The Saint Augustine’s University golf team is off to a strong start, finishing third and second in its first two golf tournaments.
On Sept. 28 and 29, the Falcons competed in the HBCU College Golf Invitational in Newnan, GA, and finished third among Division II teams at the HBCU College Golf Invitational. On Oct. 10, SAU golfers finished second in the CIAA Northern Preview GolfTournament at Valley Pine Country Club in Lasker, NC.
The Falcons’ two-day score of 661 in the HBCU College Golf Invitational was behind Miles College, which won the tournament with a score of 607, and Livingstone College, with a 628 score. In the CIAA Northern Preview GolfTournament, SAU’s score of 321 was behind only Chowan University, which won the tournament with a score of 310.
Top golfers for the Falcons have been Jaylon Lynn (So./Garner, NC), Samuel Cudjoe (So./Bethel, Trinidad and Tobago), James Thomas Moore (Jr./Fairfax, VA), and Daryel Morris (So./Cartersville, GA). In the first tournament, all four placed in the top 20 in the individual standings. Lynn finished 11th with 160, followed by the defending champion Cudjoe who tied 14th with 164, then Moore who also tied for the 18th place with 167, and Morris tied for the 20th place.
Lynn, Cudjoe and Moore all shot under 80 on the second day of the HBCU College tournament. Lynn had 77, Moore 78, tightly followed by Cudjoe with 79.
In the CIAA Northern Preview Golf Tournament, Moore was third with a one-day score of 77, Cudjoe was fifth with a score of 79, Lynn tied for sixth with a score of 80. Morris shot a score of 85 to finish 15th.
“The team is doing pretty good,” said Moore, who added that the good outings in the first two tournaments boosted their confidence.
According to Julius Wells, the Men’s Golf Coach, the Falcons will participate in no more than two tournaments for the rest of the season – the Falcon Classic, which will be held in Clayton, NC, at Pine Hollow Golf course on Oct.18, and the VSU Fall Classic from Oct. 21 to Oct. 23. The location for that tournament has not yet been provided.
Wells in April 2017 was named CIAA Golf Coach of the Year after guiding the to a third-place finish in the CIAA Golf Tournament.
The team was reinstituted in 2015 after a two-year break. In their first season, they finished no higher than fourth in any tournament.
— Magaly Tshipopo
