After playing their first tournament close to home, USAO’s men’s golf team loaded up with their sights on Hawks Creek Golf Club (par 72, 6898 yards) in Westworth Village, TX for the Texas Intercollegiate tournament. The team’s second tournament started Monday, Sept. 11 and finished Tuesday, Sept. 12. The Drovers challenged seven other teams and placed 6th after three rounds of play.
“We had multiple guys return after putting in a ton of work over the summer, and the results in qualifying and in our first events have been evident. I’m looking forward to seeing that trend continue,” Luke Burns, head coach for men’s golf, said. “Our focus is always on getting everyone firing on all cylinders at the same time to start beating more teams ranked much higher than we are currently.”
The team was comprised of nine players; Five player’s scores went towards the team score while the remaining four played as individuals. Conner Cryer, Luca Gisler, Jax Brewer, Jaeden Ellis, and Caleb Smith contributed to the team’s score.
Cryer found himself in a good spot after the first round with a score of 70 (-2). His second round was a little shaky, with a score of 75 (+3). Cryer put his head down for his third round, which was played Tuesday morning, with a score of 71 (-1). All three of Cryer’s rounds contributed to the team’s overall score, which was 878 (+14).
Two of Gisler’s scores contributed to the team score. His round scores included 77 (+5), 75 (+3), and 76 (+4). Brewer also contributed two scores for the team, with rounds of 80 (+8), 71 (-1), and 74 (+2). Ellis was consistent with his scores of 75 (+3), 76 (+4), and 75 (+3).
Smith, like Cryer, contributed all three of his scores to the team. His first round was one under par with a score of 71. His next round was shaky, with a score of 75 (+3). Finally, his last round, and the team’s best score for the tournament, was 69 (-3).
“We played well, and our bad rounds are getting better. We just got to eliminate the thoughtless mistakes because those go a long way by the end of the tournament,” Smith said on how he thought the team played.
USAO’s four individuals, who’s scores did not contribute to the team score, included Luke O’Dell, Tate Trotter, Cooper Hardison, and Tucker McDonald.
Hardison put himself up for success, with the lowest induvial score on the Drover’s lineup. He shot 72, 72, and 73 (+1). Trotter followed him, with scores of 75 (+3), 74 (+2), and 76 (+4). McDonald was next with scores of 75 (+3), 79 (+7), and 76 (+4). O’Dell wrapped up with scores of 75 (+3), 77 (+5), and 80 (+8).
“Good golf is appropriately measured by how well we play on our bad days rather than how well we play on our best days. When I compare our results from years past, it’s remarkable how much better our bad days are as a team,” Burns said. “Our expectation for the Friends Invitational is to finish the week being better as a team than when we started it.”
The Drovers will travel to Crestview Country Club in Wichita, KS for their third tournament, the Friends Invitational, Monday, Sept. 18 and Tuesday, Sept. 19.
Emily Loughridge is a third-year communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
