A few weeks ago the men’s golf team opened its season with the Great American Conference Preview Tournament in Oklahoma City and came out with a team victory.
The men shot a two-under first round as a team led by senior Lucas Collins. In round two, the Bisons shot a team score of nine-under as three different Bison golfers shot under 70 in the second round led by senior Jordon Perry’s 67. The guys held on to their lead through the third round and finished with an overall score of one-under as a team which breaks Harding’s previous record for overall team score shot back in 1997 by four-shots.
After the Harding Bisons shot a school-record team score, Collins had one of the best individual tournament scores in school history.
“Setting the new record was a big boost for us to start the season,” Collins said. “We are really excited to build on that and continue to try and win tournaments.”
The tournament win in the GAC preview gave the Bisons the nod as the favorites to win the GAC this season, but it also really gave the team a confidence boost that they are looking to carry into the rest of the season.
“That win has really given us a lot of confidence,” Collins said. “Any win is great but to do it against our conference teams was icing on the cake.”
Coach Dustin Howell said he was also very excited for the record setting start to the season for the Bisons and emphasized the importance of the victory to start the season off right and just how truly difficult it is to win a golf tournament.
“A win is a win no matter if it is in the state or not,” Howell said. It is just extremely hard to win a golf tournament. It’s not like football or soccer where there is a winner and a loser: In golf 10 to 24 teams show up, but only one of them wins.”
This past week the Bisons played in Broken Arrow, Okla., for the NSU Golf Classic. This time it was sophomore Alex Williamson who led the Bisons with a best career second-place finish in the tournament. Collins said he feels if this team can stay “humble and hungry,” they can continue to compete and strive for more victories as the season goes on.
The season has just gotten underway, but Howell and his team are already focusing on earning the prize at the end of the road.
“We are the odds on favorite to win the conference right now, but that doesn’t mean we can just stop working,” Howell said. “That was just the preview, but we want the real deal.”
