LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN -- The Covenant College golf team and newly-appointed head coach Trevor Potts arrived at Lookout Mountain Golf Club this past Monday morning to tee-off the 2011 Reeder Cup. Hosted annually by the Scots as a two-round invitational for southeastern golf programs, this year's field included such colleges and universities as Rhodes, LaGrange, Huntingdon, Sewanee, Bryan, Young Harris, West Georgia, Truett-McConnell, and Berry.
Day one of the Cup saw Covenant golfers Alex Mosteller, Cameron Lewis, Dave Wilkinson, David Spencer, and Jon Jon Spencer take to the links as members of the Scots official Reeder Cup team. Freshman Zach Buerkle was also participating, but he played as an individual and his score did not count towards Covenant's total team score. Marred by cloudy skies, heavy winds, and the threat of oncoming storms, the original round one start-up time of 11:00am was moved one hour forward in anticipation. The Covenant golfers did well to adjust, though, playing through the blustery conditions and unforgiving Lookout Mountain greens to find themselves just 15 shots off the lead in 6th place of 9 after the opening round had concluded.
"I was pleased with the overall performance of the team, especially considering how hard the weather was to deal with," said Potts. "The wind got brutal out there and made a good score hard to come by."
Freshman Alex Mosteller led the Scots after day one with a score of 76 that had him tied for 5th place. Seniors Dave Wilkinson and David Spencer were second and third on the team with scores of 78 and 80 that left them tied for 15th and 20th places respectively.
After storms passed through the Lookout Mountain area on Monday night, round two of the event took place with less wind in the air, but more water on the ground. Facing the tasks of overcoming the weather and improving on the team's round one score of 323, the Scots set out to close the gap on West Georgia's tournament leading score of 308. That task would not be easy, though, as nationally ranked opponents LaGrange and Huntingdon also lied in the path to the top. Never one to be deterred, though, Mosteller set out and put together a solid, team-leading round of 79. David Spencer, Jon Jon Spencer, and Cameron Lewis also chipped into the cause by improving several strokes upon their round one scores, and at the end of the day, Covenant had climbed one spot to finish in 5th place of 10 teams. One of the teams they surpassed was future GSAC conference foe Huntingdon College, the team currently ranked #2 in the nation in NCAA Division III.
Said Potts, "Beating some of these very good, nationally ranked teams is good for this program as we head into our next tournament and as we head into the future. If we can continue down this path of improvement and build some excitement around our program, we can hang with teams like LaGrange – who ended up winning this year's Reeder Cup – and Huntingdon who is in our conference as nationally ranked competitors. The future is bright, and I am excited to see where we will end up."
One reason the outlook is so positive is because Mosteller is just a freshman. His two-round final score of 155 was good enough to earn him a 5th place finish in the field of 53 competitors and recognition as one of just five All-Tournament honorees. His compatriot, Cameron Lewis, endured a rough go in his first Reeder Cup, but having received NCCAA honors for his performances in tournaments earlier this season, Lewis, too, looks poised for future success.
"Having been a player in last year's Reeder Cup, I can definitely say this year was an improvement," said Potts. "With the help of our two, talented freshmen, I am excited to see where this program is headed."
On a side note, the play of Lady Scot Jordan Agate should not go without mention, as the junior golfer put together a solid two round score of 184 that was good enough for a 6th place finish out of 37 competitors. Agate was forced to play on the women's side of the Reeder Cup as an individual since Covenant does not have a full-fledged women's golf team this season.
Said Potts, "I think Jordan played extremely well considering the conditions she faced. Her 6th place finish allows her to end this season on a high, and hopefully she will carry that over into next year when she can be part of a true Lady Scots team."
