Haydt medals as Nittany Lions place 3rd at PSU Hazleton Eastern Regional PSUAC Tournament

Conyngham, Pa. - Senior Brandon Haydt (Hobbie, Pa.) led the field on his home course at the Penn State University Athletic Conference Regional Tournament at Valley Country Club, but the veteran's fine round was the exception on Monday. Penn State Hazleton finished in third place with a score of 362 behind Penn State Lehigh Valley's second place score of 350 and Penn State Wilkes-Barre's winning total of 344.  

Haydt's round was mired by several big numbers, but the Hazleton captain was able to put the blemishes in his rear view mirror and regain command of his golf swing. Haydt followed each of his holes played over par, with either a par or a birdie, never compounding his errors. After shooting a plus six 41 on the front side that included a double bogey on hole two and a triple bogey on the fifth, Haydt shot minus two over his next seven holes including birdies on 10 and 14. Haydt was in excellent shape to finish at plus five for the day when he buried his approach shot into deep green-side rough on his final hole. The senior would go on to make triple bogey at the finishing hole, his second such mark on the day, completing his round with a tournament winning score of eight over par, 79.

Haydt wasn't the only player troubled by large numbers on the scorecard, but he was one of only a few in the tournament who were able to tame the fast greens of Valley Country Club. His teammates were not so fortunate. Only freshman Katie Behnert (Montandon, Pa.) was able to card a score under 90 as she posted a round of 16 over par (87). Rounding out the field for Penn State Hazleton was sophomore Ty Morzilla (Berwick, Pa.) with an uncharacteristic round of 94, and senior Gary Hunt (Berwick, Pa.) with a tally of 102.   

Next up: Penn State Hazleton will need to go low collectively as they continue to seek their first victory of the season. The team will next take to the course on Tuesday, October 6 when they head to Irem Temple Country Club in Dallas Pa. for the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Invitational.