With a 16-over-par performance in this weekend’s Puerto Rico Classic, the Kent State men’s golf team’s spring season began just as its fall season ended: with an 11th-place finish.

The Flashes competed at the Rio Mar Country Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, and took on four of the top five teams in the country.

No. 2 Georgia won the tournament with a 38-under-par performance, ahead of No. 8 Clemson (26-under-par) and No. 3 Oklahoma State (16-under-par). Fifth-ranked Florida edged No. 4 Alabama by six strokes to finish seventh place overall.

In the 54-hole, three-day tournament, here’s how the Flashes did:

Friday

Freshman Mackenzie Hughes paced the Flashes after the first 18 holes, shooting an even-par 72 in the opening round to finish only five strokes behind the tournament leader.

Sophomore Brett Cairns finished just one stroke behind Hughes, but with the team’s 7-over-par (295) outing Friday, the Flashes sat in 12th place.

Saturday

Hughes led the Flashes again Saturday, tallying two eagles and scoring a 3-under par 69, moving up nine spots in the rankings to 13th place.

With a repeat 1-over-par performance by Cairns and junior David Ludlow improving six strokes to score a 72, the team moved into 10th place with a 288.

Sunday

In Sunday’s final round of the tournament, the Flashes again totaled a 297, but fell three strokes shy of the ninth-place tie held by East Tennessee State and Michigan.

Sophomore John Hahn shot his best score of the weekend, finishing with an even par to lead Kent State and earning himselfa tie for 48th overall.

Hughes’ 6-over-par shooting yesterday dropped him to a seven-way tie for 35th place overall with Cairns, who scored a 73 in the final round to finish with a 219 after 54 holes.

Contact sports reporter Caleb Raubenolt at [email protected].