The first tournament of the season could have been kinder to the Falcons.
Marquette University was impressive in winning the 4th Annual John Piper Intercollegiate by shooting a tournament record of 852 for 54 holes. The 12-under par score bested the previous record of 856 set by Eastern Michigan in 2003.
BGSU had two golf teams participating in the 15-team field at Stone Ridge Golf Club in Bowling Green, Ohio. The “A” team finished sixth with a score of 885 (295-293-297) and its “B” team placed eight scoring 891 (296-297-298).
“Obviously you want to win no matter what tournament you are playing in,” BGSU men’s golf coach Garry Winger said. “We just did not have enough low scores to compete.”
Despite finishing sixth and eighth, the Falcons got strong individual performances by three of their own.
Senior Craig Pickerel was the highest placing Falcon, finishing tied for second in the tournament with a score of 210 (72-69-69).
“Craig [Pickerel] played great,” Winger said. “He had a chance to win this tournament. On Monday, he was at six-under through 12 holes, but then bogeyed three of his final six holes.”
The Falcons also had strong finishes by junior Chris Leake, who finished tied for 10th with a score of 216 (68-74-74) and sophomore Brad Dearsman who had a score of 219 (72-74-73).
Other notable finishes by the Falcons included junior Heath Ziglar (T-34th, 225), freshman Trevor Spathelf (T-38th, 226), and junior Adam Cordes (T-46th, 228).
Chris Shuford of Longwood University was the individual winner with a three-round tournament score of 208. Marquette’s Joe Weber finished tied for second place along with Craig Pickerel with a score of 210. Marquette freshman Ted Gray shot a tournament low and competitive course record of 65 in the first found on Monday, and finished tied for fourth place with a score of 213.
The tournament may have been a disappointment, but now the Falcons found that they have depth on the roster.
The Falcons do not get much of a break though as they prepare to travel north this weekend to Madison, Wisconsin to participate in the Northern Intercollegiate Golf Invitational hosted by the University of Wisconsin. The 54-hole tournament runs Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 18-19.
