TULSA, Okla. — Second-year William Pulley posted a 54-hole total of 2-over 215 to tie for 16th place, leading the Harding men's golf team to a sixth-place team finish Tuesday at the NSU Men's Classic at Page Belcher Golf Course's Stone Creek layout.
The Bisons carded a final-round 9-over 293 on the par-71, 6,547-yard layout to finish the 54-hole tournament at 17-over 869 (282-294-293). Harding finished just one stroke behind fifth-place Rogers State (+16) while edging Southwest Baptist (+18) by a single stroke in the 13-team field.
Northwestern Oklahoma State and host Northeastern State shared the team championship at 7-under 845. NW Oklahoma State's "B" team finished third at 2-over 854, followed by Southern Arkansas (+3) in fourth and Rogers State (868) in fifth.
Pulley paced the Bisons across all three rounds. The Colleyville, Texas, native followed up Monday's rounds of 69 and 71 with a 4-over 75 on Tuesday, securing his tie for 16th place in the 77-player field. Pulley ranked tied for seventh in the tournament with 35 total pars and tied for fifth among all competitors in par-5 scoring at 6-under (4.25 stroke average).
Third-year Austin Bibb turned in Harding's lowest card of the final round, bouncing back with a 1-over 72 on Tuesday. Bibb rallied on the back nine with birdies on the par-5 10th, par-3 13th, and par-4 16th to climb 12 spots on the leaderboard into a tie for 53rd at 12-over 225 (75-78-72).
Fourth-year Easton Denney delivered a steady final-round 2-over 73 to jump 11 spots into a tie for 30th at 6-over 219 (72-74-73). Denney finished tied with teammate Drew Simmons, who carded a 77 on Tuesday to also finish at 6-over 219 (66-76-77). Simmons highlighted Harding's week on Monday by firing a collegiate career-low 66 in the opening round.
Fourth-year Conner Geist matched Denney on Tuesday with a 2-over 73, vaulting seven spots into a tie for 42nd place at 9-over 222 (76-73-73). Geist played his final 11 holes at even par, carding birdies on Nos. 9, 16, and 17.
As a unit, Harding tied Southern Nazarene for the tournament lead in total pars, collecting 166 over 54 holes. The Bisons also tied for the field lead in total eagles with four, ranked fifth in par-5 scoring at 20-under (4.67), and finished fifth in par-3 scoring average at 3.23 (+17).
Mathieu Zerwin of Northwestern Oklahoma State captured individual medalist honors at 5-under 208 (69-68-71), edging Southern Arkansas' Collin Spangler (-4) by one stroke.
Harding returns to the course Sept. 28–29 when it travels to Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, to compete in the National Preview at PGA National's Champion Course.
