The Hillsdale College men's golf team improved by 10 strokes from its first round to finish in the top of the field at this weekend's Davenport Panther Invitational.
The Chargers shot a 308-298=606 to place fifth overall as a team, moving past Northern Michigan on the final day of competition.
Much of that improvement was driven by senior Darragh Monaghan, who followed up a first-day 74 with an even-par 71 to finish at 145 on the Stoatin Brae Golf Course on Sunday, good enough to tie for third as an individual in the final standings. It's the second top-five finish in four tournaments this fall for Monaghan, who has broken into the lineup as a consistent starter for the Chargers for the first time this season.
Monaghan opened the day with an eagle on the Par 5 sixth hole, his second hole of the round, then added a birdie on hole No. 8, holding on the rest of the way to finish in the top five.
The remainder of Hillsdale's scoring golfers were clusted together in the middle of the leaderboard. Senior Gerry Jones, Jr. and freshman Maxwell Burns each finished tied for 31st for the tournament, with Jones Jr. shooting a 76-78=154 and Burns carding a 78-76+154 as well. Senior Drew Gandy was one stroke behind the pair in a tie for 35th place, improving by five strokes in the final round with an 80-75=155.
Junior Will Verduzco tied for 45th for the Chargers, bouncing back from a first-day 82 with a final round 76 to finish at 158. Hillsdale also had two golfers competing as individuals at the Invitational, as sophomore Filippo Reale carded a 76-81=157 to finish tied for 41st, and sophomore Peyton Houston shot an 86-78=164 to finish in 51st.
Hillsdale did most of its damage on Par 5s, shooting 3-under for the tournament. Monaghan and Jones Jr. both led the way for Hillsdale on those holes, each personally finishing 3-under to finish in the top 10 among players on Par 5 holes. Monaghan also was among the leaders in performance on Par 3s, finishing at +2 to tie for fifth among all players on those holes.
While the Chargers were hoping for lower scores for the weekend, the consistent improvement by several players from day one to day two is something to build off of going forward. Hillsdale will wrap up the fall portion of its schedule on Oct. 24-25, traveling south to Lenoir-Rhyne for an invitational.