No. 22 Liberty Wraps Up Fall Slate with 4th Place Finish

No. 22 Liberty concluded its three-event fall schedule by finishing in fourth place at the 2021 Hamptons Intercollegiate on Tuesday.

Liberty, who is ranked No. 22 in the latest Golfweek Coaches Poll, carded a 1-over par 865 (297-284-284) following three trips around the Maidstone Club (par 72, 6,742 yards).

The Flames finished five shots off the winning score of 4-under par 860, which was shared by No. 4 Georgia Tech (291-293-276), No. 42 Northwestern (291-288-281) and Virginia (295-285-280).

Liberty will now take the next four months to prepare for the remainder of its schedule during the spring. The Flames will return to the golf course for the Sea Best Invitational, hosted by Jacksonville at the TPC Sawgrass – Dye’s Valley Course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Jan. 31 and Feb. 1.

Round Recap – Liberty’s Starting Five:

• Connor Polender – T4 even par 216 (74-71-71)
• Austin Barbin – T4 even par 216 (73-70-73)
• Austin Duncan – T10 2-over par 218 (74-74-70)
• Jonathan Yaun – T14 3-over par 219 (76-73-70)
• Kieran Vincent – T28 6-over par 222 (77-70-75)
• Individual: Isaac Simmons – T4 even par 216 (74-74-68)

Field Reflections:

• The historic Maidstone Club, which opened in 1891, gradually played easier each round of the tournament (Scoring Averages): Round 1 (77.74), Round 2 (75.30), Round 3 (72.86).
• The top five teams in the field played the final round at a combined 33-under par (Georgia Tech -12; Virginia -8; Northwestern -7; Liberty -4; Duke – 2).
• Only three players in the 72-man field finished the tournament in red figures with Virginia’s Chris Fosdick posting a winning score of 7-under par 209 (74-68-67).
• Georgia Tech’s Ross Steelman finished in second place with a 6-under par 210 (70-74-66), while Northwestern’s David Nyfjall finished in third place with a 1-under par 211 (70-73-72).

Birdies and Bogeys – Liberty Team Notes:

• The Flames had three golfers share fourth place with an even par 216: Austin Barbin (73-70-73), Connor Polender (74-71-71) and Isaac Simmons (74-74-68).
• Simmons competed in the event as an individual and closed the tournament with the lowest round by the Flames, a 4-under par 68 on Tuesday.
• Simmons led the Flames and ranked fourth in the field with 37 pars.
• Polender (4.25 scoring average/-9) and Barbin (4.42 scoring average/-7) finished first and third in the field in par-5 scoring.
• As a team, Liberty ranked second in the 12-man field in par-5 scoring (4.55 scoring average/-27).
• The Flames also led the tournament field in par-3 scoring (3.05 scoring average/+3).
• Austin Duncan (74-74-70/2-over par T10) and Jonathan Yaun (76-73-70/3-over par 211 T14) rounded out Liberty’s top-20 finishers in the tournament.

Back on the Course – Liberty’s Next Event:

• 2022 Sea Best Invitational (Jan. 31 – Feb. 1)
• TPC Sawgrass – Valley Course (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.)
• Hosted by Jacksonville
• Par 70, 6,858 yards