The first two invitationals of the fall didn't go as planned for the Hillsdale College men's golf team.
It's safe to say the third time was the charm.
The Chargers had the best two days on the course the program has had since it restarted in the fall of 2013 on Monday and Tuesday in the Kyle Ryman Memorial Invite at the Mohawk Golf and Country Club, beating the program's previous best 54-hole score since the restart by six strokes to take second overall as a team.
Hillsdale shot par or better in all three rounds for the first time in a 54-hole event, including three-under 285s in both the opening and final rounds to finish with a score of 858 edge G-MAC rivals Ohio Dominican (859) and Findlay (860) for second place, and nearly catch eventual winner Wayne State (855) for the title.
Leading the way for the Chargers was freshman Oscar Darlington, who entered the final round tied for ninth overall at two-under but shot a five-under 67 for his final 18 holes to finish second overall, just a stroke out of medalist honors, with a seven-under 209. Darlington fired seven birdies in the final round and bounced back from a double bogey on hole No. 16 that could have undone his round with back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18 to jump back into second.
That seven-under 209 by the freshman from Helsinki, Finland was the second best 54-hole round by any Charger golfer since the program restart, behind only Joel Pietila's 9-under 207 at the 2018 NCAA Central/Midwest Regional, and is a sign of the future potential for a golfer who's just starting his collegiate career.
Darlington was joined in the top 10 by junior Gerry Jones, Jr., who posted the 54-hole round of his career at Hillsdale to tie for sixth overall. Consistent on both days, Jones, Jr. shot three straight rounds of 71 to finish with a three-under 213, six strokes better than his previous low 54-hole score. The junior was particularly effective on Par 3s, shooting -2 for all three rounds to tie for the best score among any player in the event on those holes.
Senior Josh Davenport also had a solid round to help the Chargers to their best ever finish, carding a 74-70-74 to finish tied for 24th overall with a score of 218, and fellow senior Drew Gandy carded a 71-74-76-221 to finish tied for 36th and round out the Chargers' scoring golfers.
Freshman Filippo Reale shot a 75-75-73-223 to finish two strokes behind Gandy in 44th place as well for Hillsdale. The Chargers also brought two other players who participated as individuals -- freshman Charlie Belden, who shot a 74-76-75-225 to finish tied for 49th in his first collegiate action, and sophomore Will Verduzco, who carded a 77-75-75-227 to finish tied for 57th.
The Chargers, who tied with Findlay for the invitational lead in birdies over three rounds with 56, showcased massive improvement from their first two invitationals of the season, posting a 54-hole score that was 39 strokes lower than their previous best effort at the Doc Spragg Invitational on Sept. 20 and 21. It's positive momentum that Hillsdale will look to carry into its final two events of the fall, starting with the Midwest Regional at Fox Run Golf Club in St. Louis, Missouri beginning on Oct. 11. The Chargers then wrap up the fall with the National Preview Invitational in Detroit, Michigan, hosted by Wayne State beginning on Oct. 17.
Photo Courtesy of Kyle Niermann/Findlay Athletics