The Kent State men’s golf team struggled at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate on Sunday, falling to 15th place after inclement weather forced a cancellation of the final round.

Kent State shot 17-over-par on the final day of the tournament with a score of 305. The Flashes were in fifth place on Friday at 1-under-par before rainy conditions forced a suspension of play.  The tournament was suspended on the first two days of the tournament.

Wake Forest dominated the course at Blackthorn in Knoxville, Tennessee, shooting 18-under-par. Wake Forest freshman golfer Will Zalatoris won the individual title, shooting 10-under-par.

The final stretch Sunday proved to be too much to overcome for the team. Kent State players did not use the weather as an excuse, and head coach Herb Page shared the same point of view.

Coach Page said the Flashes’ performance was “embarrassing” and that Kent State teams do not finish in last place in a tournament.

“I think everyone’s confidence is shaken right now,” Page said. “We just have to keep working hard and fix some of the mistakes we made.”

Page said he was extremely disappointed in how his team played. Page was critical of his group saying he didn’t know why they played so poorly, but he thought they just “stunk”.

Freshman Chase Johnson finished in 40th place at 3-over-par. He played well in the first round, shooting 2-under-par, but in the second round, Johnson bogeyed or double bogeyed on 5 holes, respectively.

“It was honestly a bit of an embarrassment,” Johnson said. “We usually play well in weather like that, but we just had a bad stretch.

Johnson said it’s not the end of the world, but it’s also important to learn from mistakes as it can help you play better.

“Everyone has their bad days,” Johnson said. “It is not like its never going to happen. All you can do is forget about and move on to the next tournament.”

Sophomore Josh Whalen tied for 24th place for the highest finish in the tournament at 1-over-par for Kent State. Senior Sebastian Bendsen shot 8-over-par, finishing in 70th place.  Freshman Ian Holt tied for 80th place at 13-over-par. Junior Taylor Zoller finished in last place at 17-over-par.  Playing as an individual, Kent State freshman Chase Parker finished 82nd at 15-over-par.

The Golden Flashes will now shift their attention to the Golf Club of Georgia in Alpharetta, Georgia, this Friday.

Contact Ray Strickland at [email protected].