Golf scores two top-four finishes over Spring Break

Home Sports Golf scores two top-four finishes over Spring Break
Golf scores two top-four finishes over Spring Break

DSC_7913

Spring break treated the Hillsdale College golf team well. The Chargers racked up not one, but two top-four finishes during their week away in Kentucky.
The Chargers finished tied for third out of 15 teams in the SVSU Spring Invitational at Cherry Blossom Golf Course in Georgetown, Kentucky. Sophomore and co-captain Joe Torres led the Chargers with scores of 73-71 to finish tied for sixth in the tournament. Freshman Joel Pietila shot 2-under par in the first round, ultimately finishing four strokes behind Torres and tying for 11th place. Freshmen Liam Purslowe and Peter Beneteau both shot 155, tying for 39th, while freshman Andy Grayson and sophomore Steve Sartore shot tournament scores of 160 and 164, respectively.
The team then moved to Andover Country Club in Lexington, Kentucky, where they carded their best GLIAC performance to date. Hillsdale finished in fourth place – and a mere one shot out of third – among 13 teams.
Beneteau had a personal collegiate best, leading the team with a 152 and finishing tied for 10th. Pietila finished one stroke back, tied for 15th. Purslowe followed with a 154 while Torres shaved off 13 strokes between rounds to card a 155. Freshmen Andy Grayson and Henry Hitt shot 160 and 176, respectively.
The Chargers capped off their hard work in the offseason with a training week in Houston, Texas, earlier in March.
“Houston was the first time the entire team was able to be outside and practice for a couple consecutive days,” head coach Nate Gilchrist said. “Each player was able to see where they had weaknesses and identified what they needed to continue to work on.”
Torres added that the difficult courses they played in Houston, including the famed Champions, was good preparation for the tournament courses they recently faced.
Torres believes the first tournament was “a big confidence booster for the team” and for himself. His hole-out eagle from 130 yards on the 13th hole at Cherry Blossom G.C. likely contributed to that.
“His success this spring is a direct result of his commitment to becoming great,” Gilchrist said of Torres.
Gilchrist noted that this progress can be seen throughout the entire team.
“The program is very excited about the success that is starting to occur,” he said. “Everyone knew we would get to this point and that it would take time and commitment to hard work. The team has proven to themselves that they belong in a winning environment.”
Beneteau echoed these sentiments.
“The team is more motivated than ever to perform and it has really shown over these last two weeks,” he said.
Pietila believes that the team is close to taking their performance to the next level.
“It’s only a matter of time before this team makes the jump from good rounds to great rounds,” he said. “We are so close to bringing together a complete tournament where all five guys play well.”
The Chargers hope to place themselves in a position to win this upcoming weekend at the Jewell Regional Invitational in Batavia, Ohio, before taking on the GLIAC Championships in mid-April.
As they make a play for the Super Regional at Grand Valley in May, the Chargers will continue working on consistency and mental toughness.
Gilchrist credited his players for the rapid advancement of the program.
“We’re very proud of the strides this team has made in a year and a half,” he said. “We have a remarkable group of young men that are reaping the benefits of commitment to hard work.”