Men's golf finishes eighth in Minn.
Weather, fatigue play roll in team's results
Nick Gourdoux
Issue date: 4/23/09 Section: Sports
Coming off its best performance of the season, the UW-Eau Claire men's golf team traveled to Minnesota to compete in the Gustavus Adolphus Spring Invite. The men combined to take 950 strokes through the three rounds of competition - 102 over par and good enough for eighth place in a 15-team field.
"Weather played a factor," sophomore Ryan Grip said. "It was extremely windy and cold. The main thing is that we played poorly, and we're disappointed."
Last Thursday, the Blugolds hosted the UW-Eau Claire Spring Invite and took first place. The team's one-stroke advantage over the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) gave the team its second consecutive first-place finish, dating back to the Oct. 6 victory in La Crosse. The team then followed up the performance with a third-place finish in the UW-Stout Spring Invite the next day.
Leading the way for the Blugolds was freshman K.R. Rucker, who shot a 235. Despite being 23 strokes over par, the score was good enough to place Rucker in a tie for the No. 21 spot overall. Freshman Jimmy Hutchings, who was playing with Eau Claire's second team the last time they played, finished second on the team with a score of 237.
"Walking 36 holes is something our guys don't do on a regular basis," Grip said. "So our legs may have been fatigued and tired, which can lead to bad shots."
The next-highest finisher was another freshman, Jake Brookshaw, who shot a 241, which placed him in a tie for the No. 29 spot. Grip finished only two strokes behind Brookshaw, while sophomore Loren Churness finished five strokes behind Grip with a 248.
Despite the spring season beginning only a week ago, the Blugolds will compete in their final event of the season on May 1 when they travel to Madison to compete in the Edgewood Spring Invite.
"It's sad," Grip said. "We have a pretty young team, but we really bonded. Spring season is pretty short, but we're looking forward to next year."
"Weather played a factor," sophomore Ryan Grip said. "It was extremely windy and cold. The main thing is that we played poorly, and we're disappointed."
Last Thursday, the Blugolds hosted the UW-Eau Claire Spring Invite and took first place. The team's one-stroke advantage over the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) gave the team its second consecutive first-place finish, dating back to the Oct. 6 victory in La Crosse. The team then followed up the performance with a third-place finish in the UW-Stout Spring Invite the next day.
Leading the way for the Blugolds was freshman K.R. Rucker, who shot a 235. Despite being 23 strokes over par, the score was good enough to place Rucker in a tie for the No. 21 spot overall. Freshman Jimmy Hutchings, who was playing with Eau Claire's second team the last time they played, finished second on the team with a score of 237.
"Walking 36 holes is something our guys don't do on a regular basis," Grip said. "So our legs may have been fatigued and tired, which can lead to bad shots."
The next-highest finisher was another freshman, Jake Brookshaw, who shot a 241, which placed him in a tie for the No. 29 spot. Grip finished only two strokes behind Brookshaw, while sophomore Loren Churness finished five strokes behind Grip with a 248.
Despite the spring season beginning only a week ago, the Blugolds will compete in their final event of the season on May 1 when they travel to Madison to compete in the Edgewood Spring Invite.
"It's sad," Grip said. "We have a pretty young team, but we really bonded. Spring season is pretty short, but we're looking forward to next year."
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