Playoff Victory By Walor Leads Braves To Team Title

SALISBURY – Junior Jordan Walor won the first playoff hole to nab medalist honors in leading the UNCP Braves to their first tournament win of the season at the 2011 Richard Rendleman Invitational men's golf tournament which concluded on Tuesday at the 6,665-yard, par-71 Country Club of Salisbury.

Walor defeated Carson-Newman's Gavin Hay in the playoff after making a par on the first extra hole. The win was the fifth of Walor's career at UNCP, and first since capturing top honors at last season's Peach Belt Conference championship. He also becomes the second Walor in as many days to stand atop an individual leaderboard after his sister, Shauna Walor, earned medalist honors for the Lady Braves at the AASU Lady Pirate Invitational on Monday.

As a squad, the Braves took three strokes off their opening-round total to fire a collective 289 during the second round which left them six strokes ahead of second place Belmont Abbey. The Braves finished the first round in a tie for first place with Queens but a five-stroke increase by the Royals left them third in the team standings. 

Fellow junior Jonathan McCurry finished tied for eighth overall after lowering his opening round of 73 by a stroke to finish three-over-par. Scott Lambert also lowered a stroke off his first-day total to finish two strokes back of McCurry in a tie for 12th.

Sam Stephenson and Parker Houston finished tied for 24th and 56th, respectively, after two-round totals of 150 (76/74) and 156 (79/77).

The Braves will next be in action on March 21-22 at the Bobcat Invitational which will be hosted by Georgia College in Eatonton, Ga.

Team Scores
1 UNC Pembroke 292 289 581
2 Belmont Abbey Coll. 295 292 587
3 Queens Univ of Charl 292 297 589
T 4 Lincoln Memorial U. 297 297 594
T 4 Newberry College 296 298 594
6 Carson-Newman Coll. 295 302 597
7 Catawba College 305 294 599
8 Tusculum College 300 302 602
9 Findlay, U. of 303 300 603
10 Lenoir-Rhyne Univ. 307 299 606
11 Pfeiffer University 296 312 608
12 Grand Valley St. U. 305 310 615
13 Wingate University 313 305 618
14 Limestone College 312 308 620
T 15 North Greenville U. 309 328 637
T 15 King College 321 316 637
17 Mars Hill College 315 337 652

UNCP Scores
1 Jordan Walor 69 70 139
T 8 Jonathan McCurry 73 72 145
T 12 Scott Lambert 74 73 147
T 24 Sam Stephenson 76 74 150
T 51 Parker Houston 79 77 156