HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. -- Senior Lyle Burns (Mahomet, Ill./Seymour/Parkland) wrapped up the fall schedule in record fashion, carding the lowest 54-hole score in school history to tie for third individually and help the Bradley men's golf team to a ninth-place showing at the Austin Peay Invitational.
Burns shot the lowest 36-hole score in school history Monday at the par-72 Links at Novadell with rounds of 68 and 67. He fired a two-under 70 in Tuesday's final round to finish at 11-under par 205 as he broke his own school record for lowest 54-hole score in program history by an impressive five strokes. Burns shot a then school record 210 in April at the Bradley Invitational held at WeaverRidge Golf Club.
In addition to the strong performance by Burns, freshman Drake Bushong (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) concluded the fall schedule with a 71.00 stroke average after he carded a one-over 73 Tuesday to tie for 18th at 213. The 71.00 average for Bushong, who finished in the top 20 in all four fall tournaments, is the lowest fall average in program history.
Sophomore Matthew Specht (Munster, Ind./Munster) matched his season-best round with a 74 Tuesday as he finished 57th overall at 227, while fellow sophomore Daniel Lensing (Spring Park, Minn./Orono) was one shot back in a tie for 58th (228). Lensing wrapped up the tournament with a third-round 79.
Senior Garrett Cox (Mahomet, Ill./Seymour) pushed his team-best streak of consecutive sub-80 rounds to 18, closing out the fall with a 75. Cox tied for 60th at 229 to round out the team scoring for the Braves. Junior Zach Jewell (Mapleton, Ill./Limestone/Illinois Central) was in the field as an individual and tied for 31st at 217 after turning in a third-round score of 75.
Bradley shot 292 as a team Tuesday and finished the tournament with the second-lowest 54-hole team score (867) in school history. The Braves shot a school record 862 earlier this fall at the Derek Dolenc Invite.
Belmont won the team title with a three-round total of 832 to edge second-place finisher Western Illinois (836) by four strokes. UT-Martin was six shots off the pace in third at 838 and Missouri State followed in fourth (848). Nicholls State was 12 shots ahead of Bradley in eighth (855). The Braves were one shot better than 10th-place Tennessee State and held a 12-shot advantage on 11th-place Eastern Illinois (879).
Bradley is slated to open the 2016 spring schedule Feb. 15 & 16 at the Carlton Oaks Invitational in Santee, Calif.
