April 25, 2023

Skeen breaks program's season scoring record, Tech places sixth at OVC Championships

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The 2022-23 campaign officially came to a close for the Tennessee Tech men's golf team Tuesday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles completed the third and final day of stroke play at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships at Dalhousie Country Club in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The 2022-23 campaign officially came to a close for the Tennessee Tech men's golf team Tuesday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles completed the third and final day of stroke play at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships at Dalhousie Country Club in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

The purple and gold moved up one slot to place sixth in the nine-team field, shaving 20 strokes off its second round to post a 285 in the finale. Tech edged Morehead State by one shot with an 890 for the three-day event. Little Rock cruised to the top spot in stroke play, besting the field by 25 strokes with an 840. The Trojan's Anton Albers captured individual medalist honors, boasting a 205 for a five-shot win.

Little Rock, SIUE, Southern Indiana, and Lindenwood all qualified for Wednesday's match-play portion of the OVC Championships. Two rounds of match-play will ultimately determine the OVC crown and bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Leading the Golden Eagles through the weekend, Jackson Skeen narrowly missed out on an All-Tournament spot, tying for sixth in the 45-man field. The sophomore finished with a 2-under 214 after completing Tuesday's round with an even-par 72 and three birdies.

Second among the Tech squad was veteran Sean Anderson, firing a career-best-tying, 5-under 67 to rocket up the leaderboard and finish 17th. The junior piled up five birdies and turned in an eagle on the par-five 15th hole while totaling a 222 for the tournament.

Also making a double-digit move up the leaderboard was Chance Taylor, carding a 3-under 69 to tie for 22nd overall. The senior made four birdies and 13 pars with just a single bogey to his name in his final round in the purple and gold, completing the event with a 225 composite score.

Tying for 32nd in the field was rookie Anders Larson, matching his second-round output with a 79. Compiling a birdie and 13 pars, the freshman rounded out his first-ever experience at the OVC Championships with a total score of 232.

Subbing in for freshman Haden Maxwell for the final round was senior Bryce Beeler. Also competing for the Golden Eagles one final time, the veteran made his chance count, racking up three birdies on his way to a 77 to help the scoring effort on the day.

Skeen concluded his second year donning the purple and gold in historic fashion, leading the OVC in scoring average with a single-season, program record of 70.96. The mark broke the previous school record of 71.08 set by TTU Sports Hall of Famer and current PGA Tour Pro Scott Stallings back in the 2005-06 season.

On the year, Skeen was named to the All-OVC Team for the second year in a row, was a four-time OVC Male Golfer of the Week, and was named the OVC Male Golfer of the Month for September. He became the first player in program history to earn a golfer of the month honor from the league and racked up the most player of the week accolades in a single season in school history. He won one event during the year while delivering five top-five finishes and six top-10 showings in nine stroke-play events.

Top 5 Teams:
1.	Little Rock	277-280-283=840	-24
2.	SIUE	287-293-285=865	+1
3.	Southern Indiana	297-289-288=874	+10
4.	Lindenwood	298-296-288=882	+18
5.	UT Martin	294-285-305=884	+20
6.	Tennessee Tech	300-305-285=890	+26

Leaderboard (45 Golfers)
1.	Anton Albers (Little Rock)	70-65-70=205	-11
T-6.	Jackson Skeen	71-71-72=214	-2
17.	Sean Anderson	79-76-67=222	+6
T-22.	Chance Taylor	76-80-69=225	+9
T-32.	Anders Larson	74-79-79=232	+16
S.	Bryce Beeler*	77=77	+5
*substituted in for Haden Maxwell for final round