Haig Point Club

Kennesaw State Defends Title At The 4th Annual Rees Jones Collegiate Invitational

Iowa State Senior Nate McCoy Breaks Tournament Individual Record to Claim Medalist Honors with Wire-to-Wire Victory

October 4, 2011, Daufuskie Island, S.C. – Kennesaw State shot a remarkable team score of 1-over 289 today to erase an eleven shot deficit and defend their title at the 4th Annual Rees Jones Collegiate Invitational at Haig Point Club on Daufuskie Island, S.C. The Owls 54-hole total of 30-over 894 was four shots better than the University of South Carolina (898). Wake Forest University and Iowa State finished tied for fourth (900) with Liberty rounding out the top five (906).

“Our kids just hung in there, and fortunately, a lot of our guys played well today,” Kennesaw State head golf coach Jay Moseley said. “To have four guys shoot 73, or better, today on this challenging golf course is just amazing. This was a great win for our guys.”

This was Kennesaw State’s first win of the season after ninth and eleventh place finishes in their first two matches this fall.

Individually, Iowa State’s Nate McCoy set a new tournament record with a three-day score of 6-under 210 to claim a wire-to-wire win and his first victory of the season. McCoy carried a seven shot lead into today’s final round, and a solid even par score was enough to distance the field by nine strokes. The senior from Des Moines, Iowa mastered the par 72, 7,380 yards Rees Jones layout with rounds of 68, 70 and 72, and a course with a slope of 147 to claim his second career collegiate win. Remarkably, McCoy hit 50 of the 54 greens in regulation to dominate the field.

“The golf course had a really nice look to me off all the tees,” McCoy said. “Rees Jones did an excellent job on this course of giving you options, and fortunately, I was striking the ball well, hitting greens and making putts. It was an all around great week and the golf course could not have been in better shape.”

McCoy shattered the previous individual low score in the event by four strokes. The previous mark of 214 was set by University of South Carolina teammates George Bryan IV and Paul Woodbury in 2009.

Ben Greene of Kennesaw State finished second with a tournament score of 3-over 219. Sean Kelly of the University of South Carolina overcame an opening round score of 9-over 81 to claim third place with a score of 220. Lee Bedford of Wake Forest, David Denlinger of Charleston Southern and Trey Valentine of South Florida tied for fourth with a score of 5-over 221. Denlinger shot the low score of the final round with a 3-under 69.

South Carolina won the tournament the first two years, including a dominant victory by 37 strokes in 2009. Last year, Kennesaw State won the title in a playoff against Liberty University.

Nine different conferences are represented in the Rees Jones Collegiate Invitational and include defending conference championship squads from UNC-Wilmington (Colonial Athletic Association), Kennesaw State (Atlantic Sun) and Liberty University (Big South). The rest of the field is composed of Charleston Southern (Big South); Georgia State (Colonial); Iowa State (Big 12); Jacksonville University (Atlantic Sun); South Florida (Big East); Tennessee-Chattanooga (Southern Conference); Wake Forest (Atlantic Coast Conference); and Winthrop University (Big South).

Haig Point's signature golf course, which debuted at 28th in the country by Golf Digest and 68th in the world by Golf Magazine when it first opened 22 years ago, underwent a $5.5 million renovation and restoration overseen by Rees Jones. The renovation earned the Rees Jones Signature Course as the third “Best Remodel” from Golf Digest in 2007. The course has a 76.6 rating and a 147 slope.

For more information about Haig Point, visit www.HaigPoint.com.

OVERALL TEAM SCORES (Par 72, 7,380 Yards)

1 Kennesaw State 310-295-289 (894)
2 South Carolina 305-293-300 (898)
3 Wake Forest 306-296-298 (900)
Iowa State 298-296-306 (900)
5 Liberty Univ. 306-300-300 (906)
6 Chattanooga 306-302-301 (909)
7 Georgia State 301-302-308 (911)
8 South Florida of 297-315-302 (914)
9 UNC-Wilmington 311-307-301 (919)
Michigan State 306-302-311 (919)
11 Charleston Southern 322-301-312 (935)
12 Winthrop Univ. 313-318-308 (939)
13 Jacksonville Univ. 324-307-312 (943)

INDIVIDUAL SCORES

About Haig Point

Haig Point is located on Daufuskie Island and is a charming sea island, private club and community located just off the coast of South Carolina, between Hilton Head and Savannah, Georgia. Haig Point is only accessible by a private ferry system originating on Hilton Head Island. Haig Point is home to the historic Strachan Mansion, Calibogue Club, Lighthouse, Tabby Ruins and the stunning Rees Jones Signature Golf Course. The island amenities also include a full-service Tennis Center, Equestrian Center and a community park. For more information about the island, or real estate opportunities, call (800) 686-3441, or visit www.HaigPoint.com.