Rocky Mount, N.C. - NCWC's golf team hosted its annual Don Scalf Invitational on Sunday and Monday at Rocky Mount's par-72 Belmont Lake Golf Club. With team rounds of 282 and 288, the Bishops took top honors for the second consecutive year, led by junior Grady Anderson's 1st-place finish. Anderson carded rounds of 69 and 67 to finish at -8 and beat out N.C. State's Christian Salzer by one stroke.
Wesleyan "A" team grabbed a trio of top-10 finishes. Sophomore Luke Thornton and freshman Juan de Giacomi tied for 7th overall at -2 during the two-day event. De Giacomi's opening round 66 led all Bishop players, while Thornton turned in rounds of 70 and 72. Also competing for NCWC's "A" squad was sophomore Mariano Silvestri, whose 79 and 73 tied for 23rd-place among the 48-man field. Junior Alexander Kidd finished five strokes behind Silvestri.
The Bishops also had a "B" team compete, led by sophomore Dustin Wood's rounds of 73 and 69, which tied teammates de Giacomi and Thornton for 7th. Freshmen Zachary Ward (73-77), Inaki Beitia (77-78), and Nicolas Strafe (80-75) finished at +6 and +11, respectively, while senior David White rounded out the scoring at +13. With rounds of 303 and 296, Wesleyan's "B" squad finished 4th overall.
Methodist University's "B" entry turned in a runner-up finish with two-day team score of 579 (289-290)... nine strokes behing the Bishops. Cape Fear Community College was third, with Averett University and Goucher College finishing 5th and 6th, respectively. Chowan University's "A" and "B" squads rounded out the field.
North Carolina State and Mid-Atlantic Christian University each had individuals compete, with the Wolfpack claiming 2nd, 3rd, and 4th behind Anderson. The Bishops also entered one individual in the form of sophomore Tucker Mooring, who carded rounds of 77 and 82 to finish at +15.
Wesleyan's annual tournament is named in honor of Don Scalf, an icon of Battling Bishop athletics who taught for 36 years, coached for 18 years, and served as Athletics Director for six years at NCWC. During his coaching career, Scalf's teams won Conference championships in basketball (1966) and golf (1970, 1971, 1972, 1973), earning him Conference Coach of the Year honors on four occasions.
Next up for the Bishops is the Royal Lakes Invitational in Flowery Branch, Georgia. The two-day event is set for October 7th and 8th.
