March 16, 2010

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ORLANDO--Junior Nathan Sutherland shot 3-over-par-219 to tie for 14th place to lead the RedHawks, while Miami University's golf team finished in 10th place among an 18-team field at the Rio Pinar Invitational.

"Overall, we were disappointed with the finish, but we know we are close to putting better numbers on the board," said head coach Casey Lubahn. "We got better in every round, and we are learning how to control our motion a little bit better. Going forward, I am looking for us to continue to improve."

Sutherland carded 73s in each round and was the top individual finisher of the three Mid-American Conference schools at the event.

"Once again Nathan was very steady this week, and he's becoming a great leader," remarked Lubahn. "I know he feels like he left a few out there, but he's really the rock of our lineup right now."

Senior Craig Voorhees jumped seven spots in the individual standings after carding a 73 in Tuesday's final round. Voorhees tied for 33rd place at 8-over-par-224.

"Craig rebounded from a really tough start and played pretty solid the last 48 holes. I'm proud of that," said Lubahn.

Freshman Blake English had a solid round and finished two strokes behind Voorhees in a tie for 42nd place. Freshman Brett Tomfohrde also had a strong final round in his collegiate debut. Tomfohrde fired a 74 over the final 18 holes of the tournament to move into a tie for 71st place at 15-over-par-231.

"Brett, playing in the first tournament of his career, did a nice job for us and helped us in two of the three rounds," said Lubahn. "I'm excited for another freshman to get in there and help this team. It's going to help us going forward."

Junior Michael Drobnick, who carded a 76 in the final round, finished one stroke behind Tomfohrde in a tie for 74th place.

Miami finished five strokes out of ninth place and a mere eight strokes out of sixth place. UCF claimed the team title, shooting a superb 14-under as a team. Charlotte's Olafur Loftsson was the individual medallist at seven-under-par- 209.

"This was a very productive week for us. The early part of the week provided some great practices and our guys are really learning how to become more efficient in practice," added Lubahn. "We look forward to returning home to some nice weather and getting back at it."

Miami returns to action April 3-4 at the Irish Creek Collegiate in Charlotte, N.C.