Clayton State finishes solid tied for sixth at Honda of Columbia Fall Classic

PROSPERITY, S.C. – September 17, 2011 – The Steve Runge era got to a solid beginning for the Clayton State Laker men's golf team as the Lakers finished tied for sixth overall on Saturday at the Honda of Columbia Fall Classic at the Mid-Carolina Golf Club.

The Lakers had rounds of 306 and 295 to finish with a 601 in the 36-hole event. Clayton State finished tied with Catawba for sixth, and beat such teams like Lander by seven strokes, Southern Wesleyan by 10 strokes and Mars Hill by 27 strokes. It was the tournament debut for Runge, who is the new head coach at Clayton State.

Wingate won the 15-team field with a 579 (294-285), finishing five strokes ahead of Tusculum and seven ahead of UNC Pembroke.

Individually for Clayton State, junior Chris McManus had the best finish for the Lakers. He fired a 7-over par 149 (78-71). He finished eight strokes off the pace of overall individual medalist Jordan Walor from UNC Pembroke.

Newcomers Ryan Lort and Will Shenstone both had solid debuts for Clayton State. Both finished tied for 29th overall with a 10-over 152 – Lort (76-76) and Shenstone (80-72). Sophomore Tyson Beaupre finished also finished tied for 29th with a 152 (72-80), while senior Clark Nelson finished tied for 56th with a 157 (81-76).

The next tournament for Lakers is the Aflac-Cougar Invitational in Columbus on Oct. 3-4.