Sept. 23, 2008

LUBBOCK, Texas - Despite carding a final-round 76, Texas Tech junior golfer Will Griffin dropped only one spot from the second round to finish in third place at the Shoal Creek Intercollegiate in Birmingham, Ala., Tuesday. Griffin, who was a co-medalist at the event in 2007, was 2-over for the event and had the tournament's second-lowest round of 68 in the second round.

The No. 19 Red Raiders finished ninth after shooting a 302 in the final round. Tech was 32-over for the tournament, two shots behind second-ranked LSU, which tied Georgia Southern in seventh place. Baylor (880) won the event by two strokes over Mississippi and was 10 strokes better than third-place UAB. Tulsa (892) and East Tennessee State (893) were fourth and fifth, respectively, while Auburn (895) was sixth. North Florida (900), Wake Forest (906) and Oklahoma (930) were 10th through 12th.

Garrett Merrell finished among the top 20 in a 15th-place tie with a 6-over 222, while Sanitago Rivas tied in 27th place with a 10-over 226. Sergio Franky shot a 16-over 232 and tied in 44th place and Chris Ward tied in 56th place with a 20-over 236.

The Red Raiders continue the 2008 fall season Oct. 26-28 at the Isleworth Collegiate Invitational in Orlando, Fla.