NEC CHAMPIONS! Bulldogs head to NCAA tournament after winning second NEC title
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Seniors Ryan Tombs (Bedford, N.H.) and John Roberts (West Hartford, Conn.) and sophomore Ryan Brown (Bedford, N.H.) all shot an even par round of 72 to help lead the Bryant University golf team to the 2017 Northeast Conference Championship on Sunday at LPGA International.
Bryant finished 26 strokes ahead of second-place finisher Fairleigh Dickinson with a three-day score of 884 to claim the program's second NEC title and first since 2014.
The Bulldogs led this year's conference tournament throughout, taking a nine-shot lead after the first round and led by 15 strokes heading into Sunday's final.
Robert Morris, which entered the final round ahead of FDU in second place, managed to take two shots off the Bulldogs' lead early on Sunday, but the entire Bulldog lineup turned in a very strong and consistent round and pushed the lead to 22 after the final group hit the turn. Tombs and senior classmate McKinley Slade (Saunderstown, RI) each birdied the eighth with Slade just missing an eagle opportunity following a terrific second shot on the par-5, 509-yard hole.
Tombs, who finished second overall individually, was very consistent on the green on Sunday. The senior made several key pars and finished with three birdies on the day to card a 72, including a birdie on the 18th and final hole of the tournament to finish with a three-day score of 217.
Roberts was steady throughout the weekend, shooting a 76 on Friday and 76 again in the second round on Saturday. On Sunday, the senior followed with a round of 72 with just two bogeys and three birdies on his card. One over par on the front nine, Roberts closed out the back with six pars and two birdies.
Brown also had a fantastic tournament for the Bulldogs. The sophomore shot a 74 in the second round on Saturday and finished the final round on Sunday 14 pars and two birdies to enter the clubhouse with a 72. Freshman Will Del Biaggio (San Jose, Calif.) finished his first tournament with a score of 75 thanks to three birdies on the front nine and adding a birdie on the par-4, 434-yard 17th.
Bryant will now move on to the NCAA Division I men's golf championship. The tournament bracket will be announced this Thursday, May 4 at noon on the Golf Channel with regional play scheduled for May 15-17, 2017.