Written by Nic Fraraccio // Photo provided by Nathan Looney
The Harding men’s and women’s golf teams are continuing their 2024 spring season with positive rounds and results in recent tournaments.
In their last tournament, the men’s team finished in second place April 1-2 at The Showdown at Shangri-La in Monkey Island, Oklahoma.
Senior Sam Tandy, who is currently the No. 10 ranked golfer in Division II, finished as Harding’s top scorer. Tandy shot an 8-under 205 to finish second out of 93 golfers in the field.
As a team, the Bisons finished the tournament with a 2-under 850, the fourth-best 54-hole total in school history. As the team pushes for an NCAA regional berth, junior Finlay Cummings said the team will look to “keep it rolling” as the season progresses.
“They were all very mentally sharp,” Cummings said. “Cutting out the mental mistakes is huge in golf as it’s a game of fine margins — so this is important.”
Following his performance in Oklahoma, Tandy earned GAC Men’s Golfer of the Week. Cummings said Tandy is beneficial to the team as a player and a friend.
“Sam is always fun to be around and is a great asset to the team,” Cummings said. “He wants the best out of every one of us and pushes us all to be the best golfer and best Christian we can be.”
The women’s team continued their success March 26 at the Hardscrabble Invitational in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The Lady Bisons finished in first place after rain shortened the tournament from 36 to 18 holes.
Sophomore Madeleine Wilson and fifth-year senior Kodie Winnings both shot a 7-over 77 to finish in the top five. As a team, the Lady Bisons finished with a 33-over 318. Wilson said the tournament win will boost the team’s morale as the season progresses.
“We know we can win a tournament and we know we can play good golf,” Wilson said. “I believe with this mindset, we will be able to perform well at our conference tournament.”
Winnings said the pre-round preparations contributed to the strong finish in Fort Smith.
“We also prepared ourselves for a brutal day of cold and windy weather and being present over each shot was going to be key,” Winnings said. “The girls and myself set ourselves up for a great round beginning in our warm up, and it set the tone for the day.”
As the season continues, Winnings said the team’s confidence will affect the results in the upcoming tournaments. “Overall, I think [we need] to improve our mindsets going into tournaments, knowing we stand a chance to win over these teams and remembering each shot counts,” Winnings said.
Both teams will play one more tournament before heading to Tulsa, Oklahoma, April 21 for the GAC Championship tournament. The men’s team will host the Natural State Golf Classic April 15-16 at Cypress Creek Golf Course in Cabot, Arkansas.
The women’s team will travel to St. Louis, Missouri, to play in the UMSL Ladies Spring Invitational at Northwood Hill Country Club.
