AKRON, Ohio – Junior Gustav Fransson placed third with a 5-under par to lead the Old Dominion University men’s golf team to a sixth-place finish at the Firestone Invitational, hosted by the University of Akron, at Firestone Country Club’s North Course on Tuesday afternoon.
As a team, the Monarchs finished the tournament with a collective score of 9-over par. Going into the final round, the Monarchs were in a tie for second, but the final 18 holes were not kind to ODU, as the team posted a 18-over to settle into sixth place.
The sixth-place finish was the Monarchs’ third top-10 finish to start the season, which is a feat the team hasn’t accomplished since the start of the 2007-2008 season.
Fransson’s first round score of 66 on the par-72 course, which was tied for the lowest score in a round for the tournament, was what propelled him to his top-three finish. He played a bogeyless round, and went on a stretch of birdieing four out of six holes to highlight his Monday morning.
Fransson shot an even par in the second round, and rounded out the tournament with a 1-over 73 on the final day to settle into third place, just three strokes behind Akron’s Fabian Sundén, who won the tournament with an 8-under par, in the field of 81 golfers.
Senior Chris Ayers posted his third top-25 effort of the season, coming into the clubhouse with a final score of 3-over par, good for a tie for 21st.
Rasmus Konradsson finished the tournament tied for 33rd with a 6-over, while Carter Morgan was four strokes behind him with a 10-over, putting him in a tie for 55th. Senior Chandler Wilkins rounded out the ODU scoring with a 19-over, placing him in a tie for 71st.
The Monarchs will hit the links next in the Outer Banks, as ODU will host the ODU/OBX Invitational at the Kilmarlic Golf Club in Powell’s Point, N.C. The event will start on Sunday, October 20 and run through Tuesday, October 22.
ODU PLAYER LEADERBOARD
3. Gustav Fransson (-5)
T21. Chris Ayers (+3)
T33. Rasmus Konradsson (+6)
T55. Carter Morgan (+10)
T71. Chandler Wilkins (+19)
TEAM LEADERBOARD
*1. South Carolina-Aiken (-7)
*T2. Santa Clara (-6)
*T2. Bowling Green State (-6)
4. Akron (-4)
5. Drexel (+3)
6. Old Dominion (+9)
7. Dayton (+17)
8. Temple (+18)
9. Youngstown State (+20)
10. William & Mary (+22)
11. Eastern Michigan (+23)
12. Winthrop (+24)
13. Dartmouth (+26)
14. Ohio (+40)
15. IUPUI (+49)