ANDERSON, S.C. — Freshman Guillermo Quintana turned in a top-15 finish and WVU Tech cut 10 strokes off its opening-round score Tuesday as the Golden Bears placed fifth at the Bruins Golf Classic at Cobbs Glen Country Club.
WVU Tech finished the two-round event at 634, 58-over par, in the nine-team field. After opening with a 322 Monday, the Golden Bears came back with a 312 in the final round.
Head coach Garrett Goosman said the improvement came after a challenging start to the week. Rain and thunderstorms limited Sunday's practice round to the front nine, leaving the Golden Bears to see the back nine for the first time during Monday's opening round.
Goosman said the group typically settles in during the second round with fewer nerves and a better understanding of where misses are playable.
Quintana led WVU Tech at 10-over 154, tying for 11th after rounds of 79 and 75. His four-stroke improvement Tuesday helped him finish just outside the top 10.
The freshman moved into WVU Tech's scoring lineup after competing as an individual in the season opener at the Orange and Black Collegiate. Goosman said Quintana has competed for a spot in the Golden Bears' top five throughout the fall and was encouraged by the progress he showed from the opening tournament to Anderson.
Sophomore Alejandro Gutierrez joined Quintana in the top 20, tying for 16th at 11-over 155 after rounds of 79 and 76. Junior Sean Cooper placed 27th at 16-over 160, improving from an 81 Monday to a 79 Tuesday.
Junior Mathias Maldonado finished tied for 38th at 22-over 166 with matching rounds of 83, while sophomore Pablo Antolín tied for 43rd at 26-over 170. Antolín made the largest round-to-round improvement in Tech's scoring lineup, following an opening 88 with an 82 Tuesday.
Freshman Danny Lin competed as an individual and gave WVU Tech a third top-20 finisher, tying for 18th at 12-over 156. Lin opened with a 75 before closing with an 81.
The Golden Bears also ranked second in the field in par-3 scoring with a 3.33 average and third with 92 pars over the two rounds.
Golden Bear results
What's next
WVU Tech returns to action Sunday, Sept. 27, for the River States Conference Fall Preview at The Resort at Glade Springs in Daniels, West Virginia.
"The experience from them playing in tournaments early has helped them get prepared for tournaments like the Fall Preview," Goosman said.
