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Justin LaRue followed up a career-best round Monday with his best career finish at the Big Blue Intercollegiate. He tied for first, and the Lancers golf team finished third in their final tournament of the spring after shaving a stroke from their score. The event was held at the Hermitage Golf Club Presidents Reserve in Old Hickory, Tennessee. 

SCORES:

3. Longwood: 285-281-280—846 (-6)

 T1. Justin LaRue: 71-67-68—206 (-7)

T9. Daniel George: 71-68-72—211 (-2)

T12. William Hoover: 73-69-70—212 (-1)

T16. Nick Rakes: 72-72-69—213 (E)

T36. Brendan Dunphy: 71-74-72—217 (+4)

T49. Christian Michael: 73-75-71—219 (+6)

How it happened

LaRue led Longwood to another top five finish, as the Lancers finished three strokes behind Belmont and two behind Evansville.

Larue became the first Lancer since 2018 to finish first at a 54-hole tournament, when Brandon Weaver won the Manor Intercollegiate that spring. LaRue earned his spot by posting his second straight score in the high 60s to wrap up the two-day event.

The sophomore was tied for the best in the field on both Par 3s and Par 4s. He also was second among the 90-player field with 13 birdies.

Daniel George also notched a top-10 finish, and he tied for ninth after a final round 72. He posted his best finish of the season behind a day that saw him finish below par on Par 4s. He also had a dozen birdies, which tied for third most in the field.

William Hoover, competing as an independent, tied for 12th, which was his best finish at a 54-hole tournament this season. He posted 40 pars across the tournament.

Nick Rakes shaved three strokes off his opening two rounds and finished with a final-round 69 to tie for 16th. Rakes also tied for the team lead with 40 pars, and he shot an even par on Par 3s.

Brendan Dunphy tied for 36th with a final round at 72, and Christian Michael had his best round of the tournament, a 71, to move up into a tie for 49th.

What they said

“While the team result was not what we wanted, I can say that, unlike a couple other times we’ve been in a similar spot, we did not beat ourselves today,” said Longwood head coach Kevin Fillman. “Our start could have been a bit better, but we did a lot of the things we had planned. We were just beaten by teams that played better, and all of us can accept that.”

“I’m very happy for Justin,” Fillman added about his sophomore’s performance. “He played extremely well all tournament. If not for an inadvertent rules infraction during yesterday’s morning round that cost him two shots, he would have had three rounds in the 60s. Overall, we’ve built some pretty good momentum throughout the spring. Our goal has always been to peak next week.”

“My mental game helped me play well the past two days,” LaRue said. “Even though a lot of the shots, putts and decisions I made weren’t the best, I was able to stay very calm and in the present. Usually, I get worked up and stressed about my score and the mistakes I’ve made in the round, but I was able to stay in the present and just play golf.”

After it was all said and done, it made me feel very accomplished and willing to keep working very hard to reach my goals in golf,” LaRue said about how it felt after he was done with the final round.

More notes 

The last time Longwood had a player win a 54 hole tournament that was not at the Manor in Farmville was Jordan Boulton in the fall of 2017 at the EKU Intercollegiate.

What’s next?

The Lancers head into the Big South Championship next week on a string of strong performances, as the team has finished in the top five in every tournament of the spring. The team heads to the Big South Championship next Monday, April 17.