The Bruins golf team battled a tough course, strong competition and the hot September weather as the team finished 10th overall of the ten teams competing in the Anderson University Invitational in Anderson, South Carolina. Keaton Osteen was the leader for the Bruins with a combined two-day total of 163 (85, 78).
"This was good experience for our young team," Bruins Head Coach Denny Scott said. "Two freshmen were gaining their first competitive experience and it was eye-opening for them both in many ways. Consistency will be a key for us going forward. The best way to develop consistency is through experience, but we have to improve."
The two-day tournament would be played at Cobbs Glen Country Club. The Bruins would face strong NCAA DII competition with programs like Southern Wesleyan University, Belmont Abbey College and Erskine College present in the tournament field.
In the opening round, the Bruins got a boost from freshman Grant Bagwell who played well on the front nine to make the turn at +2 overall. Luke Jacobs was able to get up and down for par on the 5th hole but the difficult course proved to be a factor for the Bruins which influenced their scores.
As the team made the turn to the back nine, junior Haddon Wiginton caught fire as he recorded four birdies to close out the day with a 78. Unfortunately, some of the struggles for the team continued down the stretch as the Bruins finished with a team score 330 (Wiginton - 78, Bagwell - 83, Jacobs - 84, Osteen - 85, Swartz - 94). This placed the Bruins in last place overall.
On the final day of the tournament, the Bruins knew there was no way for them to win but still the team wanted to climb the leaderboard and finish strong. Bagwell again came out to start the round strong as he birdied on the fifth hole before recording par on the final three holes of the front nine. Jacobs was able to birdie hole four as the Bruins looked to build momentum. Senior Keaton Osteen had a strong round as he birdied the 17th hole to help cap a team-best 78 for the final round.
Unfortunately, pars and birdies were few and far between as fatigue and the challenging course didn't allow the Bruins to climb as they finished the second round with a team score 335 (Osteen - 78, Jacobs - 84, Swartz - 86, Bagwell - 87, Wiginton - 93). The Bruins finished the tournament at 10th overall as the team was unable to move up the leaderboard in the final round.
"We have to grow and get better with each competitive round," Coach Scott said. "This includes not just the physical aspect of the game, but the mental focus as well. When fatigue sets in, it is tough to maintain concentration in executing quality shots. Then frustration sets in when poor shots happen and that can have a snowball effect. Still, there are plenty of positive takeaways from this tournament that will help us get better even though we were disappointed with the results."
Next up, the Bruins will be back on the course September 23 as they compete in the Bryan College Invitational in Crossville, Tennessee.
