Freshman Jackson Piacsek attempts a putt. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department

The Hillsdale men’s golf team placed in both of their two tournaments to start the year. At the Malone-Glenmoor Invitational two weekends ago, Hillsdale led through two rounds and finished third out of the thirteen teams.

Individually, Hillsdale finished with three players in the top eight. 

Headlining this group was freshman Aryan Sharma. Sharma shot a 70 in his opening round before finishing with a 73, enough to place seventh overall in his opening tournament. The freshman says his shift to college has been good and that he is optimistic for the upcoming season.

“The transition to college golf has been smooth. There are a lot more players than I am used to but competing as a team is super fun and we get along well,” Sharma said. “Our team is strong and I’m excited for the upcoming season. Hopefully we can get a couple wins this season.” 

Sophomores Ryan O’Rourke and Robert Thompson also played well for the Chargers over the weekend, finishing sixth and eighth overall respectively. 

O’Rourke said he was happy with his opening two rounds but disappointed with how his final round went. 

“I played very well the first day, ending up in third place going into the final round,” O’Rourke said. “During the third round, I had a stroke of bad luck early on that led to a high number.”

Thompson echoed O’Rourke, saying he could have played better but was happy with his results.

“I think I played okay personally, definitely could have been better, especially on the last few holes, but a top 10 is always nice,” Thompson said. 

Over the weekend, Hillsdale hosted its inaugural Get To Foundation Invitational at the Cardinal Course at St. John’s Golf Resort in Plymouth. This event was significant as it was the first time the Chargers hosted their own invitational in Michigan. Hillsdale once again finished third overall in the inaugural tournament, ending three strokes behind the top-placed Wayne State University golf team.

At this invitational, Thompson shot an even-par through three days, and finished as runner-up after a two-hole playoff, his highest individual finish thus far in his young career. 

“It was my best college event so far,” Thompson said. “I also think third as a team is pretty good, as it’s a stronger field than last week, and we were only three strokes out of first.”

Behind Thompson’s performance, Hillsdale continued to show its young talent. After missing the cut to play in the opening tournament, freshman Jackson Piacsek played in this tournament, shooting three consistent rounds and finishing just two strokes behind Thompson. 

“I was excited to play my first college tournament, especially considering we were able to host the event,” Piacsek said. “It was a ton of fun and playing well only made it more exciting for myself and the team.” 

Charger golf competes next on Oct. 7 in Ohio at the Kyle Ryman Memorial.