Marshall University Athletics
Herd’s Ryan Bilby Wins The 90th W.Va. Open
7/28/2023 9:00:00 PM | Men's Golf
Marshall junior becomes 1st amateur in 19 years to hoist trophy
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall junior golfer Ryan Bilby fired a final-round 65 to finish at 10-under overall, earning victory in the 90th W.Va. Open by two strokes on Friday at Berry Hills Country Club in Charleston, W.Va.
Bilby's 5-under 65 in the final round was the top score in the final round and he finished out in style with a birdie on No. 9 – his final hole of the day – to become the first amateur since 2004 to hoist the trophy following a W.Va. Open win.
"I am so happy for Ryan!" Marshall men's golf coach Matt Grobe said. "He's worked so hard to put himself in a position to win tournaments. It's great to see it finally paying off. He's had an incredible summer."
Bilby started the day as the only amateur in the final group, along with pros Mason Williams (formerly of Sun Belt rival Georgia Southern) and former Marshall golfer Will Evans.
After a bogey on his first hole of the day (No. 10), Bilby turned things around in a two-hole stretch, birdieing the par-3 12th hole before notching an eagle on the par-5 13th – one of only six eagles of the week in the 54-hole tournament.
From there, Bilby never relented, adding a birdie on No. 17 to shoot a 31 on the back nine, which gave him momentum as he made the turn.
As other golfers made mistakes, the Follansbee, W.Va., native remained steady, adding to his birdie count on No. 2 before avoiding trouble en route to six consecutive pars.
Bilby then capped off his celebration with a birdie on the par-5 9th hole to put the signature on one of the most impressive wins in recent W.Va. Open memory.
In addition to Bilby's remarkable performance, it was a banner day for the Marshall men's golf team as they finished with three competitors in the top-20.
Joseph Kalaskey finished at 3-over for the tournament to earn a tie for 12th place while Clayton Thomas ended the tournament at 5-over to tie for 17th place.
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---HerdZone.com---
