Against a talented field and with tough course conditions, the NCMC Pirate's Men's Golf Team continued to show improvement at the Evangel Fall Invitational. "The talent level of that event is probably as high as we'll see all Fall with Evangel, Missouri Valley College, Columbia College, Bethany College, and Kansas City Kansas Community College. The course was very wet on the first day due to rain and therefore played long into the greens," noted Coach Sager. "The guys did a pretty good job of giving themselves a chance off the tee. Scott, Nate, and James hit more fairways than I could count over the two days. That's key to scoring your ball around that track."
Lewis Hopkinson led the way for the Pirates finishing the event tied for 21st at +9. "Lewis had the hot putter during the event. Only having 51 putts over two days on those greens is amazing and his score reflected it. He had a rough ball-striking day on Monday, but was able to make a couple of corrections on the range after the round and played great golf on Tuesday," remarked Sager.
Easton Klaver posted the second best score for the Pirates. His +15 two-day score was good for a 31st place tie. Coach Sager was encouraged by the result and Kalver's growth as a player. "Easton figured out how to erase a couple big numbers with birdies and an eagle on the second day. He hit the ball well off the tee, but found trouble a couple of times. That was a huge improvement over his rounds at the same course last year. He's getting better with each event; we'll need him to keep improving as the season plays out. He's capable of throwing in low numbers on big courses, he just needs to tighten up a couple things."
Scott Swayne (+17), Nate Swann (+22), and James Gardner (+29) rounded out the scoring for the Pirates. "Scott was able to grind out a good number despite missing greens. He's played enough tournament golf to know that if something isn't working to make up for it other ways. His driving and putting were spot on and that made up for spotty iron play. He's smart; he'll figure those misses out and get back on track. James and Nate hit the ball as good as anyone in the tournament. They missed a few opportunities around the greens that cost them a low number. With each tournament they continue to get better," added Sager.