BLAINE, Wash. – It wasn’t the start that the men’s golf team was looking for at the season opener. The Bucs battled through the three rounds, however couldn’t get anything going on the 6,995 yard Loomis Trail Golf and Country Club. A 12th place finish, 885 (+33), wasn’t a reflection of the record breaking qualifying tournament the team had leading into the event.
“It’s our first tournament of a long season, while many of these teams have played in 2 or 3 events already... I’m not worried,” Barry head coach Jimmy Stobs commented after the final round.
The Bucs never got back on track after stumbling out of the gates with their first round score of 300 (+16). The field completed their second round early Tuesday morning, and after a 289 (+5), the Bucs found themselves in 11th place going into the final round. However, the Bucs’ struggles continued in the final round as they shot 296 (+12), to finish the tournament alone in 12th place.
Junior, Victor Billskoog continued to pace the team with a second round 72 (+1) and a final round score of 73 (+2). Billskoog finished in a tie for 24th with fellow junior Carlos Velez, who shot 73-72 in the final two rounds. Sophomore, Chris Carlin bounced back after a tough first day to shoot a level par, 71 in the second round and a final round 73 to finish in a tie for 69th. Juan Carlos Perello shot 73-81 to finish in a tie for 76th and Michael Rafalowicz’s two 78s placed him in 91st.
Central Oklahoma started the final day 11 shots back of the leaders, but after shooting 7 under, 281-280, over the final two rounds, the Broncos took the team title by four strokes over Sonoma State. Nova Southeastern, who started the day in first place, faltered down the stretch to finish 7th for the tournament. Tyler Bishop, of CU-Colorado Springs, went wire to wire for the individual medalist title with a three round total 208, 5 under the card.
It may not be a desired start for the Bucs, however, they are in good spirits and will look to improve with every tournament.
Stobs is already moving forward, “We had some trouble focusing and we may have got ahead of ourselves. Hopefully, we’ll get another shot on that course in eight months.”
Loomis Trail Golf and Country Club will be the site of the NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament on May 19-22.
The Bucs will look to improve on their 12th place finish at the Cougar invitational hosted by Columbus State, October 6-7.
Round One
BLAINE, Was. – Jimmy Stobs and the men’s golf team are currently in 15th place after shooting 300 (+16) in the first round of the WWU National Preview Tournament at the 6,995-yard Loomis Trail Golf and Country Club. Despite nearly perfect playing conditions, the first round took 6 ½ hours to complete. The second round was postponed due to darkness and will commence today.
Victor Billskoog and Carlos Velez are currently tied for 25th and lead the Bucs with their identical first round scores of two-over-par, 73. Sophomore Juan Carlos Perello, fired a five-over-par 76, while Michael Rafalowicz and Chris Carlin round out the Bucs scores, shooting 78 and 84 respectively.
Sunshine State Conference rival, Nova Southeastern, currently leads the field of 20 teams with their opening round score of 285 (+1). They are led by Ben Vertz, who finds himself tied atop the leaderboard with Tyler Bishop of University of Colorado – Colorado Springs. They each shot 3 under, 68 in the first round.
The Bucs will need to finish their second round strong and go low in the final round to gain ground on the leaders. The second and final round of the National Preview Tournament will be concluded today.
15 Barry University 300
T 25 Victor Billskoog 38- 35 73
T 25 Carlos Velez 36- 37 73
T 57 Juan Perello 39- 37 76
T 73 Michael Rafalowicz 37- 41 78
T 98 Chris Carlin 44- 40 84