IJAMSVILLE, Md. – In a field of 14 teams, the High Point University men's golf team placed third at the Testudo Cup, hosted by the University of Maryland, to register the team's third top three finish of the fall season.
 
"Another top three finish for the team this week!" head Coach Logan Davis stated. "The course was playing very difficult for the whole event, winds kicked up to about 20-25 mph in the first two rounds and the team handled the wind well. We talked about the holes we needed to take care of in the final round in our team meeting to move up the leaderboard, and they did just that. Having the second lowest team round of the day was big for us as well. We were in second for total birdies made for the week which is a really good sign. That means our game plans are working leading into our tournaments. Each player on the team was inside the top 32 players in the field and having each player inside the top half of the field is always a strong showing."
 
Site: Ijamsville, Maryland
Course: P.B. Dye Golf Club 
Par/Yardage: 72/7,099
 
HPU Top Finisher: James Hassell (T12) (74,73,71) (+2)
HPU Team Finish: 3rd of 14 teams —  301, 289, 285 (875) +13
 
Panther Placement:
T12 James Hassell +2 (74,73,71) 218
T15 Sean Shallat  +3 (75,75,69) 219
T22 Jace Duckworth +5 (76,71,72) 221
T25 Andrew Turner +6 (78,71,73) 222
T32 Tommy Evans +7 (74,74,75) 223
T57 Savar Bhasin (IND) +13 (73,75,81) 229
 
Hassell led the way for the Panthers throughout the tournament while consistently improving his score as he learned the layout of the course. He landed 14 birdies across the three rounds and secured an under-par score in round three with a 1-under-par 71. Overall, he scored a two-over-par 218 to place 12th.
 
Shallat joined Hassell in the top 10 after scoring a 3-over-par 219 and like Hassell, he played his best round in the final round and scored a 3-under-par 69. He landed seven birdies alone in the final round, adding to his total of 14 during the two-day tournament.
 
After a tough first round for Duckworth, he regrouped in the second and third rounds, scoring under-par in round two with a 1-under-par 71. He carried his momentum into the final round and remained steady with an even-par 72 after dropping in two eagles on holes No. 8 and No. 16 of the course, both a par five. He added nine birdies throughout the tournament and finished in 22nd with a 5-over-par 221 score.
 
In his freshman debut with the Panthers, Turner placed in the top 25 after moving up 10 spots on the leaderboards with a 1-under-par 71 round two score. He landed five birdies in round two before scoring an eagle in the third round on hole 16 with Duckworth. He finished the tournament strong with a 1-over-par 73 contributing to an overall score of 6-over-par 222.
 
Evans wrapped the two-day tournament with a 7-over-par 223. He scored his best two rounds to open the tournament, each with a 2-over-par 74 and finished the two days putting in nine birdies.
 
Bhasin represented HPU as an individual and started the tournament with his best round scoring a 1-over-par 73. Like Duckworth and Turner, he landed an eagle on hole No. 16 while collecting eight birdies. He finished the three rounds with a 13-over-par 229 score as an individual.
 
"We have a little bit of time to touch up on areas before our last event of the fall," Coach Davis added. "We haven't had much time to practice these last few weeks being on the road, so kudos to the team for getting their work done and all of it showing up. The Qubein Cup is up next, and we are excited to host again, and looking forward to another strong event from the team!"
 
UP NEXT: High Point will host the Qubein Cup for the second time in the past three seasons at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina on October 19-20.