Eastern men’s golf team opened their fall season on a high note by taking first place in the Harris Invitaitional hosted by Southeast Missouri.

The team finished the tournament in first place by defeating St. Louis by a narrow margin. With this win, Eastern posted its first victory since the 2002 tournament at Bradley University during last year’s spring season.

Ending the final round with a score of 284 and a total score of 852, the Panthers finished just one stroke ahead of St. Louis. Right behind St. Louis, Southeast Missouri completed the tournament in third place just two strokes behind the leading Panthers.

Senior leaders Dave Rella tied for third and Matt Holmes finished in a five-way tie for fourth respectivly as both players delivered down the stretch. Rella finished the final two rounds under par shooting 69 and then 68. Holmes was also impressive down the stretch shooting a career best 67.

Coming on strong during crunch-time proved to be a huge moment for the Panthers, as they got off to an especially good start.

“I think what’s most impressive was facing tight competition throughout. We held our own down the stretch and didn’t make the key mistakes St. Louis and Southeast Missouri did,” Eastern head coach Jay Albaugh said.

Other teams that the Panthers opposed included such schools as Tennessee Tech, Morehead State, and Murray State. All teams are in the OVC, and with this win, the Panthers should have a good gage on what to expect for the rest of the season.

Of course opening up the season with a victory will help the team’s confidence, especially since they played competition they will see frequently throughout the year. Coming out of this tournament the Panther’s will go into a tournament at Illinois State which will hold the D.A. Weibring Intercollegeiate from Sept. 15-17. The next tournament will be the DePaul Invitational at Prairie Landing golf course set to take place Sept. 22-24.