A standout performance from freshman Oscar Darlington and consistent play across the board helped the Hillsdale College men's golf team to a solid fifth-place finish as a team at the Music City Invitational on Tuesday.
Playing at the Hermitage Golf Club in Old Hickory, Tennessee, Darlington used a final-round 68 to jump from a 15th-place tie after the first round and alone into fourth place in the final standings for the second top-five finish of his career. The freshman shot seven birdies in the final round on Tuesday, closing with birdies on two of his final three holes to shoot a six-under 138 for the invitational, just two strokes off the medalist.
Darlington was especially effective on Par 3s, shooting -2 for the tournament, second-best among all players, and was also under par on both Par 4s and Par 5s in a strong performance across the board.
While Darlington was the Charger atop the leaderboard, Hillsdale got an efficient and consistent tournament showing from all its players on Monday and Tuesday. The Chargers posted an even-par score of 576, shooting a one-under 287 in the first round on Monday, and a one-over 289 on Tuesday.
Junior Gerry Jones, Jr. carded a one-over 145 to finish tied for 21st overall for the Chargers, shooting rounds of 72 and 73 and making par on 25 holes, among the top 10 players in the invitational in that stat. Hillsdale junior Darragh Monaghan carded a 74-73-147 to finish close behind in a tie for 31st place.
Senior Josh Davenport and freshman Filippo Reale both shot a two-day score of 148 to finish tied for 37th overall for the Chargers, with Davenport shooting a 72-76 for two rounds and Reale shooting a 73-75.
The Chargers were the tournament's most effective team on Par 3s, finishing with a combined score of +2 across all five players, and were also among the leaders on Par 5s, shooting 7-under on those holes across both rounds.
Sophomore Will Verduzco also competed as an individual for the Chargers, and got off to a hot start in the first round, posting the best score among all of Hillsdale's six golfers with a three-under 69. Verduzco couldn't match that performance on Tuesday, but held on to shoot a four-over 148 and tie both Davenport and Reale for 37th place in the final standings.
This week's performance doesn't damage Hillsdale's chances of receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA DII Tournament, but the Chargers still have work to do with just two meets remaining in the regular season. Hillsdale next travels to the Bill Blazer Memorial beginning on April 9 at the Urbana Country Club, in the Chargers' final tune-up before the G-MAC Championships start on April 15.
Photo by Gwen Buchhop