Merzbacher Ties for Second in Augusta

April 03, 2016 | Men's Golf

April 3, 2016

Team Results | Player Results

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- In one of the most talented tournament fields of the 2015-16 season, Chad Merzbacher finished in a tie for second after posting a 9-under 207 at the 3M Augusta Invitational.

Team Scores

1. Illinois: 271-290-276--837 (-27)
2. Texas 276-285-279--840 (-24)
3. Augusta: 275-283-288--846 (-18)
4. Georgia 282-287-285--854 (-10)
5. USF: 273-289-294--856 (-8)
6. New Mexico 285-287-290--862 (-2)
T7. Tennessee 286-286-296--868 (+4)
T7. Houston 285-292-291--868 (+4)
9. Kennesaw State 286-290-294--870 (+6)
T10. Coastal Carolina 290-291-295--876 (+12)
T10. Pepperdine 284-292-300--876 (+12)
12. UCF 285-298-297--880 (+16)
13. South Carolina-Aiken 296-292-295--883 (+19)
14. Virginia Tech 288-297-304--889 (+25)
15. Presbyterian College 292-299-898--898 (+34)

Individual Scores

1. Beau Hossler (Texas): 68-68-69--205 (-11)
T2. Chad Merzbacher (Tennessee): 69-68-70--207 (-9)
T2. Charlie Danielson (Illinois): 66-73-68--207 (-9)
T4. Robin Petersson (Augusta): 68-69-71--208 (-8)
T4. Manuel Elvira (UCF): 65-72-71--208 (-8)
T4. Thomas Detry (Illinois): 66-73-69--208 (-8)

Tennessee Scores

T2. Chad Merzbacher: 69-68-70--207 (-9)
T27. Michael Nagy: 75-68-74--217 (+1)
T38. Jack Smith: 70-75-75--220 (+4)
T57. Lorenzo Scalise: 73-75-78--226 (+10)
T62. Nicklas Mattner: 74-77-77--228 (+12)

Going into the final round, Merzbacher sat in a tie for second, one back of the lead. The senior carded three final round birdies en route to his 2-under 70 and was the clubhouse leader until Texas's Beau Hossler, who played in the final group and ranks No. 1 in GolfStat, took the individual title at 11-under.

"I played really well this weekend," Merzbacher said. "I just stuck to what I've been doing all year. I was able to strike the ball well and putted pretty solid. If you do that, you can shoot good scores."

For the second consecutive tournament, Merzbacher finished in a tie for second and has finished four straight tournaments in the top 10. With the second place finish, the Dublin, Ohio, native has placed top 10 in six tournaments in the 2015-16 season and has finished with a par or better round in seven consecutive rounds.

As a team, the Vols carded a final round 8-over 296 and finished the tournament tied for seventh with an overall 4-over 868. No. 4 Illinois took the team title, finishing 27-under.

Despite a rough start for Michael Nagy, the senior ended his final round with consecutive birdies to finish with a 2-over 74. For the tournament, Nagy placed in a tie for 27th after scoring a 1-over 217.

Jack Smith carded a 3-over 75 with two back-nine birdies in the final round of the invitational. The Knoxville, Tennessee, product finished with a 4-over 220 for the tournament and tied for 38th.

Freshman Nicklas Mattner carded his second eagle of the invitational en route to his closing round 5-over 77. The German finished in a tie for 62nd with his overall 12-over 228. Lorenzo Scalise shot a 6-over 78 Sunday and finished the tournament 10-over, placing in a tie for 57th.

What's Next

The Big Orange will take a week off competition before the SEC Championship in St. Simons Island, Georgia, April 15-17. Played on the Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club, the 6,898-yard course plays as a par 70.

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