Slade ties for sixth, Bulldogs finish fifth at Connecticut Cup

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Junior McKinley Slade (Saunderstown, R.I.) finished one under par and tied for sixth overall at the 2015 Connecticut Cup, leading the Bryant University golf team to a fifth-place finish.

A four-under opening-round 68 set Slade up for his top-10 individual finish, as the junior carded the fourth-lowest round of the three-round tournament Monday. He would finish at one-under par on the event (68-74-73=215).

Classmate Ryan Tombs (Bedford, N.H.) recorded his own top-25 finish, tying for 24th with a three-round 222 (+6). Tombs improved with each lap around the greens, carding a 76, 74 and 72, respectively. Seniors Joe Walp (Portland, Maine) and Kyle Buschmann (East Haddam, Conn.) tied for 32nd in the 90-golfer field with three-round 225s (+9), while rookie Ryan Brown (Bedford, N.H.) finished tied for 53rd with a 230 (+14).

As a team, the Bulldogs stayed consistent throughout the three rounds, finishing at an 18-over 882 for fifth overall in the 16-team field. Bryant was the top Northeast Conference school, finishing ahead of LIU Brooklyn (9th), Central Connecticut (12th) and Sacred Heart (16th).

TCU took the top team and individual spot, finishing with a team 845 (-19) behind one-two finishes from Paul Barjon (205, -11) and Chelso Barrett (206, -10). Dartmouth finished second in the team lineup (862), followed by Boston College (871) and UConn (873).

Bryant is back in action to wrap up fall play Oct. 24-26 at the NEIGA Championship.