As senior Brody McCarthy closed his performance at the Dolenc Invitational, one thought was lodged in his mind.
This is our best chance. We can’t let this one slip away.
Indeed, the Braves held on and placed first in a field of 17 teams, winning their first team title in eight years.
“I think you can only take confidence and positives from the week, because we proved to ourselves that we can compete with these guys and we can win these events,” McCarthy said.
After starting the tournament with the best round in program history, the Braves rallied from behind late in the final 18 to clinch the title.
Carding a 12-under-par 272 after the first 18, the Braves beat the standing record of 276 strokes. Senior Carter Stevenson and sophomore Joey Cerney played a significant role in the opening round, both shooting five under par.
Their 66 strokes apiece tied Stevenson’s career low and set a new career low for Cerney, who shot his best 18.
“Early on, having guys like Joey and Carter in the first round get off to really good starts kind of set the tone for us,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy finished highest among the Braves in the individual standings, shooting bookend 69s with a 68 in the middle. His total score of 206 tied for sixth place.
“I looked at the leaderboard on the 15th or 16th hole, and I saw that we were down,” McCarthy said.
That quickly changed, as McCarthy fired off three birdies to close out his performance and seal the deal for Bradley. While the whole Braves team played a part in the victory, McCarthy served as the closer on Tuesday.
“It comes down to the trust that we have for each other on the team,” McCarthy said. “Knowing that if you’re not playing well or somebody else isn’t playing well, that you got four other guys out there that are going to have your back and pick you up.”
Cerney tied for 12th, finishing the tournament at a four-under-par 209. With nine birdies over 54 holes, Cerney placed in the top 20 for the first time in his career.
After a one-under-par second round, Stevenson’s final 18 ended four over par, pushing him down the individual ranks, though he still finished tied for 17th and notched yet another top-20 finish.
Tied for 44th were Quinn Cox and TJ Quinn, who both recorded career bests. Cox fired a 68 in round two, marking the first time he’s gone sub-70. On the other side, Quinn capped the scoring in the Braves’ fiery first round, hitting an even-par 71.
The Braves host the Coyote Creek Classic on Oct. 4-5, where they’ll try to keep the momentum on home soil.
