Drovers Record Every Kind of Bird in Kansas

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Caleb Smith

Conner Cryer hits his approach shot on the fifth hole during a tournament this spring.

Caleb Smith, Contributing Writer
April 12, 2023

USAO men’s golf team finished their three weeks-in-a-row stretch of tournaments, as well as the regular season with the Bethany College Classic in Newton, Kansas. Hosted at the beautiful Sand Creek Station Golf Course (Par 72, 6675 yards) the 36-hole tournament held a field of ten teams. The Drovers scored well shooting rounds of 297 and 297 for a total of 594 (+18) snagging a 4th place finish. 

Leading the team scoring was sophomore Jax Brewer, with yet another top five finish, with consistent rounds of 72 and 73 to total 145 (+1). On the second day, Brewer had 40 yards to the pin on hole 9, a 337-yard par 4 hole, and he decided to skip putting. Instead, Brewer holed out from the fairway leading to an impressive eagle.  

Junior Tate Trotter played well, with a tournament leading ten birdies over the two rounds, to shoot 73 and 75 to total 148 (+4). Trotter tied for 11th place. Snagging a top 20 finish was sophomore Luke O’Dell with rounds of 76 and 74 to total 150 (+6). Freshman Conner Cryer played solid with his 22nd place finishing rounds of 76 and 75 to total 151 (+7). Finishing out the team play was freshman Jaeden Ellis with consistent rounds of 80 and 80 to total 160 (+16).  

Leading the individuals senior Grant Murphey, his impressive rounds lead him to tie Brewer with a 5th place finish of 71 and 74 to total 145 (+1). Snagging another 10th place finish was senior Caleb Smith, who also tied Trotter for the tournament leading ten birdies. Impressively, Smith had seven of the ten in his second round. Smith finished with rounds of 74 and 71 leading to a total of 147 (+3). Freshman Luca Gisler closes out for the individual squad with rounds of 85 and 81 to total 166 (+22) and tied 47th place.  

USAO men’s and women’s golf squads will tee up April 24th and 25th at the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) Tournament at Waterchase Golf Club in Fort Worth, Texas. Both teams will try to claim a conference title in one of the toughest golf conferences in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

 

Caleb Smith is a fourth-year Biology major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.