	UT Martin*	299-295-304=898	+34
T-2.	Morehead State*	306-294-298=898	+34
4.	SIUE*	299-293-308=900	+36
5.	Belmont	300-296-305=901	+37
*Qualified for match play on Wednesday

Leaderboard (45) Golfers
1.	Joe Muschong (Morehead State)	73-68-76=217	+1
4.	Nick Sutton	71-76-73=220	+4
T-5.	Bracton Womack	75-74-72=221	+5
T-7.	Jackson Skeen	72-75-75=222	+6
T-20.	Sean Anderson	78-73-79=230	+14
T-40.	Mark McDearman	89-76-81=246	+30