The SXU men’s golf team, entering its second year, kicked off the season with a strong showing in the Calumet College of St. Joseph Fall Preview Invitational. The team was strong as a whole, but it was encouraging to see that different players were able to step up at important times over the course of the two-day event.
Day one at White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point, Ind., saw the Cougars place third in the seven-team field with a team score of 316, behind only AIB College of Business and University of St. Francis. The best score of the day for the Cougars was shot by junior Kyle Bahnick, who posted a 4-over 76.
Bahnick’s round got off to a shaky start with a front-nine 42. His first nine holes would not have been affected very much if not for a triple bogey on the par-4 ninth hole.
By contrast, seniors Brendan Ryan and Kirby Brown were both even par through the first nine holes, having each shot 36.
Bahnick and his more senior teammates swapped roles during the second nine holes, however, when Bahnick got himself on track and posted a 2-under 34 that included a birdie-bogey-birdie-birdie stretch on Nos. 11 through 14. Brown and Ryan finished at 77 and 78, respectively, after running into some trouble on the back nine.
The first-day scoring was rounded out by an 85 from sophomore Zack Trent, who would find the second day a little more favorable.
DAY TWO
The team had an even better finish on the second day, placing second despite having a team score of 319, three strokes more than day one of the event.
Brown led the Cougars’ attack with a solid 3-over 75 on the second day. He was consistent on each nine, shooting 38 on the front and 37 on the back, but ran into some struggles on the par-3s. He finished 4-over on the short holes.
Brown made up for his par-3 difficulties by finishing 4-under on the four par-5s, including an eagle on No. 14.
Ryan also had a strong showing, posting a round of 78. He was especially successful on the front nine. He was just 1-over with a 37. A bogey and two double bogeys on the first three holes of the back nine derailed what might have been a great day, but Ryan still managed to post a respectable 78.
Bahnick was not as sharp the second day as he had been on the first. His 84, with matching 42s on the front and back, was not helped by a triple bogey on the par-five fourth hole.
Trent improved on his first-day scoring and posted an 82 to complete the Cougars’ team score. A double bogey seven on No. 14 was the only real blemish on an otherwise perfectly serviceable round.
The Cougars hope to improve upon their strong first event of the season and parlay their success in their first event into eventual early season team victories.
The season continues September 7 and 8 at the Cropper Golf Classic at Hunters Ridge Golf Course in Marion, Iowa.
Tim Carroll
Senior Sports Editor