Golf wraps up fall season with mixed results – The Cauldron

By Cory Linsner

The fall golf season has come to an end for both the men’s and women’s golf teams. A season that has shown both some very high notes and some downsides.

On the men’s side, it was an interesting fall campaign. A slow start to the season was on deck and hindered the men’s team throughout the fall season. The team had a poor showing at the River Run Invitational, finishing in 12th place out of 15 teams. Even though the team struggled, junior Zach Robbins still perfomed well, finishing  in a tie for seventh place at even par. The Vikings then took part in the one tournament that they hosted during the fall portion of the season, the Tom Tontimonia Invitational.

The Vikings found their swing at the tournament, as three golfers finished in the top half of the field. Robbins once again led the way with a +2, which tied him for 13th. Both junior Jules Blakely and sophomore Jack Hanus finished tied for 27th at +7.

In the final tournament of the season, the Dayton Fall Invitational, the team found its best result, as they finished as tournament runners-up, with Robbins not having his best tournament. Both Blakely and Hanus finished as a part of a three-way tie for first place.

The two went into a playoff with Wright State University’s Mikkel Mathiesen. Both Blakely and Hanus made par on the first playoff hole, but Mathiesen recorded a bogey, thus eliminating him. This assured that the Vikings would finish first and second as individuals. On the second playoff hole, Blakely sank a birdie putt to claim first place.

With the conclusion of the fall campaign for the men, the team was led by Robbins and Hanus. Robins averaged a round of 72.2, while Hanus averaged a round of 73.9.

The women got off to a strong start, finishing second in the Roseann Schwartz Invitational to open the season. It was a very inconsistent fall for the women, finishing in the top of several tournaments but also finding themselves near the bottom of others. There were still individuals that performed well despite the poor team finishes.

At the Elon Tournament, both junior Madison Butler and sophomore Meg Rossouw finished in the top 25 of the tournament. Butler recorded a +7 to tie for 15th place, while Rossouw carded a +13 to finish tied for 25th.

The team then took part in the Shirley Spork Invitational, where Butler once again led the way for the Vikings, and junior Ashley Knight both recorded top 25 finishes. Knight was able to record a finish that tied for seventh, with a +7 for the tournament. Butler this time carded a +13 and tied for 19th.

At the Dayton Fall Invitational, the Vikings were tied for third overall after the first day, with senior Rayna Oosterhuis sitting tied for seventh. The team slid on the second day to finish in a tie for sixth overall. Oosterhuis recorded her season best finish of +4 and held steady after day two, finishing tied for seventh overall. Knight finished right behind her teammate with a +5 to wind up tied for 11th, and Butler finished at +7 to finish tied for 17th.

Butler and Knight both finished the fall season averaging a round score of 76, the best for the team. Butler also holds the lone top-five finish for the Vikings, with her fifth place finish at the Roseanne Schwartz Invitational.