Bradley men’s golf got off to a strong start in the fall season, placing in the top five in two of their four events before the season paused for the winter.
In the spring, that success has been challenging to replicate. Standout junior Connor Hamm, who won individual titles in the two events in which the Braves placed top five, transferred to Arizona, meaning the team had a huge piece to fill.
The team officially concluded its regular season this week, traveling to Arkansas State to compete in the Arkansas State Spring Invitational. As a team, Bradley placed ninth out of 10 participants, finishing just ahead of Western Illinois.
Despite the departure of Hamm, though, the Braves have found a new top golfer in standout sophomore Carter Stevenson. In the four events he competed in during the spring, he has placed within the top 30 each time and within the top 20 three times.
That includes his best finish of the spring season over the weekend, as he placed 11th in Arkansas, shooting even-par across the three-round event. In particular, he eagled hole 13 during the second round, leading him to a two-under-par finish on the day.
Stevenson currently has a 41-round streak of shooting under 80. The current program record is 44 consecutive rounds, meaning he will have a chance to match that at this weekend’s Missouri Valley Conference championships.
Freshman Tanner Leonard had one of his best performances as a Brave, matching a career-low score of 73 in the first round. Though he cooled off in the last round, he placed second for the Braves at 41st overall.
Sophomore Devin Reichard started hot in the first round, shooting one-over-par, which tied him for second on the team with Leonard and just one stroke off Stevenson for first at Bradley. He tailed off in the final two rounds, though, and finished in 49th place.
Sophomore Brody McCarthy struggled in rounds one and three, but had a solid second round shooting three-over-par to place 51st in the tournament. He joined Stevenson in eagling hole 13 in the round, helping him shoot par on the back nine.
Junior Max Adams rounded out the Braves’ lineup for the two-day event. He placed 60th in the tournament, with the highlight of his play being an eagle on hole 10 in the first round.
With Bradley’s regular season now over, the team looks forward to the Missouri Valley Conference championships in Des Moines, Iowa, teeing off on Sunday, with the tournament running through Tuesday.
