Men's Golf Splits at Liberty Match Play Event

Saturday, April 5

Poplar Grove Golf Course - Amherst, Va.

10:00 AM

James Madison University

Liberty (Match Play)

2013-14 JMU Men's Golf - Ben Firebaugh - Action

4/6/2014 2:39:00 AM | Men's Golf

AMHERST, Va. - The James Madison men's golf team played in the Liberty Match Play, a rare single-day match play event, April 5. Madison ended up with a 1-1 mark in the two matches played at Poplar Grove Golf Course (Par 72 - 7,059 yards) in Amherst, Va.

In the morning matches, the Dukes handled Radford, 4.5-1.5. Sophomore Chris Kapsak (Richmond, Va./Trinity Episcopal) and senior Ben Firebaugh (Roanoke, Va./Byrd (Newberry)) went out in the first wave and each came up with JMU victories. Kapsak handled Nick Brediger 3 & 2, while Firebaugh won 1-up over Ben O'Geary. Madison then locked up the team win as freshman Poom Pattaropong (Minburi, Bangkok, Thailand/Heritage Academy (S.C.)) and senior Tucker Koch (Malvern, Pa./Malvern Prep.) each won in tight matches in the next grouping. Pattarpong won 2 up over Conner Hayden while Koch defeated fRyan Rettberg 1 up. Junior Trey Smith (Virginia Beach, Va./Kellam) dropped his match in the final group 5 & 4 to Tanner Carbaugh, while freshman Ryan Cole (Mount Airy, Md./Linganore) and Callum Tarren halved their match.

The winners met up in the afternoon, with JMU taking on host Liberty. The Flames ended up taking a close 4-2 victory. Firebaugh got the only Madison win with a dominating 7 & 5 win over B.J. Kuhn, while two matches were halved. Pattaropong and Mathieu Fenasse played a tight match where the duo halved the final seven holes. Koch and Ian McConnell also halved their match, as neither player was able to get more than a one-hole lead and Koch halving it with a win on No. 17. LU took three victories with Chase Marinelli defeating Cole 1 up, Niklas Lindstrom defeating junior Jon Weiss (Florence, S.C./Sumter (Newberry)) 3 & 1, and Harrison Winger getting a 1 up victory over Kapsak.

Playing separate individual matches, Weiss defeated Matt Harman from Radford 4 & 3 in the morning, while Smith and Radford's Conner Lewis halved in the afternoon.

Madison returns to the course Mon.-Tue., April 14-15 at the Coca-Cola Wofford Invitational at the Country Club of Spartanburg in Spartanburg, S.C.