With the golf season starting this weekend for the Bucs in Puerto Rico, one ETSU golfer has already finished in the top five of a tournament this year.
ETSU star Sophomore Rhys Davies finished tied for third at the Jones Cup this past weekend at Sea Island, Ga. He faced a tough field and scored 73, 74 and 70 for the three days. This gives Davies a great jump-start to the 2005 NCAA spring season, which kicked off this weekend at the Puerto Rico classic.
“There is nothing better than competition for your practice, I didn’t use last week as practice because it was such a big tournament,” Davies said. “I had other credibility’s that I was trying to achieve, but in terms of preparing for the college season it helps.”
Davies’ European background helped him fight through the first two days of competition, which reared nasty winds and a cloudy overcast.
“I’m pretty used to it, I don’t mind if it’s windy,” he said. “The ball might not as far but I am able to control my distance better.”
During the first round Davies said he struggled a bit because of the weather and his first round jitters. He finished the first day with a 73, still just three shots off the lead. Davies positioned himself for a great weekend of play and kept himself in contention.
“To be honest, the course was playing very tough the first day,” Davies said. “Scoring was high and it was such a good field. It was one of the toughest courses I’ve ever played.”
The second round was a little worse for Davies shooting a 74, still three shots off the lead. The weather was still bad but he credited his great short game for keeping him in contention at the Jones Cup.
“It was a little bit colder and windier during the second day,” Davies said. “I played worse than the first day, but my short game was very good and was able to keep a decent score together.”
The final day saw Davies pair up with the eventual winner, Nicholas Thompson (77, 71, 66). Davies commented on how good Thompson was playing and how he wanted to play at his pace. Davies played well the last day, shooting his tournament-low 70. The final day also saw the weather clear up a bit and that allowed Davies to play a bit better than before.
“It was a really good field, the invitations that were sent out were to the best players (amateur) from both sides of the Atlantic. The field of competition was very high and it was quite pleasing to finish in the top three.” Davies said, regarding the level of play.
Davies finished the Jones Cup tied for third place with Jason Hodges and Matt Rosenfeld. He didn’t get a chance to celebrate in Georgia because he had to catch his flight back home. He was obviously pleased with his performance and is ready to have a great spring season. ETSU freshman Cian McNamara finished a strong 47th place with a low round of 73.
“It was an impressive tournament for Rhys, The Jones Cup is one of the years most prestigious amateur events,” said Fred Warren, head coach of the men’s golf team.
“The field was particularly strong, with most of the top amateurs from the U.S. and from Europe.

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