The first North Central Missouri College spring men's golf tournament is in the books. The team traveled to Springfield, MO, to compete in the Evangel Spring Invitational where the team placed 13th of 13 and carded a 720 for the two-round event.
"There's a certain level of nervousness that comes with playing in your first event of the season. That was definitely on full display with the guys on Friday. The competition exploited a few weaknesses, things that I believe will cure with experience. It's tough to replicate the pressure of tournament golf during practice. As hard as we try, a few of our guys just haven't felt that pressure enough to know how to handle it in competition," commented Coach Craig Sager.
Both rounds ended up being played on Friday, March 10th due to the threat of snow and cold temperatures. Additionally, instead of walking the course as is normal for collegiate events, the players were allowed to use golf carts to speed up play.
Individually, freshman Jamie Connelly led the way shooting rounds of 81 and 80 on his way to a tie for 21st place among 68 competitors. "I think Jamie did a great job of muscling around the course. He wasn't hitting the ball near as well as he's capable, but his maturity on the course allowed him to finish with a respectable score. Now that he's got a tournament under his belt I would expect to see him start contending for medals," remarked Sager of Connelly's efforts.
Next for the Pirates was freshman Seth Gladbach, who shot an 87 and 95 which was good for 58th. Rounding out the scoring were Charley Hoffman (95 and 93), Easton Klaver (98 and 91) and Cade Mullenix (107 and 103).
The next tournament for the Pirates will be on Friday, March 24th at the Graceland University Spring Invitational. That event will be held at the Mozingo Golf Course in Maryville, MO.