Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Gadsden, Ala. - Stetson sophomore Sam Ryder earned his second tournament championship of the season, shooting one under par 71 in the final round to capture the Young Oil-Grub Mart Intercollegiate title. Ryder made up a three-stroke deficit in the final round to come in at even par and claim a four-shot victory.

Ryder, who had previously won the Bethune-Cookman Fall Invitational this past October at LPGA International, improved upon his first round 73 by two strokes to blow past several other golfers and take home the hardware. Junior Gabe Costa (Tequesta, Fla.) shot even par 72 and senior Dave McAndrew (Barrington, R.I.) carded 73 to support Ryder's effort; McAndrew tied for 10th place at eight over par while Costa finished in a tie for 19th at +10.

Sophomore Andrew Schiano (Orlando, Fla.) enjoyed a strong bounceback round of 75 while redshirt freshman Micah Jacobsen (Fernandina Beach, Fla.) came in with an 80.

The Hatters rallied from fifth place after the first 18 holes to shoot three over par 291 in the final round and move up to second place. Stetson finished 26 over par overall, nine strokes behind host Jacksonville State, the tournament champion. JSU's Gonzalo Berlin was the individual runner-up at four over par, four strokes behind Ryder.