JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Senior Jack Dyer fired a final-round 66 – his third final-round 66 in the last three tournaments – to lead the Governors to a seventh-place finish at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate, which wrapped up Wednesday at The Blackthorn Club.
The Govs (285-286-279) moved three spots up the leaderboard with a blistering final-round 279 to tie for seventh with Kent State. The Governors have saved their best for last throughout the fall, with third-round scores accounting for three of Austin Peay's four best rounds as a team this fall.
Dyer was again electric when it mattered most. With the Govs kicking off the day on Hole No. 10, Dyer heated up in a hurry, with three straight birdies on Nos. 13-15 en route to a back-nine 33. He matched that with a bogey-free front-nine to lower his third-round scoring average to 67.8 after four tournaments and secure back-to-back top-10 finishes and his fourth top-20 showing in four events this fall. Overall, the Cypriot tied for 10th at 206 (72-68-66), finished second in the tournament in fewest bogeys (three), third in pars (40) and was particularly effective on par-4 holes, averaging 3.73 strokes per par-4 attempt.
Joining Dyer in the charge up the leaderboard were senior Seth Smith (70-73-69—212; t-27th) and junior Parker Elkins (73-75-68—216; t-46th). After double-bogeying his opening hole at No. 10, Smith rallied back from a disastrous start to shoot five-under for the remainder of the day, including an eagle on his penultimate hole at No. 8. Elkins' season-low 68 in the final round included six birdies on the day, including one of just 10 yielded by the 360-yard par-4 at No. 13 on Wednesday; he's now shot par or better in the third round of all three tournaments he's competed in this season.
Senior John Mark Mills (72-70-78—220; t-72nd) and freshman Tyson Seyler (71-75-76—222; t-78th) closed out the lineup for the Govs at The Blackthorn Club. Mills sank birdies on both No. 14 and No. 18, two holes where the Govs canned a combined nine birdies during Wednesday's final round.
Junior Grady Cox (72-76-71—219; t-67th), competing as an individual this week, sank a birdie on No. 9, giving him a 71 for the day and ensuring that all six Govs who competed turned in at least one red scorecard this week.
The Govs will now break for winter work before returning to action next spring at the Loyola Intercollegiate, Feb. 28-March 2 at Palm Valley Golf Club in Goodyear, Arizona. For news and updates, follow Austin Peay men's golf (@GovsMGO) on X and Instagram, or visit LetsGoPeay.com.
