By the end of the two-day tournament on Tuesday, the Hillsdale College Chargers found themselves 18-over-par and tied for sixth at the Findlay Invitational in Lexington, Kentucky.
Through heavy winds and cold weather, the Chargers endured severe elements that affected all teams and drove up scores. Without senior Liam Purslowe, who has been outstanding for the Chargers this season, the team was forced to step up to the challenges. Purslowe could not play this week due to a back injury.
“Not having our senior captain in the line up was an issue, but the rest of the team played hard, stayed focused, and did a great job dealing with inclement weather at times,” head coach Nathan Gilchrist said. “I’m very proud of everybody and how they handled themselves and were ready to play.”
Freshman Josh Davenport led the Chargers on the first day, shooting a career-low 69 that put him at second on the individual leaderboard. He had two eagles and four birdies on the day. He also had three bogeys and a double-bogey on Monday, and shot two-over par on Tuesday to finish the tournament at an even-par 144 and earned him tied-seventh overall.
Sophomore Logan Anuszkiewicz finished two behind Davenport, with a two-over par 146 that placed him tied for 17th.
Gilchrist said the team’s goal was to win, and in the worst case finish in the top five, but they fell outside of that mark by three strokes to Ferris State University.
“We didn’t quite achieve our goal, but there are a lot of positives to take away from the event heading into this weekend,” Gilchrist said. “We did a lot of good things but need to be sharper if we’re going to win and advance to the postseason.”
