The Hillsdale College men's golf team played one of its best rounds of the year on Tuesday for a big final day rally at the Findlay Spring Invite at Boone's Trace National Golf Club.
The Chargers shot a 286 to play their way into a tie for 10th place as a team, a significant improvement for a team that was sitting in 15th place after the first round of play. Hillsdale was one of just four teams to play a round of 286 or better as a team in the event, along with champion Wayne State and runner-up Missouri S&T.
Freshman Oliver Marshall played a key role in Hillsdale's charge up the leaderboard on the last day, shooting a four-under 68 to earn his third top 10 finish this season by tying for seventh overall with a 75-72-68.
Sophomore Maxwell Burns also played a huge part in Hillsdale's Tuesday success, rallying from two tough rounds to shoot a two-under par 70 and give Hillsdale two players below par on the round. Fellow freshman Ryan O'Rourke also played his best golf of the tournament with an even-par 72 as well. That allowed the Chargers to overcome scores of 305 and 301 in the first two rounds on Monday and salvage a solid finish in the critical regional event.
Junior Will Verduzco was solid all weekend for Hillsdale, shooting a 73-73-76=222 to finish tied for 29th place for the Chargers, while O'Rourke improved each round, shooting an 80-76-72=228 to finished tied for 55th. Burns carded an 81-80-70=231 to finished tied for 61st for Hillsdale, and freshman Robert Thompson shot a 77-83-79=239 to finish tied for 80th.
The result, while not damaging Hillsdale's hopes of making the NCAA Super Regional as a team, leaves Hillsdale with work left to do in the Midwest Region in the final two meets of the season. Hillsdale plays in the Ken Partridge Invitational hosted by Indianapolis against a full field of regional heavy hitters on April 7-9 before traveling to the G-MAC Championships at the Pearl Club in Owensboro, Kentucky on April 22-24.
Photo by Emma Purdy