After struggling in their past few outings, Bradley men’s golf took fourth at the Butler Spring Invitational on Monday and Tuesday, their highest team placement since September.
Bradley came out strong in the first round, shooting a 281 (+1) led by freshman Carter Stevenson, who went three-under with a 67. Sophomore Connor Hamm wasn’t too far behind with a 70 (E). Sophomore Max Adams and freshman Brody McCarthy shot 72s (+2), and fifth-year senior John Stillman finished round one with a 75 (+5).
With tough weather conditions looming, the Braves hoped to maintain their momentum and keep their nerves in check in the second round.
The Braves finished round two with a consistent performance of 281 to finish the first day. Stillman bounced back after his rough first round, shooting 69 to put him at 144 (+4) and tied for 42nd.
Hamm also stayed consistent, shooting 70 again to tie for 16th. Adams improved from his first 18, tying Hamm in the second round with a 70 to put himself in 28th.
Stevenson could not match his first-round score, shooting a 72 in the second to put up 139 (-1), which was good enough to secure a top-10 finish as he placed ninth. McCarthy had a similar fallback in the second round, shooting a 74 to put him at 146 (+6) and 61st overall out of the 107 competitors.
The third round was canceled due to bad weather, securing the placements after round two. This was frustrating for the Braves, who thought they were within striking distance of first.
“There was some good momentum going into the final day,” head coach Jeff Roche said. “It’s a nice finish, and to only finish four shots out of first, you feel like you would’ve liked to play that last round to have a chance.”
Even though they could not complete the last round of competition, the Braves are in high spirits heading into their final tournament before the MVC Championship.
“I’m just excited to get after it,” Stevenson said. “We finally got some momentum coming, people are starting to play good, we’re all excited for it and we’re having fun. I’m ready to show everybody what we got.”
Overall, the team was happy with their performances and the improvements they’ve made this season and they are excited to build on this placement for the future.
“You’re going to have moments where nerves and bad shots start to elevate your anxiety a little bit,” Roche said. “They managed that really well, and that’s what I get excited about as we go through these next few years … it’s going to be fun to watch them build and keep getting better over time.”
The Braves head to Omaha, NE on April 8-9 to compete in the Stampede at the Creek.
