New Orleans, La. – Junior transfer Callum Waugh led Western Carolina to a third-place team finish by placing in a fourth-place tie individually as play concluded Tuesday at the par-72, 7,078-yard English Turn Golf and Country Club. Waugh hung around the top 10 over all 54 holes, climbing into the two-way tie for fourth, just two strokes off the individual medalist pace.
 
Teams concluded the second round on Tuesday morning after darkness chased the golfers from the course on Monday’s scheduled 36-hole day with the third round following on the final day of play.
 
Waugh posted rounds of 1-over par 73, 2-under par 70, and 1-under par 71 for a three-round total of 214, recording his top finish with his second-best 54-hole score for the Catamounts. After carding a pair of birdies in the first round, the Glasgow, Scotland, product finished the tournament with six birdies in both the second and third rounds, tying for the most in the field. He was also tied for eighth in par-4 scoring (4.00).
 
His former Lindsey Wilson College teammate, junior Ivan Ninkovic finished just outside of the top 10 in an 11th-place tie with his second-best, three-round total of the year at 217. The Pula, Croatia, native posted consecutive even-par rounds after shooting 1-over par in the first. Ninkovic was tied for third in the field with 13 total birdies and was one of 16 golfers to chart an eagle. He also ranked tied for sixth in the field in par-5 scoring (4.58)
 
Rounding out WCU’s scoring five, freshman Chase Cline slid into a six-way tie for 19th overall with a score of 4-over par 220 including a second-round, even-par 72. Sophomore Jace Butcher dropped into a tie for 28th, bookending his tournament with 3-over-par rounds of 75 and an even-par second round. Butcher finished tied for fourth in par-3 scoring (2.92). Classmate Andrew Korytoski finished tied for 61st overall, shooting 229 (76-74-79).
 
Playing unattached as an individual, senior Kiefer Bulau was among the biggest movers over Tuesday’s final round, advancing 26 spots into a tie for 25th with a three-round score of 221 that was capped by a 3-under par final round 69, his best of the season to match his career-low.
 
Louisiana-Monroe (ULM) claimed a five-stroke win over runner-up Central Arkansas, 856-to-861 in claiming the team title on Tuesday. WCU (873) had a five-stroke edge over fourth-place Murray State (878) with UT-Martin rounding out the top five with a three-round score of 880.
 
Central Arkansas teammates Kalle Svederman and Noah Blaickner shared the individual medalist honors with matching scores of 4-under par, 212. ULM’s Louis Anceaux – who is No. 61 in the latest individual rankings – was third a stroke in arrears at 213 with Waugh in fourth, two strokes off the pace, and tied with ULM’s Theis Polulsen for fourth.
 
Western Carolina returns to action March 13-15 in St. Simons Island, Ga., as the Catamounts host The Peoples Golf Championship at Sea Palms Resort. The Catamounts host in coastal Georgia for the fifth straight year and the second that Peoples Golf has been the event’s presenting sponsor.
 
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3 – Western Carolina – 294 – 286 – 293 = 873 (+9)
T4 – Callum Waugh – 73-70-71 = 214 (-2)
T11 – Ivan Ninkovic – 73-72-72 = 217 (+1)
T19 – Chase Cline – 73-72-75 = 220 (+4)
T28 – Jace Butcher – 75-72-75 = 222 (+6)
T61 – Andrew Korytoski – 76-74-79 = 229 (+13)
T25 – Kiefer Bulau (ind.) – 78-74-69 = 221 (+5)