GREENSBORO, Ga. – Three Bulldogs shot under par in the final round Tuesday as Louisiana Tech finished ninth at the highly-competitive Linger Longer Invitational.
 
Conditions were much calmer in round three at the Landing at Reynolds Lake Oconee which equated to lower scores.  LA Tech was one of those low scores, shooting six under which tied for its fifth-best round of the season to help finish the three-day event at 10 over par (297-295-282=874).
 
Niilo Maki-Petaja nearly had a bogey-free round with his only blemish being a bogey on the Par 4 No. 12.  The sophomore got off to a strong start, sinking an eagle on the Par 5 No. 2.  He would shoot 33 on the front and 35 on the back, including back-to-back birdies on No. 15 and No. 16, to shoot a team-best four under (68).
 
Oskari Schuvalow was another Bulldog who almost had a bogey-free round.  Despite a double bogey on the Par 4 No. 13, the sophomore drained five birdies including three straight to finish the front nine, to shoot a season-best three under (69). 
 
Both Bulldogs would finish the event at three under (213), tying for 12th on the player leaderboard.  It marked the sixth top-20 finish of the season for Maki-Petaja while Schuvalow, who was one of just eight golfers to shoot at or under par in all three rounds, had his best finish as a Bulldog.
 
Jake Plumb had his best round of the tournament Tuesday.  After shooting 78 and 77 in rounds one and two, the sophomore opened round three with a birdie and would up shooting a 70 (-2).  The final scoreboard used by LA Tech came from Alejandro Sanchez who also saved his best round for last, shooting 75 (+3).
 
NOTABLES

• LA Tech collected wins over Jacksonville (182), Ohio State (76), Kennesaw State (62), Georgia State (156), Wofford (199), Mercer (164), and Francis Marion (222).
• LA Tech shot six under in round three, tied for its fifth best round of the season.  It marked the 13th time this season the Bulldogs have shot at or under par in a round as a team.
• LA Tech had two Bulldogs place in the top 15 for the second time this season.
• Oskari Schuvalow shot a season-low 69 (-3) in round three to tie for 12th, his best finish of the season.  He was one of just eight golfers in the event to shoot at or under par in all three rounds.  He now has 12 rounds at or under par on the season.
• Oskari Schuvalow recorded a team-best 14 birdies at the Linger Longer Invitational, which tied for the fifth most in an event this season by a Bulldog.
• Niilo Maki-Petaja now has 19 rounds at or under par this season, one shy of tying his career best of 20 set last season.  Seven of those 19 have been four under or better, including his 68 (-4) in round three.
• Niilo Maki-Petaja registered his team-best seventh eagle of the season.
• With their 12th-place finish, Niilo Maki-Petaja and Oskari Schuvalow bested nine golfers ranked in the top 150 in the country.
• Jake Plumb tallied his 10th round at or under par, shooting 70 (-2) in round three.  It was his seventh round this season two under or better.

UP NEXT
LA Tech heads to Carrollton, Texas to take part in the Maridoe Intercollegiate, hosted by North Texas University on March 31-April 1 at the Maridoe Golf Club.  The event will feature three teams ranked in the top 10 in the country.
 
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