Wood Earns Medalist Honors, Bishops Win Lynchburg Invitational

Dustin Wood
Dustin Wood

Amherst, Va. - N.C. Wesleyan's golf team completed its final tune-up prior to the USA South Tournament on Monday and Tuesday, taking top team honors at the Lynchburg Invitational behind sophomore Dustin Wood's first career win. Wood led the 70-man field with rounds of 70 and 76 to finish at 2-over, while as a team, the Bishops carded a tourney-low 296 in the final round to jump Methodist and host Lynchburg in the standings. The 296, in fact, marked the lone sub-300 round of the event.

Played at the par-72 Poplar Grove Golf Club, this year's LC Invitational included 12 teams. The Bishops found themselves in third place after Monday's opening round 307 -- just two strokes off the lead. Wood led the pack with a 2-under 70, which was the low individual round of the event. Juan de Giacomi's 76, Grady Anderson's 79, and Mariano Silvestri's 82 provided Wesleyan's opening round team score.

Day two saw Anderson and Silvestri each turn in rounds of 73 (+1), with de Giacomi and Wood complimenting them with rounds of 74 and 76. The team's 296 bested Methodist's B squad by a full 10 strokes to give NCWC a comfortable 8-stroke win. 

In addition to Wood's medalist finish, de Giacomi tied for 7th-place overall (+6), while Anderson (t-11th, +8) and Silvestri (t-15th, +11) joined them in the top-15 overall.

Next up for the Bishops is the 2018 USA South Tournament slated for April 13-15 at Highland Country Club in LaGrange, Georgia.