Quinones Earns Top-15 Finish at The Invitational

Quinones records 11 birdies in three rounds to lead Jayhawks.

Chris Gilbert shot three-straight rounds of 74 to post his third top-20 finish of the season.

Oct. 18, 2011

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. - Doug Quinones posted a final-round 75 to finish in a tie for 15th place with a three-round score of 220 (+4) at The Invitational at The Ocean Course Tuesday. As a team, Kansas men's golf concluded the tournament being held at the site of the 2012 PGA Championship in 12th place with an aggregate of 904 (+40).

Quinones earned his second career top-15 placing after leading the Jayhawks in scoring in each of the first two rounds and recording a total of 11 birdies during the tournament. Quinones said he was pleased with his finish, especially after he shot five-over par on his first five holes of the opening round.

"I got off to a rough start, but I stayed patient and fought my way back," said Quinones, who had three birdies and no bogeys on the front nine of The Ocean Course to end his first round after starting on Hole No. 11. "I made some birdies to finish the first round and limited my mistakes in the second and third round. I played the front nine really well all week (five-under par). I had some really good up-and-downs to save par, and then I birdied the par fives. It was nice to battle back like that."

Junior Chris Gilbert finished just behind Quinones on the leaderboard in a tie for 18th after three-straight rounds of 74 gave him a tournament total of 222 (+6). Kansas head golf coach Kit Grove was glad to see Quinones and Gilbert both have good tournaments, but he noted the team as a whole had work to do if it wants to finish higher in the standings.

"It was a solid week for Doug," said Grove. "It was nice to see him play well after a pretty decent week of practice. Chris was obviously very consistent. Seventy-four is a decent score on that golf course. He's usually a consistent player. We just didn't get enough help from the other guys."

Junior Alex Gutesha posted the third-best score for Kansas with a 232 (+16) to tie for 51st, while junior Paul Harris and sophomores Bryce Brown and Jordan Lowery all carded final rounds of 78 to complete the tournament hosted by College of Charleston.

Kansas will conclude its fall season at the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate next Monday and Tuesday in Las Cruces, N.M. The Jayhawks claimed the title at the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate last season, so Coach Grove hopes the team can recover quickly to finish 2011 strong.

"We played well there last year," said Grove. "Doug, Chris and Alex were on the team that won there, so hopefully we can have some positive vibes from that golf course and finish the fall season on a little better note."

The Invitational at The Ocean Course
The Ocean Course - Par 72 - 7,504 Yards

Team Results
1. Florida - 291-276-291 -- 858
2. UAB - 288-289-292 -- 869
3. South Florida - 294-287-289 -- 870
4. Maryland - 294-286-291 -- 871
5. College of Charleston - 296-288-294 -- 878
12. KANSAS - 302-297-305 -- 904

Individual Results
1. Sam Love (UAB) - 70-69-70 -- 209
2. Tyler McCumber (Florida) - 69-68-74 -- 211
T3. TJ Vogel (Florida) - 74-67-71 -- 212
T3. Branden Collins (South Florida) - 77-66-69 -- 212
5. Trey Valentine (South Florida) - 72-70-71 -- 213

Kansas Results
T15. Doug Quinones - 73-72-75 -- 220
T18. Chris Gilbert - 74-74-74 -- 222
T51. Alex Gutesha - 79-73-80 -- 232
T64. Jordan Lowery - 80-81-78 -- 239
T66. Paul Harris - 84-78-78 -- 240
T66. Bryce Brown - 76-86-78 -- 240