With the MVC Championship on the horizon, Bradley men’s golf was looking to continue its hot streak at the Flyer Invitational in Kettering, Ohio on Monday and Tuesday following a season-best performance last week.
“It was definitely a good vibe going into the tournament,” graduate Alex Ciaramitaro said. “A lot of guys were riding off some confidence from the tournament in Tennessee.”
The tournament was composed of 12 teams and was held at the par-70 NCR Country Club.
The Braves seemed to start off well through the first nine, something that has been an important factor in their recent successes. After the first round, Bradley was tied for sixth, shooting 11 over par. Freshman Josh Kirkham led the squad with an even-70 followed by the duo of Ciaramitaro and freshman Brady Kreiter who both carded a score of 3 over par.
“We managed our emotions better at the start by not trying to do too much,” head coach Jeff Roche said. “Since we were all playing together, it allowed them to just play golf rather than worry about what players from the other teams were doing.”
The success proved to be short-lived because when the second round started, the wheels seemed to fall off.
Kirkham and Ciaramitaro led the pack again shooting 4 over and 5 over par, respectively, but it was a tough round for the Braves overall who ended the first day tied in last at a mark of 36 over par.
“We didn’t manage our emotions very well,” Roche said. “I think it’s a mark of a team that’s trying to get better more than anything.”
At the end of the final round on Tuesday, it was junior Jalen Hodges who led the Braves, shooting a 1-over-par 71. The Braves couldn’t climb out of the hole, finishing the tournament in 12th place with a team score of 47 over.
Even with the disappointing performance, the Braves still had some positives to take away. Both Ciaramitaro and Kirkham tied for 45th individually, scoring 12-over 222, while Kreiter continued his improvement, placing in 50th with a 13-over 223.
“One thing Coach said was ‘You can’t overemphasize trying to not get off to a bad start,’” Ciaramitaro said. “That’s just going to put more pressure on those first couple holes.”
The trip marks the end of the regular season for Bradley, who now has its eyes set on making noise in the MVC Championship next week. The young Braves will all be facing their first conference championship, so getting the team settled in and prepared will be the task at hand for Roche.
“There’s going to be some good anxiety,” Roche said. “Because it’s a big event, they’ll want to do good, so my job is to get them into a state of calm and to just mentally prepare.”
Something else the Braves will want to key in on is a quick start.
When the Braves have struggled, getting behind is something that has seemed to limit their success. When they have started poorly, the men have been successful at battling back; not digging an early hole Monday could be vital.
“We just need to focus on playing Bradley golf, because we’re good enough; it’s just a matter of getting enough reps to show that we’re getting there,” Roche said.
The Braves will be off this week before the two-day Missouri Valley Conference Championship at the Flossmoor Country Club starting on April 26.
