Saturday, October 20
Hummelstown, PA
All Day
Millersville University
at
PSAC Championships
Coyne Takes Third, Team Fourth at PSAC Championship
10/21/2012 6:06:00 PM | Men's Golf
Individual Results | Team Results
For additional photos, visit Millersville Athletics on Facebook
Hummelstown, Pa. - What a difference a year makes for Millersville's Robert Coyne. Riding the wave of exciting provided by a large and boisterous Millersville contingent, Coyne battled the winds of Hershey Links for a second round score of even par and a third-place finish at the 2012 PSAC Men's Golf Championship. The Marauders finished fourth as a team.
Coyne became Millersville's best finisher since 2004 with a 2-under-par score for the championship. It was quite the turnaround as he finished dead last on the individual leaderboard last season. His 142 was the lowest score posted by a Marauder at the PSAC Championship since the two-round format was adopted in 1995. The last Marauder to finish in a better position than Coyne at a PSAC Championship was Scott Micklewright, who was the 2004 runner-up.
He was in the mix for the individual crown until the final hole. He raced to 2-under-par through the first five holes, igniting his following with excitement. The winds picked up and temperatures dropped, making scoring conditions all the more difficult, though. Coyne finished the front nine even par, but on the par-4 12th, he hit his approach to the back fringe of the green, roughly 25 feet from the hole. He drained the birdie putt to move back into a tie for the individual lead.
"That putt really got me going," said Coyne. "I figured I'd make a couple birdies coming in after that. It was just great having all my friends here watching. I really thought that putt was going to be a round-changer. "
His approach at the par-4 15th sailed just to the left of the green, leaving a difficult up-and-down for par. Coyne bogeyed to fall back to 2-under-par. Meanwhile, two groups ahead of Coyne's, Indiana's Zack Kempa posted a 4-under-par to take the clubhouse lead away from West Chester's Connor Lefever, who carded the tournament's lowest score of 6-under-par 66 to register a 2-under score for the tournament.
In the first round, Coyne played the final stretch at 4-under-par, and with par 5's on 16 and 18 ahead, he could still make up ground. He parred 16 and made an impressive up-and-down at 17. He needed an eagle on 18, and his drive was perfectly positioned in the left fairway. Going for the green in two, he pulled his approach just right into the deep, links fescue. He still managed an incredible par from there, but it wasn't the score he needed.
"I had an idea that someone was 3- or 4-under, and that I needed some birdies," said Coyne. "On 18 I knew I need to eagle. I really went after it and put it in the fescue."
His 142 total placed him in a five-way tie for third with Lefever, California's Jordan Eck, IUP's Jack Owen and IUP's Sean Sweithelm.
"I was in the fairways like I usually am," said Coyne. "But my wedges weren't what they needed to be today. I left myself 20-footers for birdie instead of 10-footers. I just couldn't get the putts to drop coming in."
After Sunday, Coyne had shot even-par or better in seven of his last 11 rounds. He also finished in the top-10 in four of five tournaments this fall.
IUP took the team crown with an impressive 9-under-par 567. California placed second with a 9-over-par team total. West Chester was eight shots back in third, and Millersville placed fourth at 35-over.
Matt Lutz was MIllersville's No. 2 finisher, tying for 15th at 9-over-par. Chris Fieger and Jonathan Heile both tied for 24th. Kevin Davis placed 28th.
The PSAC Championship caps the fall schedule for the Marauders. The spring season begins on March 23 at the St. James Plantation Invitational.
For additional photos, visit Millersville Athletics on Facebook
Hummelstown, Pa. - What a difference a year makes for Millersville's Robert Coyne. Riding the wave of exciting provided by a large and boisterous Millersville contingent, Coyne battled the winds of Hershey Links for a second round score of even par and a third-place finish at the 2012 PSAC Men's Golf Championship. The Marauders finished fourth as a team.
He was in the mix for the individual crown until the final hole. He raced to 2-under-par through the first five holes, igniting his following with excitement. The winds picked up and temperatures dropped, making scoring conditions all the more difficult, though. Coyne finished the front nine even par, but on the par-4 12th, he hit his approach to the back fringe of the green, roughly 25 feet from the hole. He drained the birdie putt to move back into a tie for the individual lead.
"That putt really got me going," said Coyne. "I figured I'd make a couple birdies coming in after that. It was just great having all my friends here watching. I really thought that putt was going to be a round-changer. "
His approach at the par-4 15th sailed just to the left of the green, leaving a difficult up-and-down for par. Coyne bogeyed to fall back to 2-under-par. Meanwhile, two groups ahead of Coyne's, Indiana's Zack Kempa posted a 4-under-par to take the clubhouse lead away from West Chester's Connor Lefever, who carded the tournament's lowest score of 6-under-par 66 to register a 2-under score for the tournament.
In the first round, Coyne played the final stretch at 4-under-par, and with par 5's on 16 and 18 ahead, he could still make up ground. He parred 16 and made an impressive up-and-down at 17. He needed an eagle on 18, and his drive was perfectly positioned in the left fairway. Going for the green in two, he pulled his approach just right into the deep, links fescue. He still managed an incredible par from there, but it wasn't the score he needed.
"I had an idea that someone was 3- or 4-under, and that I needed some birdies," said Coyne. "On 18 I knew I need to eagle. I really went after it and put it in the fescue."
His 142 total placed him in a five-way tie for third with Lefever, California's Jordan Eck, IUP's Jack Owen and IUP's Sean Sweithelm.
"I was in the fairways like I usually am," said Coyne. "But my wedges weren't what they needed to be today. I left myself 20-footers for birdie instead of 10-footers. I just couldn't get the putts to drop coming in."
After Sunday, Coyne had shot even-par or better in seven of his last 11 rounds. He also finished in the top-10 in four of five tournaments this fall.
IUP took the team crown with an impressive 9-under-par 567. California placed second with a 9-over-par team total. West Chester was eight shots back in third, and Millersville placed fourth at 35-over.
Matt Lutz was MIllersville's No. 2 finisher, tying for 15th at 9-over-par. Chris Fieger and Jonathan Heile both tied for 24th. Kevin Davis placed 28th.
The PSAC Championship caps the fall schedule for the Marauders. The spring season begins on March 23 at the St. James Plantation Invitational.
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