Heading into the final 18 holes of the Twin Oaks Intercollegiate, the Bradley men’s golf team sat in third place behind UT Martin and Kansas City.
The Braves had momentum after tying a program-best 18-hole score of 272 in round two.
Then things stalled: Bradley carded seven strokes over par to close out the tourney.
Missouri State and SIU Edwardsville capitalized with nine- and eight-under-par performances in round three, respectively, to drop Bradley to 5th place.
Still, the Braves finished at 846 strokes, tying the second-lowest program score in Bradley men’s golf history.
Sophomore Joey Cerney and senior Brody McCarthy stole the spotlight for the Braves.
Cerney led the Braves, finishing tied for 10th after his third 60s score this season in round two.
“I really liked how detached I was from any outcomes,” Cerney said. “I was in my process the whole tournament, and the score was never on my mind.”
One stroke behind Cerney, McCarthy tied for 12th with five other golfers. The biggest factor in the Braves’ huge second round was his 66, which tied his career low and marked his first 60.
Next up was senior Carter Stevenson, who tied for 23rd. Ending the tournament even, Stevenson stayed level throughout the competition with little change to his three scores of 71, 70 and 72.
Freshman Gavin Schreurs was the fourth Brave to finish, pushing for the top 10 through the first two rounds. After hitting par in round one and shooting three under in round two, his six-over-par in round three sent Schreurs into his final placement tied for 27th.
Rounding out the five was sophomore Brogan Smith, who finished 10-over-par at 41st. Additionally, Quinn Cox competed as an individual and finished six over par, tying for 37th.
“It just shows that the work and our preparation are paying off,” Cerney said. “It also shows that we are bought into and trust Coach Roche’s game plan at tournaments and every day at practice.”
With the fall season in the books and spring a few months away, Cerney and the rest of the Braves will need to keep honing their skills off the green.
Bradley will kick off the second half of their year at the Monty Invitational on March 1-2, 2027.
