This post was written by Hatchet reporter Rob Bartinchak.

The men’s golf team opened up spring tournament play Tuesday with a 14th place finish at the 2014 Arizona Intercollegiate tournament in Tucscon, Ariz.

The Colonials combined for 87-over par 939, led by junior Jack Persons’ tie for 37th place at 12-over par (78-72-75=225). Persons’ second-round 72 (+1) was his best round of the season and helped him earn just his second tournament with all three rounds in the 70s. His 10 birdies were good for sixth overall in the tournament.

GW’s last place finish came in a field with six Top 50 teams. No. 4 California won the tournament with a combined score of 853 (281-285-287=+1), while
host Arizona finished in second (+15) and No. 16 New Mexico (+19) rounded out the top three.

Freshman Michael Heda also finished with all three rounds in the 70s (76-77-79=232), good enough for a tie for 60th. Persons and Heda didn’t get too much more help from their teammates, though, with sophomore Michael Helton finishing T-74 (81-78-79=238), freshman Lucas Farmer finishing 81st (85-79-82=246) and senior Graham Lawyer (83-82-90=255) grabbing 83rd.

This is the furthest west the team will travel in the spring, as GW’s next tournaments will take place in Florida, West Virginia, South Carolina and Maryland. The team is coming off a fall season in which their best finish was a tie for 13th out of 16 teams. This tournament marks their second straight last place finish, going back to the fall season.

Then Colonials will have about a month off from competition, next competing from March 10-11 in the Bash at the Beach in North Myrtle Beach, S.C.