College golfers struggle

Karsten Creek Golf Club was the scene of a massacre last week during the NCAA Division I golf championship.

Some of the country's best amateurs were punished by the difficult course in Stillwater, Okla., and a pair of Columbia County players were caught up in the carnage.

Like every competitor in the field, Cortland Lowe and Jay Mundy struggled through the trying conditions, but they still had some good moments.

Lowe, a former standout at Augusta Preparatory Day School, got off to a terrific start for Wake Forest, posting the team's best first-round score with an opening 74.

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The Wake Forest senior followed that up with a respectable 75, and through 36 holes, Lowe had the second-best score for the Demon Deacons.

The final two rounds took a toll, as Lowe posted 81 and 80 to finish the tournament at 24-over par and a tie for 63rd place, which isn't too bad in a field of more than 150 players.

Lowe's first two rounds helped his team finish tied for fourth in the championship - Wake's best finish at the NCAAs since 1977.

Mundy, who led the Lakeside High School golf team to a Class AAA state title in 1999, got off to a horrible start in Stillwater. The Auburn golfer limped in with a first-round 87, but Mundy managed to battle back with a 76 in round two.

The senior's up and down performance continued in rounds three and four, as Mundy posted scores of 82 and 77. His 34-over par total landed him in a tie for 83rd - not exactly the way he wanted to finish his college career.

The good news for Mundy is that the Tigers finished eighth in the nation, one shot behind Augusta State University.

Now that Lowe and Mundy have closed out solid college careers at high-profile programs, in all likelihood they both will try to pursue professional golf careers.