Over spring break the men’s golf team went to Danville, Ark., to compete in the Dave Falconer Classic hosted by Arkansas Tech University. The team participated in 18 holes back-to-back on Monday and Tuesday, March 9-10.
According to www.hardingsports.com, junior Alex Williamson shot a 3-over 75 in round one, tying him for 15th place. Williamson ended the final round shooting even-par 72 tying for 19th.
“We had only practiced one day outside since Valentine’s Day and I didn’t know what to expect, so I was very pleased with my finish and the way I played,” Williamson said. “The season has been good, but full of ups and downs with good rounds and bad rounds. I’ve enjoyed most of them when we’ve had good weather, but some of them have not been fun to play in.”
Graduate Assistant Jordan Perry said that it can be difficult for the players to adjust to the weather, but overall ended the second half of the classic with a pleasing turnout.
“The players did really well the second day; the first day was just a matter of adjusting,” Perry said. “It’s hard adjusting to playing in the rain, especially with us not being able to practice the whole week before that. The second round they did really well and so hopefully they can bring that momentum to the tournament coming up.”
Freshman Mason Banger lead the team shooting a 4-over 76 in the first round with Banger shooting a 5-over 49 to end the second round in the Classic.
Banger said what he is doing to prepare for upcoming games, as well as the rest of the team.
“As a team we have been practicing every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the indoor facility and we do our conditioning at around 5 p.m.,” Banger said. “We also have 6 a.m. workouts, which include weight training. Due to the weather we were not able to get out on the golf course much but we had enough qualifiers to decide the five-man team. I have been trying to get in extra workouts to prepare for the tournament and I am mentally preparing each day for the competition that is coming up.”
The team will head to Oklahoma City, Okla., on March 23 to compete in the 2015 Broncho Invitational hosted by the University of Central Oklahoma.
