Golf finishes fourth at G-MAC Fall Invite

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Golf finishes fourth at G-MAC Fall Invite

Junior Liam Purslowe was hot after nine holes at this week’s tournament — poised to place first as an individual — until the rain shortened his game.

“Everyone in the field knew that the event would likely be shortened to either only counting the first day or 27 holes, but we still tried to get through 36,” Purslowe said.

After he played 14 holes on day two, the tournament was cut short, and Purslowe landed in third place.

The Hillsdale College golf team placed fourth of 11 teams in the G-MAC Fall Invite hosted by the University of Findlay on Sept. 18-19. The team shot 454, falling 18 strokes behind Findlay, the first place finisher.

Purslowe placed third as an individual and took the lowest score on the second day, shooting 33 over nine holes.

“I turned at 3-under and actually got to 4-under through 14 holes, which at the time was in 2nd place,” he said. “I knew that if I wanted a chance to win the tournament after the weather delay, I would have to be aggressive.”

Purslowe said his first day’s score lowered his chances of winning the tournament.

“My 74 on day one was disappointing, given I was hitting it well, so I knew it wouldn’t take much to turn the way I was playing into a good round,” he said. “I would’ve had a really good chance of winning if the tournament wasn’t shortened, given I had already played the hardest stretch on the course and the leaders hadn’t.”

But the tournament hosts only counted the players’ first nine holes, since not everyone finished before the storm hit, so Purslowe dropped down to third place.

Sophomores George Roberts and Ryan Zetwick shot 115 and 117, respectively. Junior Joel Pietila also shot 115. Senior Joe Torres shot 121.

The team also played in a secondary tournament, the Irish Hills Invitational, on Sept. 15-16. The team placed third with a score of 609. Hope College took third with a dominant score of 565.

Senior Logan Kaufman led the team and placed fifth as an individual.

He said his ball striking carried his performance.

“My putting wasn’t as good as I would have liked to have had it,” Kaufman said. “I think that’s what I will be working on most this semester.”

Junior Andy Grayson played a solid tournament, as well. He shot 149 and placed seventh individually. Seniors John Burke, Ben Meola, and Steve Sartore shot 159, 161, and 156, respectively.