The Hillsdale College men's golf team opened the spring portion of its 2022-23 season against a tough course and an even tougher field at the St. Leo Invitational this past Monday and Tuesday.
Facing off against a field that included six teams ranked in the top 50 in NCAA Division II, and five in the top 25, Hillsdale had an up-and-down three rounds, eventually settling for 15th place in the event hosted at Lake Jovita Country Club in Dade City, Florida.
A tricky course had Hillsdale over par as a team all three days, but the Chargers posted consistent rounds of 301 and 302 to start and were in position to potentially make a move in the final round as other teams also struggled to post low scores. But the Chargers couldn't quite pull it together in the final 18 holes, posting a 309 round that dropped them back one place from where they started the round in the standings.
Senior Gerry Jones Jr. was the best golfer of the event for the Chargers by far, shooting a consistent 74 in all three rounds to finish tied for 43rd with a six-over 222. Jones Jr. was four over par on the first nine holes of the final round, but birdied three of the final nine holes in a clutch finish to get back to 2-over for the round.
Fellow senior Drew Gandy shot a 75-75-80=230 to finish tied for 72nd for the Chargers, junior Will Verduzco shot a 75-76-81=232 to finish tied for 80th, and senior Darragh Monaghan shot a 77-80-77=234 to finish 84th for Hillsdale. Freshman Maxwell Burns improved in the final two rounds, shooting 77-78 after a rough 82 in round one to finish tied for 89th with a 237.
While the result is not what the Chargers wanted, there's still a long season ahead for Hillsdale, and the key invitationals that will decide whether or not Hillsdale earns a qualifying spot to the NCAA DII Super Regional are still to come. The Chargers have a month off to take the lessons learned from this week's event and make adjustments heading into a critical invite hosted by Saginaw Valley State on March 18 and 19 at Kearney Hills Golf Club in Lexington, Kentucky. That starts a month-long race to the G-MAC Championships with several key events filled with regional foes along the way.