After a strong two first rounds at this week's Findlay Spring Invitational at the University Club of Kentucky, the Hillsdale College men's golf team had to fight through a tough final round on Tuesday.
While the Chargers did slip down the leaderboard, Hillsdale was able to battle well enough to hold on to a ninth place finish against tough Midwest Regional competition in the event, firing a 877 for 54 holes.
The Chargers cruised through the first two of three rounds at even par, with strong play that took advantage of the team's depth, as all four scoring golfers contributed solid outings. With one round to play, the Chargers sat alone in fifth, just six strokes back of the co-leaders, and with a chance to make a move.
A rough first nine holes in the final round, however, forced the Chargers into scramble mode. While Hillsdale wasn't able to get it all back, shooting a 12-over 301 in the final round, the Chargers were able to limit the damge and claw their way back into the top 10, past several of the teams Hillsdale is in direct competition with for a NCAA Tournament bid.
Junior Gerry Jones, Jr. led the way for the Chargers with some excellent shot-making down the stretch. At five-over in the final round through nine holes, Jones dug deep and played his final nine at 3-under, birdieing 18, 1 and 5 to finish with a respectable 74. Combined with an opening-round 70 and a second-round 72, that gave Jones an even-par 216 for the tournament, good for a tie for 12th place overall. Jones was excellent throughout the tournament on Par 5s, shooting 5-under on those holes to help construct a solid finish.
Freshman Oscar Darlington was close behind Jones in a tie for 25th place, shooting a 73-71-74-218 and displaying solid consistency for the Chargers in the event. Senior Josh Davenport was part of a tremendous start for Hillsdale, going 70-73 in his first two rounds, but was tripped up by a score of 80 in the final round, tying for 47th place with a score of 223. In a tie with Davenport at 47th was freshman Filippo Reale, who shot a 75-72-76-223 as well for the Chargers.
Senior Drew Gandy also carded a 75-77-77-229 to finish in 78th place for Hillsdale, which was second in the tournament among competing teams in total birdies with 53, a sign of the team's potential if it can develop the hole-to-hole consistency it needs to compete with the top teams in the region in the next couple of weeks.
The Chargers have just two meets remaining before the G-MAC Championships in Mid-April, which will be played back at the University Club of Kentucky on the same course that the Findlay Spring Invite was held on. Next up for Hillsdale is the Music City Invitational, hosted by Trevecca Nazarene on April 4 and 5 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Photo Courtesy of Findlay Athletics