Elon University men’s golf senior John Somers won the first individual title of his Phoenix career by taking the Coca-Cola Wofford Invitational in Spartanburg, S.C. April 14-15.
Somers shot 206 over his three rounds at The Country Club of Spartanburg, finishing 10 strokes under par. Somers shot an opening-round 65, and followed it up with a 68 and a 73.
Somers’ victory helped propel Elon to a second place finish on the team leaderboard. Elon finished with a combined score of 837, 27 strokes under par. The Phoenix held the lead after two rounds, thanks to scores of 274 and 272. A final round combined score of 291 allowed Lamar University to catch and pass Elon, but the second place finish was still the best showing of Don Hill’s career as Elon head men’s golf coach.
Following Somers in the Elon representatives was sophomore Troy Beaver, who shot 210 with rounds of 69, 67 and 74, placing him in a tie for eighth place. Junior Will DiIanni tied for 14th with a score of 211 and rounds of 70, 70 and 71. His brother, sophomore Jonathan DiIanni tied for 21st with a score of 213. He shot a second-round 67, but bookended it with a pair of 73s in the first and third rounds.
Bringing up the rear for Elon was senior Stuart Kaufman, who tied for 45th with a score of 221. He shot 70, 75 and 76 over his three rounds.
Lamar won the team title by four strokes with a score of 833. The Cardinals opened with a round one 273, and bounced back from a second round 284 with a final day 276.
Elon is back in action at the Southern Conference Championship in Pinehurst, N.C. April 20-22.