The men’s golf team finished sixth out of 11 teams in their first tournament of the year, the Cleveland State University Invitational.
The event was scheduled to be a 54-hole tournament, but due to bad weather, became a 36-hole tournament after the final round was canceled.
The team was disappointed they would not get a chance to play the final 18 holes. The course was tough and the team was in the middle of the pack, but hoped to move up with the bad weather.
“When we see bad weather we kind of lick our chops because we know other teams may give up and we can pass them,” said junior Trevor Spathelf.
Both Spathelf and Jace Walker finished with a score of 156 through 36 holes to tie for 21st overall and lead BG. Freshman Matt Schneider led the team through the first 18 holes with a 75 and finished with a 158 to tie for 27th.
“We didn’t play as well as we could,” Schneider said. “I had a good first round but I didn’t hold on.”
The high scores were attributed to the difficulty of the course. The course had soft fairways, long roughs, fast greens and difficult pin placements, and, combined with the weather made the course one of the most difficult coach Garry Winger has seen in years.
“This was the toughest course we’ll play all year,” Winger said. “It was a very tough start for the freshmen as far as the course goes, but we played well.”
The scores were a definite indication of how tough the course was. The overall winner, Chris Ross from Easter Michigan, finished six-over-par.
“Six-over-par is very high for a winning score, you won’t see six over win another tournament, especially after only two rounds,” Winger said.
After 36 holes of play the conditions only got tougher. Following a half-hour delay of pouring rain, the final round was canceled due to standing water on the greens, making the course unplayable.
“We really thought we would be able to move up with the weather – BG is known for its bad weather so the team is mentally tough,”
Spathelf said.
The Falcons didn’t get a chance to make a comeback and will have to wait until Monday before they get an opportunity to show what they are capable of. The team will compete in their home tournament, the John Piper Invitational, next Monday and Tuesday.
