Vero Beach, FL- The Rutgers men's golf team just finished play at the Quail Valley Invitational. The Scarlet Knights would earn a seventh-place finish shooting 15-under with a total score of 856 (278-284-287).
For the first time this season, the Scarlet Knights had two players finish in the top-10.
Graduate student
Rhett Sellers led the push for RU as he would earn his best finish of the season finishing in a tie for ninth place. Sellers would finish eight-under with a score of 208 (69-67-72).
For Sellers, learning the course at the Quail Valley Invitational was not something that was going to be a challenge as this would be the third time the graduate student would be playing in this course.
"It is a fun track and super wide open," Sellers said. "The only key to playing well is giving yourself good looks on the greens. There isn't too much going on with the slopes, so it is easy to rack up a lot of birdies."
The Texas native would rack up birdies as he would finish with 13-over-par the event.
The Scarlet Knights would encounter adversity on the event's last day, with strong winds significantly impacting the final 18 holes.
When asked how he handles windy conditions, Sellers said his home state of Texas prepared him for playing in such conditions.
"Being from East Texas I've learned to fight my ball and take more club in the wind and produce less spin," Sellers said. "This helps me get good trajectory on the ball."
Luke Wells would continue his stellar play for the Knights this season with his second top-10 finish of the season. Wells secured a tie for 9
th place finishing eight-under and with a total score of 208 (66-72-70).
In the initial round, Rutgers would deliver their strongest team performance. Wells would earn five birdies and an eagle after the first round. Sellers would also chip in five birdies for RU as they would finish with the fifth-best score after the initial 18.
Martín León would earn a tie for 50th place with a total score of 217 (70-72-75). He also flourished in the first round as he would post a two-under and make five birdies on his first 18 holes.
Xavier Marcoux would finish the tournament tied for 62nd place as he shot a total score of 220 (73-74-73). He would finish play with eight birdies over the two-day event.
Weston Jones concluded the tournament also in a tie for 62
nd place. The junior would post a score of 220 (75-73-72). Jones would knock down six birdies and made an eagle including a bogey-free final six holes.
Heading into the season, Head Coach
Rob Shutte has prioritized nutrition for the Scarlet Knights and so far, the team has risen to the challenge.
"Coach Shutte has really put an emphasis on nutrition for us," Sellers said. "He's stressed staying hydrated with plenty of water. We've been experimenting with these new electrolyte packets that we've been trying out this semester called Element."
For a fifth consecutive tournament, the team would place inside the top-10. Currently ranked 78
th on Golfweek, the Scarlet Knights are poised to make significant strides in the rankings with another impressive tournament performance.
RU is off for the week but will travel in two weeks for the final tournament of the fall to Loxley, Alabama for the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational hosted by South Alabama.
