Photo by: Greg Fiume
Gotterup Cards Top-20 Finish to Close Out Big Ten Championships
Apr 29 | Men's Golf
Whatley adds two-under-par 68 during final round in Baltimore
BALTIMORE – Battling cold and rainy playing conditions, freshman Christopher Gotterup finished tied for 18th while classmate Oliver Whatley carded the second-lowest individual score of the third round with his two-under-par 68 as Rutgers men's golf closed play at the 2018 Big Ten Championships in Baltimore.
Sunday capped an impressive debut at the conference championship for Gotterup, who produced a two-under-par 68 in the first round and followed with a one-under-par 69 in round two at the historic Baltimore Country Club. Gotterup was towards the top of the leaderboard all weekend, appearing as high as tied-for-third after the second round of play on Saturday.
In their first collegiate seasons, Gotterup and Whatley each appeared in 33 rounds and participated in the Big Ten Match Play Championship. Whatley collected an individual title at the Janney Invitational on Sept. 19, while Gotterup had the top result for the Scarlet Knights in five tournaments to lead the program in 2017-18.
"We're very excited about how both of the freshman performed this weekend," said head coach Rob Shutte. "To have Chris in contention throughout the tournament and to have Oliver play the way he did in the third round despite the tough playing conditions bodes well for what they are capable of as they head into their sophomore seasons."
As a team, the Scarlet Knights finished 13th in the field with an 894 (296-297-301). No. 12 Illinois captured the team title with an 836 (281-268-287), followed by Ohio State with an 851 (279-271-301) and Iowa with an 859 (288-275-296). Illinois' Nick Hardy captured the individual title, finishing with a six-under-par 204 (69-68-67).
Gotterup produced a nine-over-par 79 in his final round to tie for 18th with his six-over-par 216 (68-69-79) in the highly competitive field. The CBA product collected eight birdies and led the program with 33 pars over the course of his three rounds, coming in at three under par after his first two rounds on Friday and Saturday.
Whatley moved up 26 positions with his two-under-par 68 in the third round, the second-lowest score for any player in the 70-player field on Sunday. Whatley added five birdies during his final 18 holes, coming in under par on holes one, two, six, 12 and 16. Whatley finished tied for 40th in the field with his 222 (75-79-68).
Competing in their final collegiate tournament, seniors Matt Holuta, Jack Panagos and Toks Pedro rounded out the team scorecard. Panagos finished tied for 56th after he contributed a five-over-par 75 in round three. Battling a lower-leg injury for the entire spring, Holuta tied for 65th, while Pedro finished 69th.
"There were a lot of emotions watching these three guys compete for the final time," Shutte said. "While they didn't get the results they wanted, these three have all been great for this program and have forever left their mark here at Rutgers."
BTN will debut coverage of the Big Ten Men's Golf Championships on Monday, May 7 at 5 p.m. ET.
Final Results
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers men's golf, follow the program on Twitter (@RUMensGolf) and on Instagram (rutgersmensgolf). For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.
Sunday capped an impressive debut at the conference championship for Gotterup, who produced a two-under-par 68 in the first round and followed with a one-under-par 69 in round two at the historic Baltimore Country Club. Gotterup was towards the top of the leaderboard all weekend, appearing as high as tied-for-third after the second round of play on Saturday.
In their first collegiate seasons, Gotterup and Whatley each appeared in 33 rounds and participated in the Big Ten Match Play Championship. Whatley collected an individual title at the Janney Invitational on Sept. 19, while Gotterup had the top result for the Scarlet Knights in five tournaments to lead the program in 2017-18.
Big Ten Tournament recap. @Chris_Gotterup finishes top-20 and @oliverwhatley shoots second lowest final round score with a 68. #youngknights pic.twitter.com/qwp3pkeYeW
— RU Mens Golf (@RUMensGolf) April 29, 2018
"We're very excited about how both of the freshman performed this weekend," said head coach Rob Shutte. "To have Chris in contention throughout the tournament and to have Oliver play the way he did in the third round despite the tough playing conditions bodes well for what they are capable of as they head into their sophomore seasons."
As a team, the Scarlet Knights finished 13th in the field with an 894 (296-297-301). No. 12 Illinois captured the team title with an 836 (281-268-287), followed by Ohio State with an 851 (279-271-301) and Iowa with an 859 (288-275-296). Illinois' Nick Hardy captured the individual title, finishing with a six-under-par 204 (69-68-67).
Gotterup produced a nine-over-par 79 in his final round to tie for 18th with his six-over-par 216 (68-69-79) in the highly competitive field. The CBA product collected eight birdies and led the program with 33 pars over the course of his three rounds, coming in at three under par after his first two rounds on Friday and Saturday.
Whatley moved up 26 positions with his two-under-par 68 in the third round, the second-lowest score for any player in the 70-player field on Sunday. Whatley added five birdies during his final 18 holes, coming in under par on holes one, two, six, 12 and 16. Whatley finished tied for 40th in the field with his 222 (75-79-68).
Freshman @oliver_whatley4 shoots a 2-under 68 in the final round of the Big Ten Championship! The second lowest score of the day. #youngknights pic.twitter.com/fQI2OLGuBq
— RU Mens Golf (@RUMensGolf) April 29, 2018
Competing in their final collegiate tournament, seniors Matt Holuta, Jack Panagos and Toks Pedro rounded out the team scorecard. Panagos finished tied for 56th after he contributed a five-over-par 75 in round three. Battling a lower-leg injury for the entire spring, Holuta tied for 65th, while Pedro finished 69th.
"There were a lot of emotions watching these three guys compete for the final time," Shutte said. "While they didn't get the results they wanted, these three have all been great for this program and have forever left their mark here at Rutgers."
BTN will debut coverage of the Big Ten Men's Golf Championships on Monday, May 7 at 5 p.m. ET.
Final Results
| Place | Player | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| T18 | Christopher Gotterup | 68 (-2) | 69 (-1) | 79 (+9) | 216 |
| T40 | Oliver Whatley | 75 (+5) | 79 (+9) | 68 (-2) | 222 |
| T56 | Jack Panagos | 76 (+6) | 75 (+5) | 75 (+5) | 226 |
| T65 | Matt Holuta | 77 (+7) | 74 (+4) | 79 (+9) | 230 |
| 69 | Toks Pedro | 78 (+8) | 83 (+13) | 84 (+14) | 245 |
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers men's golf, follow the program on Twitter (@RUMensGolf) and on Instagram (rutgersmensgolf). For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.
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