Portsmouth, Ohio - After finishing third at the Golden Bear Classic two weeks ago, Coach Dustyn Reinstetle's University of Pikeville Bears put together a great team performance and took first place at the Roger Merb Invitational in Portsmouth, Ohio. Tuesday's victory at the Merb Invitational is the first tournament win for Dustin Reinstetle as head coach of the UPIKE men's golf program.
Through 36 holes, the Bears shot a total of 605 (+29) and four different Bears finished with all-tournament honors. Blake Maupin finished first, Tyler Ford tied for second while Jonathan Bryant and Broc Crist tied for fifth place.
Senior Blake Maupin finished at the top of the standings for the third time in his career and the second time this season. Maupin birdied on the 18th hole in round two to finish with a 74. Through the whole tournament, Maupin finished +5. Sophomore Tyler Ford earned all-tournament honors for the first time after clubbing a 150 after two rounds. Ford beat his previous two-round best by 13 strokes.
Adding to UPIKE's success at the tournament was freshman Jonathan Bryant, who had two eagles on day one. On day two, Bryant climbed 17 spots on the leaderboard and clubbed a 72. Bryant finished -2 on the back nine on day two after birdies on 11 and 15 to finish even. Senior Broc Crist tied with Bryant for fifth, highlighted by four birdies on day one.
UPIKE Head Coach Dustin Reinstetle was thrilled with his team's performance and had this to say after the tournament: "This team has been so close, so many times the last two years. To say I'm proud of these guys is an understatement. I challenged these guys this week and they really responded in cold and windy conditions. We had six of the top ten players in the tournament. We led in par four and par five scoring this weekend. To watch Blake win with a birdie on the last hole and then walk over to the scoring area to see the math add up in our favor, it's just an unreal feeling that I'll never forget. These guys have really bought into the culture and ideas of what we want to accomplish here and it's showing this year. It was also nice to have my Assistant Coach and mentor there with me to celebrate this first win. It finally felt like that passing of the torch moment. I want to thank everyone that's supported us this year and the parents who drove the trip this weekend and celebrated with us. The first one was awesome, now the quest for number two begins! Go Bears!"
After claiming victory on Monday and Tuesday, UPIKE's focus will now shift to the Mid-South Conference Showcase. The fall season finale will take place on October 31st and November 1st in Bowling Green, Ky.
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