KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. - Georgia Southwestern senior golfer J.P. Griffin fired a 3-under par 69 on Tuesday to lead the 21st-ranked Hurricanes to a ninth place finish at the season-opening 19-team Kiawah Island Invitational on the 6,875 yard, par 72 Cougar Point Golf Course.
Griffin finished runner-up in the 95-player field with a two-day, two-round total of 5-under par. The Glennville native was a stroke behind the tournament medalist, Shat Tuten from Armstrong.
Nate Gahman shot a 76 on Tuesday for the Hurricanes to finish with a 6-over 150. Matthew Whittaker and Jungsun Lee shot 81s on Day 2 and Andrew Ritchot carded an 83.
GSW finished with a 307 score on Tuesday and a 602 overall.
Host USC Aiken delivered the low round of the day with a 295 to jump 12th-ranked North Alabama for the team title. The 5th-ranked Pacers (576) topped UNA (577) by a stroke.
GSW returns to the links on Oct. 1 for the AFLAC/Cougar Invitational at the Country Club of Columbus.
2012 KIAWAH ISLAND INVITATIONAL - FINAL TEAM SCORES
| Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Total | ||
| (5) USC Aiken | 281 | 295 |
576 |
E |
| (12) North Alabama |
280 | 297 |
577 |
+1 |
| (RV) Coker | 287 | 300 |
587 |
+11 |
| Erskine | 283 | 307 |
590 |
+14 |
| (RV) Newberry | 291 | 299 |
590 |
+14 |
| (8) Georgia College |
291 | 305 |
596 |
+20 |
| (RV) Belmont Abbey |
301 | 295 |
596 |
+20 |
| (23) Armstrong | 299 | 299 |
598 |
+22 |
| (21) GSW | 295 | 307 |
602 |
+26 |
| (RV) North Georgia |
298 | 305 |
603 |
+27 |
| (RV) Carson-Newman | 304 | 304 |
608 |
+32 |
| Limestone | 306 | 303 |
609 |
+33 |
| (22) Barton | 306 | 305 |
611 |
+35 |
| (RV) St. Thomas Aquinas |
291 | 321 |
612 |
+36 |
| Tusculum | 301 | 312 |
613 |
+37 |
| Lenoir Rhyne |
305 | 314 |
619 |
+43 |
| Brevard | 310 | 316 |
626 |
+50 |
| Mount Olive | 315 | 313 |
628 |
+52 |
| Fairmont State | 319 | 325 |
644 |
+68 |
| ( ) - NCAA Division II ranking in latest Golf World/Nike Golf Coaches Poll with RV = received votes | ||||
GSW SCORES
| Place | Rd. 1 | Rd. 2 | Total | ||
| T6 | J.P. Griffin | 70 | 69 | 139 |
-5 |
| T31 |
Nate Gahman | 74 | 76 |
150 |
+6 |
| T53 |
Matthew Whittaker |
73 | 81 |
154 |
+10 |
| T74 |
Andrew Ritchot |
78 | 83 |
161 |
+17 |
| T82 |
Jungsun Lee | 84 | 81 |
165 |
+21 |