Bradley men’s golf opened its spring slate at the Savannah Intercollegiate with a mix of promise and growing pains, finishing 11th in an 18-team field after three rounds of competition.
The weekend belonged to Carter Stevenson. The sophomore came out sharp, firing back-to-back rounds of 70 to plant himself near the top of the field and put Bradley in striking distance early. After 36 holes, he looked every bit like a contender.
A tougher final round of 79 cooled the charge, but Stevenson still locked in a tie for fourth at three-over-par (70-70-79), marking his third top-10 finish of the season, the 10th of his career, and his 16th career finish inside the top 20. Simply put, he gave Bradley a steady anchor from start to finish.
As a team, the Braves showed early promise with an opening-round 289, their fourth-lowest team round of the season, proving they could hang with the 18-team field. But as the tournament wore on, consistency became the difference. Bradley couldn’t string together three complete rounds, finishing 11th overall with a 54-hole total of 904.
Freshman Joey Cerney battled to a tie for 33rd at 10-over-par (72-72-82), while Brogan Smith finished tied for 49th at 13-over-par (75-76-78). Both showed flashes, but late-round swings proved costly.
The opener revealed two things: Stevenson is in midseason form, and the Braves have the pieces; they just need to put all three rounds together.
Bradley returns to the course in late March, competing at the Austin Peay Intercollegiate in Dickson, Tenn., on March 23-24.
