Walp paces Bryant to fourth-place finish

WALP EARNS FIRST-CAREER TOP-3 FINISH, BULLDOGS TAKE FOURTH AT NEW ENGLAND DI CHAMPIONSHIPS

SMITHFIELD, R.I. — Behind a third-place finish from rookie Joe Walp (Portland, Maine), the Bryant University golf team earned a fourth-place team finish at the 2013 New England Division I Championships.

Entering Sunday play tied for fifth in the individual standings after a first-round 74, Walp improved his game by a stroke to close out tournament action, carding a three-over 147 and tying UConn's Chris Wiatr to earn the first top-3 finish of his collegiate career.

Senior Samuel Russell (Southborough, Mass.) shot a two-round 152 (+8) as part of a four-way tie for 13th overall, while freshman Kyle Buschmann (East Haddam, Conn.) and junior Zach Garbacik (South Hadley, Mass.) each earned top-20 finishes with scores of 154 (T-18th). Garbacik stayed consistent through the weekend, carding rounds of 78 and 76, while Buschmann rebounded from an opening-day 81, improving his day-two score by eight strokes to walk away with the top-20 ranking.

Sophomore Brendan Rowe (Medway, Mass.) also improved on his Saturday score in Sunday's final round, shooting an 81 to finish 36th with a two-round 165.

The Bulldogs finished the two-round tournament with a team score of 607, just five strokes behind third-place finisher the University of Hartford. Despite holding a two-stroke lead entering Sunday action, the University of Rhode Island came in second with a two-day 600, while UConn walked away with the team title after carding a 588 and seeing three golfers finish in the top-10, including individual champion Zack Zaback (139, -5).

Fellow Northeast Conference member Central Connecticut (613) came in fifth, six strokes behind the Bulldogs, followed by Sacred Heart (617), Fordham (618), Holy Cross (619), Providence College (677) and Boston University (684).

The Bulldogs are back at it Sunday, April 28 when they co-host the Prisco Boulet Shootout at Wannamoisett Country Club in Rumford, R.I.