The Harding men’s golf team competed in their first tournament of the 2016-2017 season last week. The Bisons shot a score of 602 after two rounds at the University of Nebraska-Kearney Invitational in Axtell, Nebraska. The tournament was cut short after two rounds due to weather conditions. They finished in 11th place out of 20 teams.
Senior Alex Williamson led the Bisons, shooting a total 144 for the tournament, a personal best, and a 1-under 71 in the second round. This was his 14th career round at par or better. He finished fifth place overall individually.
“It was good to get an under par round, especially in those conditions,” Williamson said.
Williamson currently holds the Harding golf record for under-par and at-par rounds. He said that he would like to extend that as much as possible so that he can contribute to the team’s success.
After a first-round score of 306, the Bisons dropped ten strokes in the second round to shoot a 296. That second-round score was the third best for the round by a team, and moved the Bisons from 14th to 11th place. Only seven strokes separated the Bisons in 11th place from finishing in the top five.
Juniors Mason Banger, Cameron Murray and Alan Anderson each moved up 13 spots or more after their second round scores.
Banger shot a 1-over-par 73 in the second round, which moved him up 22 spots, where he tied for 31st place overall. Murray moved up 17 spots after a 4-over 76, and finished in 61st place overall. Anderson also shot a 76, and moved up 13 spots to a tie for 86th overall.
“We were kind of down after the first round when we shot 306,” Banger said. “We couldn’t quite finish the second round because of the light, so we came back the next day to finish off about four or five holes, and in those four or five holes, the team finished off great.”
Banger said that one thing the team struggled with last year was closing out tournaments, but that it was nice to see how the team was able to finish strong in this first tournament.
“You usually play 36 holes in one day, and it’s a long day,” Williamson said. “You usually drop off significantly, so for us to improve ten shots is a big deal. It just shows that we aren’t giving up. We know we can play better. We just have to go out and do it.”
The Bisons played in their second tournament this week in Muskogee, Oklahoma. A historic second round put the Bisons in sixth place going into the second day of the tournament. After a score of 872 for the tournament, the team finished in ninth place out of 18 teams.
The Bisons’ next tournament is October 3-4 in Hot Springs, Arkansas. in the Henderson State Fall Invitational.
