This past Monday and Tuesday marked the first time in four years that the Bradley men’s golf team competed at the Paducah Country Club golf course in Kentucky.
In fact, none of the current athletes rostered had ever taken a swing at the Paducah Country Club. In the Racer Intercollegiate, the Braves finished 12th out of 15.
Finishing with 896 strokes over two days, the Braves’ second-round performance stood out among the rest. As a team, Bradley shot only one-over-par, proving they could compete with the rest of the field.
“From a talent point of view, we’re in a pretty good spot,” junior Carter Stevenson stated. “All of us are good players. There’s just some little things here and there, like course management, that we’re trying to incorporate to get everybody on the same page.”
Individually, Stevenson continued his streak of placing within the top 20 as he tied for 16th at 217 strokes. After starting the tourney with an even score and a two-under-par in rounds one and two, Stevenson fell behind the competition with a three-over-par to end his tournament.
“It wasn’t a bad finish, but overall, it doesn’t really fit my bill,” Stevenson remarked. “I’ve kind of had a tendency to always start off really well and then I have trouble finishing.”
Now sitting at four straight top 20 finishes, Stevenson has finished 20th or better in six of the Braves’ eight competitions this year.
“I use it as a confidence booster for myself. I try not to beat myself up when I don’t play how I’d like, because I know I’m a better player than the results show,” Stevenson said.
Moving on to the rest of Bradley’s roster, freshman Joey Cerney came second among the Braves in a tie at 33rd.
After starting with a three-over-par score in round one, Cerney battled back and put up a team-best three-under-par in round two. Unfortunately, Cerney fell back from the competition as he posted a five-over-par in the final round on Tuesday.
Next up was freshman Brogan Smith, who tied for 55th. Ending the contest at 225 strokes, Smith added an extra stroke to his total after each round, concluding with round scores of two-over-par, three-over-par and four-over-par.
Rounding out the lineup, junior Brody McCarthy tied for 83rd with a 236 score and sophomore Tanner Leonard placed 86th at a score of 237, only one stroke behind McCarthy.
Looking to the future, the Braves aim to end their regular season on a high note at the Arkansas State Spring Invitational on April 13-14 before the MVC Championship.
