The Bradley men’s golf team closed out its fall season on Tuesday in Kettering, Ohio at the Flyer Invitational hosted by Dayton. Led by junior Josh Kirkham, the Braves finished in 10th place. Individually, Kirkham finished in a tie for 25th place with rounds of 77-71-75 for a three-round total of 223.
Senior Aaeri Krishnan had his best performance of the season, finishing in a tie for 34th. Krishnan carded rounds of 75-73-77 for a three-round total of 225.
“Overall, I played well,” Krishnan said. “It was really fun to play a challenging course in NCR Country Club.”
Krishnan hails from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and transferred to Bradley this summer from Jacksonville University. The graduate transfer had great things to say about the experience.
“The transition to Bradley has gone well,” Krishnan said. “I have great teammates who have welcomed me to the team and have provided great support.”
Senior Roy Radke and sophomore Brady Kreiter rounded out the top four for the Braves, with each carding a 54-hole total of 243. Senior Jalen Hodges was one shot back at 244.
Krishnan expressed his excitement about ending the fall season on a high note despite adapting to a new environment and is looking forward to improving this offseason.
“Transitioning to golf has been difficult so far,” Krishnan said. “It has taken some time to adjust to the Midwest conditions and other various factors. I feel much more comfortable now.”
Braves head coach Jeff Roche is excited about the progress that Kirkham and Krishnan have made throughout the fall.
“Josh and Aaeri showed a lot of positive signs this fall and especially down the stretch in Ohio,” Roche said. “They have done a good job of minimizing their mistakes and it shows in their scores.”
Roche mentioned that the biggest key for Krishnan’s success was getting him reps and back into the swing of things. He also said that Krishnan went back home to Malaysia over the summer after the country was shut down due to COVID-19, so he did not have a chance to play golf from May until he got to Bradley’s campus.
“One thing I noticed as time went on with Aaeri was [that] the comfortability level on the golf course slowly regained itself,” Roche said. “You could see it in how he was able to work the ball and command his shots.”
With the fall season being over, Roche and his players are excited to get to work this offseason in their indoor facility, which is currently under renovation.
