Rain again played a role in the NCMC Pirate's latest golf tournament. This time, the team was forced to play all 36 holes in a single day on a rain soaked course in Fulton, MO for the William Woods Spring Invite. The team placed 13th of 14 teams, shooting a combined 686 for the event. The team's score was an improvement over the previous two tournaments.
"I think the guys are starting to play to their potential. We're not there yet, but we're on the right track. The weather, as it always does in the spring, dictated our schedule and the guys were frustrated. The guys beat the ball around a very wet golf course on the first 18 holes, but they couldn't put the ball in the hole. The second round, we hit more fairways and greens and that obviously leads to better scoring opportunities. Jamie, Cade, and Seth all had good rounds going. That being said, each of them will tell you that they lefts shots on the course. We just need to eliminate that one big number on the card to break through," commented Coach Sager.
Leading the scoring for the Pirates was freshman Jamie Connelly, who shot an 83 in the first round and 76 in the second round, good for a tie for 56th in the event. "Jamie finally got things in order and broke into the 70's with his final round. We knew when we picked him up at semester that it was going to take him a little time to get acclimated. He's been frustrated with his scoring since the beginning of the season, but he was focused and ready to go to work at this event. Each week I say he's getting closer, but then we go through a mental block and start over. I don't think that's going to be the case anymore, he's more aware of his long term goals and I think he's checked-in," remarked Sager.
The next event for the Pirates will be the John McNaughton Memorial Classic on April 10th.