Men's golf in the Midwest Region keeps improving at the NCAA Division II level -- and that fact was on full display at this week's Doc Spragg Memorial Invite, hosted by Findlay at the Findlay Country Club.
In its fourth season of contesting the invitational the Hillsdale College men's golf team shot a combined total of 875 this Monday and Tuesday, tying its best-ever score in the event. That mark would have been good enough for third in 2019, third in 2020, and fifth in 2021, but in 2022 Hillsdale's mark of 875 earned the Chargers a three-way tie for ninth place overall in one of the most fiercely competitive early season events the Midwest Region has seen in a while.
The Chargers got off to a solid start in Round 1, firing a one-over 289 to sit in a tie for seventh after 18 holes, but just seven strokes back of second place. Another 289 kept the Chargers in eighth entering the final round, when tougher conditions led to a 296 that left Hillsdale in a three-way tie with Saginaw Valley State and Malone for the ninth-place spot at 11-over for the invitational.
Senior Darragh Monaghan led the Chargers for the second straight invitational with another strong round, shooting a 73-69-74-216 to finish one-over and tied for 18th for the tournament. Monaghan was especially strong in his second round 69, shooting just one bogey and birdieing holes No. 4, No. 10, No 15 and No. 18, and displaying impressive consistency across his first two rounds.
Back in the top lineup after a solid individual performance last week, junior Will Verduzco also had a great performance, shooting a 73-74-70-217 to finish two-over and tied for 25th, while displaying improved consistency across 54 holes. Veduzco was Hillsdale's best golfer in the final round, making six birdies, three on Par 5s, to overcome a double-birdie on No. 11 and finish two-under for the day.
Senior Gerry Jones, Jr. tied for 43rd with a 71-72-77-220 as well for Hillsdale, and freshman Max Burns finished tied for 56th with a 72-74-77-223 to round out Hillsdale's scoring golfers. Senior Drew Gandy also finished tied for 71st for the Chargers, shooting a 77-74-76-227.
Fresh off one of the best rounds in school history, it's not hard to see the promise of a second solid result for Hillsdale, which matched its best-ever score as a team at the Findlay Country Club in this event to further a solid start. That improved play will be needed as the Chargers are set to battle all season long for a NCAA DII Regional Championships bid against what looks like one of the toughest field of contenders for the spot in recent memory.
The Chargers will get another chance to impress against regional competition in two weeks, as Hillsdale travels to Mohawk Country Club in Tiffin, Ohio to play in Tiffin's Kyle Ryman Memorial Invitational on Oct. 3 and 4. The Kyle Ryman Invite has historically been a very favorable one for the Chargers, who have put up some of their best rounds in the event -- including a school-record setting round of 858 in 2021.
LTU Blue Devil Classic
While one team of Hillsdale golfers went south to Findlay, the Chargers also sent a second team north, to Gaylord, Michigan's Treetops Golf Club and the Tradition Course to play in the Lawrence Tech Blue Devil Classic.
Hillsdale's team finished sixth overall in the event, shooting identical scores of 296 in the 36-hole invite to finish at 32-over with a final score of 592.
In his first invitational as a Charger, sophomore and Wright State transfer Peyton Houston led Hillsdale with a tie for ninth overall, shooting a 74-71-145 to finish five-over. Fellow sophomore Filippo Reale finished close behind at 7-over, shooting a 73-74-147 to tie for 15th.
Senior Carson Stohler finished 26th for Hillsdale at 12-over, shooting a 74-78-152, and sophomores Charlie Belden and Chris Desfassiaux each shot a 155 to finish tied for 32nd in the event. Belden shot a 82-73-155, while Desfassiaux shot a 75-80-155.
Photo Courtesy of Findlay Athletics