The event, hosted by the par-72, 7,164-yard Harborside Golf Course in Chicago, had an eight-team field. The Cougars placed second through the first day of play behind only the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Junior Kyle Bahnick led Saint Xavier on day one. He got off to a hot start with an eagle on the par-five second hole. He hit a speed bump on No. four, when he bogeyed the par three. That hiccup was erased with a birdie on hole six, another par three.
Bahnick was two-under through nine holes, but the second nine had some tough par fours in store for him. He bogeyed Nos. 12, 14 and 17, which would have made him one-over on the day. Bahnick would have none of that, however, and he birdied the par-five 18th hole to get into the clubhouse at even par.
Senior Kirby Brown also had a good first day. He made three birdies of his own on his way to a first-round 75. He was especially good on the course’s four par-threes, on which he made a birdie and a bogey to go along with two pars.
Brown would not be able to complete his second round of play. After the fourth hole on day two, he had to withdraw from the tournament because of an injury. Sophomore Zack Trent took Brown’s place for the second day following the injury.
Senior Brendan Ryan also posted a 75. Ryan’s strength was the par-fives. He finished one-under on the four par-fives. His highlight of the day was a birdie on No. nine that righted the ship a little.
Prior to that birdie, Ryan had gone on a double bogey-bogey-bogey-par run that could have potentially ruined his day. He got back on track after the birdie to close out the front nine and only made two bogeys the rest of the way.
Through the first three par-fives, Kerr was one-under. When he arrived at the par-five 18th, however, things changed. The 73 that Kerr would have had if he had made just a par on that final hole was not meant to be. He instead took nine strokes to navigate his way to the hole, which set him back considerably.
Kerr remained streaky on the second day but played well in putting up a 73. After an opening-hole bogey, he went birdie-par-birdie-birdie-par to get moving in the right direction.
That would not last as long as he would have liked, though, and Kerr posted a bogey and a double bogey before a par to close out his front nine on the second day.
Ryan was even better the second day. He shot even par on both sides to get around the track in 72 strokes.
Bahnick regressed a little bit on the second day, especially on the front nine, but was still good enough to post a 75. He was five-over through the first nine, but he got back to playing well on the second nine. He was bogey-free on the back, except for a blemish at No. 18 that left him two-under for his second nine.
Trent, playing for the injured Brown, was able to improve on his first-day 86 to post a second-day 84 that kept the Cougars in a competitive position.
The Cougar men’s golf team will finish up the fall portion of the season tomorrow at the Trinity Christian Troll Classic, to be held at the Calumet Country Club in Homewood, Ill.
The Cougars will look to win one last tournament so that they can enter the spring season with the taste of victory in their mouths.
Tim Carroll
Senior Sports Editor
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