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WKU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS / MEDIA RELATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / February 11, 2018 Men's Golf / Contact: Zach Greenwell, WKU Athletic Communications/Media Relations Video: WKU head coach Phillip Hatchett — https://youtu.be/hkG_bjCwoFM Video: Redshirt junior Billy Tom Sargent — https://youtu.be/xokqaotyjL4 Video: Junior Blake Smith — https://youtu.be/MQHTgQU-jSk Video: Redshirt sophomore Linus Lo — https://youtu.be/kN7NtJA_MB4 HILLTOPPERS OPEN CHALLENGING SPRING SCHEDULE IN MOBILE BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — After the program's best qualifying competition in many years, WKU Hilltopper Golf returns to the course this week to start its spring slate at the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate. WKU will be one of 16 teams competing Monday and Tuesday at the par-72, 7,212-yard Magnolia Grove Crossings Golf Course in Mobile, Ala. Teams will play 36 holes Monday with an 8 a.m. CT shotgun start, followed by Tuesday's final round with tee times. The Hilltoppers enter the tournament after some intense qualifying rounds in challenging winter conditions that produced encouraging results. "These are the lowest qualifying scores we've had top to bottom since I've been here," WKU head coach Phillip Hatchett said. "The guys have been working really hard. They're doing all the right things. Fortunately, as a coach, this couldn't be a better situation. All the guys want to play. They're out here all hours of the day – before practice, after practice. It's an ideal situation." Redshirt junior Billy Tom Sargent, juniors Blake Smith and Stuart Easton, redshirt sophomore Linus Lo and sophomore Tom Bevington will represent WKU in the event. Freshman Chase Landrum will compete simultaneously in the USA Individual Tournament, which will take place at the Magnolia Grove Falls Golf Course. The Hilltoppers finished in the top five in three of their five events in the fall, and they registered 10 top-25 individual performances. WKU also had seven top-10 individual results and four top-fives. This week is the start of a challenging spring schedule, in part meant to help players earn world ranking points for greater opportunities in the future. "I expect only good things for us," Smith said. "We're playing in some big-time tournaments, so the plan is to show some people what we can do.” WKU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS / MEDIA RELATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / February 12, 2018 Men's Golf / Contact: Zach Greenwell, WKU Athletic Communications/Media Relations SARGENT LEADS HILLTOPPERS ON ABBREVIATED DAY ONE IN MOBILE MOBILE, Ala. — WKU Hilltopper Golf’s Billy Tom Sargent started the spring with a strong showing Monday, finishing the first day of the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate tied for second individually. Sargent shot a 3-under 69 in the first round at the par-72, 7,212-yard Magnolia Grove Crossings Golf Course, tallying five birdies with two bogeys. That had him just one stroke behind Florida State’s Jamie Li. Play was called midway through the second round because of darkness. They’ll return to the course at 8 a.m. CT to finish Round 2 and complete the final round. Through one round, WKU was third as a team with a 3-over 291, four strokes behind second- place host South Alabama. Florida State was in first with a commanding 8 under as a team. The Hilltoppers were trending upward in the second round with four players at 1 under or better through at least 13 holes each before played was halted, according to the unofficial scoring. Junior Blake Smith was tied for 18th with a 1-over 73 – his best score of the season – and redshirt sophomore Linus Lo was tied for 24th with a 74. Junior Stuart Easton was tied for 32nd with a 75, and sophomore Tom Bevington is tied for 50th following a 77. Meanwhile, WKU freshman Chase Landrum is right in the hunt as an individual in the nearby USA Individual Tournament after shooting an even-par 71 – the best score of his young career – at the Magnolia Grove Falls Golf Course. Landrum was just one stroke back of Florida State’s Parker Reddig (70). Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate First Day Results T2. Billy Tom Sargent (69) T18. Blake Smith (73) T24. Linus Lo (74) T32. Stuart Easton (75) T50. Tom Bevington (77) USA Individual Tournament T2. Chase Landrum (71)* *competing as an individual WKU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS / MEDIA RELATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / February 13, 2018 Men's Golf / Contact: Zach Greenwell, WKU Athletic Communications/Media Relations Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate final results attached as PDF. Headshot of junior Billy Tom Sargent attached. HILLTOPPERS SHOOT 6 UNDER AS TEAM TO FINISH THIRD IN MOBILE MOBILE, Ala. — WKU Hilltopper Golf turned in one of its best rounds in several years Tuesday, finishing third in a stout 16-team field at the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate. The Hilltoppers shot a 6-under 858 total as a team across three rounds, which marked the first time they’ve broken par as a team since shooting 2 under at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic in April 2016. The 858 total was the team’s lowest since shooting 852 in the Sam Hall Intercollegiate to open the fall of 2016. But WKU really made its mark in Tuesday’s second round, when it shot a 9-under 279 with all four contributing scores under par. That was the program’s lowest team score to par in head coach Phillip Hatchett’s tenure, which dates back to 2010, and the 279 was the team’s best single-round score since carding a 278 at the Dayton Flyer Invitational in October 2013. Florida State won the team title with a commanding 30-under performance, while host South Alabama was second at eight strokes ahead of WKU. Among the teams the Hilltoppers outscored was 46th-ranked Kennesaw State. “I’m really excited about the way the guys played this week,” Hatchett said. “I’m really proud of our second round, with 9 under being our best score for 18 holes since I’ve been here. It was really fun to watch the guys perform, get on a run and continue on. We pulled it together in the final round, so all in all, I’m really proud of the guys.” Redshirt junior Billy Tom Sargent led the Hilltoppers with a career-low 206 (69-68-69) total, good enough for third place – just one stroke behind Florida State’s Harry Ellis and Jamie Li and at least seven shots ahead of two top-50 golfers. Sargent’s second round 68 tied his season low. That was the highest finish of the season for Sargent, who tied for the tournament lead with 14 birdies. It’s Sargent’s fifth top-20 finish of the season and his second top-five. “I think we did really well in a strong field,” Sargent said. “The second round was when we played the best with a 9 under, so I think going forward it’s really good. As for myself, I feel like I’ve had a pretty strong week. I put myself in contention there with about nine holes left in the day. I just had a few mistakes and kind of knocked myself out of it, but I’m proud of how I finished. For the whole week, I just played solid and didn’t get in trouble too much.” Sargent was one of four Hilltoppers who finished in the top 20 individually, including junior Blake Smith, who turned in his best effort of the season. Smith tied for 12th with a season-low 216 (73-71-72) total, using a strong offseason to get back on track. Each of Smith’s rounds in this week’s tournament were lower than any round he recorded in the fall. “Everybody was showing some good things going forward, so we need to keep building that,” Smith said. “For me, first tournament back in a while, I thought it was pretty solid. I’ve been playing really well and working on all the right things, and I think my swing is starting to show it.” Junior Stuart Easton (75-69-74) and redshirt sophomore Linus Lo (74-71-73) each tied for 20th at 218. Easton’s second round 69 tied his career low, while Lo’s 54-hole tally was his best this season. Sophomore Tom Bevington tied for 67th at 230. Nearby at the USA Individual Tournament, WKU freshman Chase Landrum tied for 11th with a three-round total of 218 (71-73-74) playing as an individual. That topped his previous best for 54 holes by nine strokes. The top competition will continue for the Hilltoppers in the Seminole Intercollegiate on Feb. 24- 25 in Tallahassee, Fla., hosted by this week’s 29th-ranked champion, Florida State. “To be able to beat a lot of teams ranked ahead of us was obviously good for our rankings, and it’ll be good for our confidence going forward,” Hatchett said. Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate Final Results 3. Billy Tom Sargent (69-68-69-206) T12. Blake Smith (73-71-72-216) T20.