Nothing but smiles, the IWU men’s golf team has been a force to be reckoned with. So far this season, they have placed second or better in all of their tournaments. Photo credit: IWU Sports
The defending national champions, IWU men’s golf, made the trek to Columbus, OH., where they competed in the Gordin Collegiate Classic.
Defending tournament champions, the Titans had a target on their back, the competition including 15 teams, 11 of which nationally ranked.
During the two-day competition, the Titans played a total of three rounds, 36 holes on their first day and 18 on the second. After the first two rounds, IWU had four of their five starting golfers ranked individually in the top fifteen.
Tied for second was junior Rob Wuethrich, carding round scores of 70 (two-under par) and 68 (four-under par).
In the top-ten were sophomores Jimmy Morton and Carl Christiansen. Through the first two rounds, Morton shot rounds of 72 (par) and 69 (three-under par), earning him ninth overall individually. In tenth sat Christiansen, who recorded back-to-back scores of 71 (one-under par).
Not far behind Christiansen was senior Skylar LeVine in 15 overall, with scores of 72 and 71.
As a team, IWU lead after the first two rounds with a total team score of 562, only three-strokes ahead of Huntingdon College (Montgomery, Ala.) who ended with a 36 hole total of 565.
Not trailing far behind Huntingdon was Emory University, with a total of 568.
Finishing the tournament with a bang, Wuethrich carded an impressive four birdies on the back-nine, finishing with a score of 68 (four-under par). His performance earned him a first place finish individually.
“We are on track to something special. With our win at Gordin being our third as a team this season, you can help but get excited for the future.” -Skylar LeVine
Improving his place from the previous two rounds, Morton tied Wuethrich’s round score of 68, ending in third.
Two spots behind was Carl Christiansen, shooting a 69 (three-under par) in his final round of play.
As a team, the Titans had a finish for the record books. Finishing with a three round total of 840, they not only took first by six strokes, but recorded a team total unmatched by any of their three-round tournament finishes in the last 30 years.
“Going into the last round, I had no idea we were on track to beating a record until the tournament was over,” LeVine said.
On October 13, the Titans will travel to Destin, Fla. to compete in the Golf Week NCAA Division III Preview, where they will see many of the nationally ranked teams they faced in their competition this week.
Regardless of the obstacle, the team remains determined.
“We are on track to something special. With our win at Gordin being our third as a team this season, you cant help but get excited for the future,” LeVine said.