Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Mason Rudolph Championship
Blue Raiders finish 11th at the Mason Rudolph Championship
4/5/2025 4:40:00 PM | Men's Golf
FRANKLIN, Tenn. – The Blue Raiders carded rounds of 2-over-par 286 and 13-over-par 297 to finish 11th at the Mason Rudolph Championship at the Vanderbilt Legends Club on Saturday afternoon. Redshirt junior Markus Varjun led Middle Tennessee in the individual standings with a 4-under-par 209 to finish tied for 18th.
Due to inclement weather surrounding the Nashville area and this weekend's forecast, the Mason Rudolph Championship featured continuous play as teams attempted to play as many holes as possible each day.
Second-ranked Auburn earned the team title with a 54-hole total of 38-under-par 814, while No. 3 Ole Miss finished second at 33-under-par 819, and host institution and 18th-ranked Vanderbilt finished third at 27-under-par 825. The Blue Raiders finished in 11th place at 17-over-par 869.
Vanderbilt's Wells Williams claimed individual medalist honors with a 54-hole total of 15-under-par 198, while Auburn's Jackson Koivun finished second at 13-under-par 200 and Auburn's Carson Bacha finished third at 12-under-par 201. Varjun led Middle Tennessee in the individual standings with a 4-under-par 209 to finish tied for 18th.
The Blue Raiders will return to action when they compete in their regular-season finale at the Tar Heel Intercollegiate at Finley Golf Club on April 12-13 (Saturday-Sunday) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
The Lineup
• Redshirt junior Markus Varjun paced the Blue Raiders with a 54-hole total of 4-under-par 209 to finish tied for 18th. He posted a second round of 2-under-par 69 and a final round of 1-under-par 70. He was just one of 13 players to post all three rounds under par on the weekend. This marked his sixth top-20 finish of the season.
• Senior JJ Zimmer finished tied for 37th at 3-over-par 216. He also carded a second round of 2-under-par 69 and logged a final round of 3-over-par 74.
• Junior Luke Perkins finished tied for 64th at 9-over-par 222. He fired a second round of 2-over-par 73 and a final round of 6-over-par 77
• Freshman Thad Whitfield finished in 76th place at 14-over-par 227. He posted 8-over-par 79 and 6-over-par 77 rounds, while freshman Charlie Bell rounded out the Blue Raiders at 19-over-par 232. He logged rounds of 4-over-par 75 and 5-over-par 76.
Coach's Comments: Mark McEntire
"Markus gave us another fantastic tournament against a really strong field," said Head Coach Mark McEntire. "JJ also played well for us this weekend. As a team, we still have some stuff we need to work on to get all five players clicking at the same time. We're looking to build some momentum next weekend at the Tar Heel Intercollegiate before heading to the CUSA Championship."
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Players Mentioned
