On the heels of a difficult regular season, the Hillsdale College golf team secured a fourth-place finish at the G-MAC Championship. Eleven teams competed in the three-day, 54 hole tournament held at the par 72 Four Bridges Country Club in Liberty Township, Ohio.
Hillsdale’s team posted a 909 with the following scores: Liam Purslowe 221 (+5), Ryan Zetwick 228 (+12), Henry Hitt 231 (+15), Andy Grayson 232 (+16), and Joe Torres 233 (+17).
Findlay won the Championship shooting 889, followed in second place by Trevecca Nazarene, which was seven shots back with a 896. The third place spot was contentious, as Hillsdale finished just one shot behind Kentucky Wesleyan’s 908.
Individually, Hillsdale’s Purslowe finished the Championship with the second-lowest score by one stroke. Shooting an opening round 4-under par 68 in the rain, Purslowe led the Charger team into contention ahead of the last day.
“We stayed in contact with the leaders during the whole tournament, but unfortunately we couldn’t get over the line,” Purslowe said. “We made too many unnecessary mistakes on the final day.”
On the last day, three on the team shot 6-over par 78, Purslowe shot 75, and Grayson shot 2-over par 74. But despite Purslowe’s disappointment, head coach Nate Gilchrist took several positives from the way the team played.
“This past weekend was a great experience for the team. They had a chance to win the conference championship,” Gilchrist said. “They were tough mentally due to the three days of rain.”
Though not the finish it was hoping for, the team says it hopes to use the tournament as a building point for next season.
