The Saint Xavier Cougar men’s golf team finished the Ashford University Invite in fifth place on Saturday and Sunday.
The 11-team tournament, played at Blue Top Ridge Golf Course in Riverside, Iowa, was tougher on the second day than the first for most of the Cougars.
They finished with a combined team score of 302 on Saturday and 303 on Sunday, which does not see like much of a difference until individual scores are examined.
Senior Brendan Ryan was the best player for the Cougars. Ryan went 73-75 to lead the team.
The second best golfer on the first day was first-year Mark Kluk, who shot a 75. His fortune did not last into the second day, though, as he added another 14 strokes to Saturday’s score for an 89, not good enough to qualify for the team score on Sunday.
Junior Kyle Bahnick was Mr. Consistency for Saint Xavier. He shot a 76 on the first day and a 77 in round two.
While those three golfers got worse to varying degrees on the second day, the other increased their efficiency.
Senior Kirby Brown was good on Saturday with a 78, but he really got his swing going on Sunday when he made his way around the course, which is no easy feat given that it played to just under 7,000 yards.
Senior James Kerr had the most drastic improvement from Saturday to Sunday. He cut nine strokes off his Saturday score to improve from 86 to 77.
Cougar men’s golf will continue on Friday and Saturday with the Bethel Spring Invite at Blackthorn Golf Course in South Bend, Ind.
Tim Carroll
Senior Sports Editor