Tringale leads Jackets at Carpet Collegiate

Led by a strong performance by sophomores Adam Cohen and Cameron Tringale, the Tech golf team finished in a tie for third place at the Carpet Capital Collegiate in Rocky Face, Ga. The Jackets entered play on Sunday in a tie for eighth, but the team shot a 10-under-par 278, to post the best team score of the day.

Triangle helped the effort by shooting 6-under-par 66 ,with seven birdies. Cohan also performed well, shooting 4-under-par 64, with one eagle and three birdies.

The Jackets ended the tournament tied with Georgia at 10-under par. Both schools finished behind tournament winner Alabama (-23) and Clemson (-17).

"We played well the last round, and that's always a positive. It was a great round by Cameron [Tringale] and Adam [Cohan]. Every time you go out, you want to win," said Tech Head Coach Bruce Hepler.

Senior Roberto Castro and sophomore Tyler Hall also contributed, each shooting even-par-72s to round out the four scores that would be counted towards the team total. Senior Kevin Larsen ended with a 78 (+6), but his was dropped from the team total.

The first day saw Larsen post a 69 (-3) and Castro a 71 (-1). Tringale added a 73 (+1) and Hall posted a 76 (+4). The Jackets ended the day with a 289 (+1), but they trailed by 13 shots heading into the second round.

The Jackets were led by Hall during the second round. Hall entered the clubhouse shooting a 69 (-3) as Tech posted a team score of 287. Castro and Larsen each finished at even par while Cohan shot a 74.

While all of Tech's scores were hovering around even par, the Jackets were 18 shots behind tournament leader Clemson. The team needed a strong finish and some help to get back into contention for the third and final round.

"It wasn't a bad start. [We] need to become a little more consistent as individuals.... Our top finisher was Cameron [Tringale] who finished 19th. My experience has been that you aren't going to contend or compete as a team if you don't have someone contend as an individual," Heppler said.

Over the course of the tournament, the Jackets had a new individual team leader for each round and in the overall standings.

"It's certainly good to find depth if it's not the same four guys every day," Heppler said.

Alabama came away with the victory, shooting a 23-under-par 841, six shots ahead of Clemson. Tech finished 13 shots behind. Next week, the Jackets visit Olympia Fields, Ill. The field will consist of 12 teams from around the country, including ACC rival Duke.

The site was the host of the 1928 and 2003 U.S. Open. This tournament will be another competition filled with top ranked players and teams.

"[Olympia Fields is] going to be a little smaller. It's going to have No. 1 preseason Oklahoma State. I don't think the field is quite as deep as the one we just played in, but it will be very competitive," Heppler said.

At Rocky Face, Tech had to square off against seven ranked opponents and many of the best individual golfers in the nation. When they visit Olympia Fields, they will see five ranked teams. The young team looks to find the consistent play needed to win the tournament and further their reputation as a national power.

"We'll be as good as we've been [in the past], but we just have to develop a little bit. We'll see what happens," Heppler said.