The Bruins traveled to Hammock Beach in Palm Coast, Florida for the NCCAA Men's Golf National Championship October 23-25. After three Rounds, the Bruins finished in 9th place.
"The course played much tougher on the tournament days than it did in the practice round," Coach Scott commented. "We definitely had some highlights and moments of really solid and exciting golf, but just couldn't sustain our efforts against the elements. We dug a pretty deep hole in Round 1 and it was quite difficult trying to get out of it considering the conditions."
After Round 1 of the NCCAA National Championship, the Bruins golf team sat in 9th place out of 9 teams competing. The leader, Wayland Baptist, finished Round 1 with a team score of 294 (+6). The Bruins finished with a score of 323 (+35) after Round 1.
"We certainly got off to a bit of a slow start, probably due to some nervousness, which could be expected. The windy conditions made the course play a little tougher than when we practiced, but it was the same for everyone," Head Coach Denny Scott began. "We focused a lot on having a strong finish and these two senior co-captains set a good example regarding that with their strongest efforts and results on the final four holes."
Going into Round 2, the Bruins were anxious to get back on the course to get back into the mix. They looked to make a move up the leaderboards as several teams were only a few strokes ahead of them. Continuing to struggle with the stiff breeze coming from the ocean, the Bruins were unable to make up much ground. Round 2 found them tied for eighth with a day two score of 329 (+41).
"The first 12 holes we played in Round 2 were outstanding! We scored multiple birdies (four of them in the first three holes) and immediately gained the momentum we had hoped for early in the round," said Coach Scott. "However, the wind and the golf course itself wore us down on the final 6 holes and we again struggled to finish strong."
Getting started on Round 3 of the championship, the Bruins started on the back nine. Leading the back nine for the Bruins, Timmy Smith posted a 37 (+1) followed by Brandon Autry with a 39 (+3). As the final round wrapped up, the Bruins finished the National Championship in 9th place with their score for Round 3 at 321 (+33).
Following the tournament, Coach Scott said, "the experience of competing in a National Championship is amazing. We were privileged and honored to be one of just nine teams across the country who qualified for it. However, in a situation like this, when a team doesn't reach their goals or play up to their full potential, it is a bit disappointing. We always try to improve our team score in each successive round and that was difficult to do as the wind gusts increased each day. There were many highlights and some very solid individual performances in spurts, but we just couldn't sustain any momentum as a team to achieve a better result on the leaderboard."
The wind was too much to overcome, and the Bruins closed the tournament with a three-day score of 973 (+109). Not all was of disappointment for the Bruins, as two of them finished in the top 25. Timmy Smith tied for 22nd overall with scores of 79 (+7), 81 (+9), and 78 (+6). Brandon Autry finished tied for 24th overall with scores of 79 (+7), 80 (+8), and 80 (+8).
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