The Harding men\u2019s golf team placed second in the Mules National Golf Club tournament earlier this week, playing on a 21-team field in Warrensburg, Missouri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Bisons have been on a roll over the past three tournaments, placing first at the Tunica Cup at Christian Brothers University, second in the Harding-hosted golf tournament last month and second in the Natural State Golf Classic tournament on March 28.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sophomore Sam Tandy gained his second tournament title this season as he finished first individually at The Mule as he was the only golfer to break 70 in all three rounds of the tournament. He became the third golfer in Harding\u2019s history to win two tournaments in one season. The Great American Conference (GAC) named Tandy co-men\u2019s Golfer of the Week. He shared the award with junior Arkansas Tech student Francois Jacobs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The key to the Bison\u2019s success as of late is their consistency. Head coach Dustin Howell said consistency for the team is great when it is on, but when it is off the team has shown to keep their composure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou will have days that you play well, and golf is easy on those days,\u201d Howell said. \u201cYou will have days that you do not play well, and this team has demonstrated that each player can dig deep within themselves to hold on and keep their score low.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senior Trevor Mellott, who won first place at the Natural State Golf Classic tournament, said the team at the beginning of the season had a hard time finishing out the games, but over the course of the season, they have seen that be less of an issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere used to be struggles mentally for us to finish off tournaments while we were in contention,\u201d Mellott said. \u201cBut since we have a few wins under our belt now, I don\u2019t believe there are any problems with that anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The team has also seen success in their team chemistry on and off the green.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur biggest strength is our team chemistry,\u201d senior Caleb Nichols said. \u201cEveryone has each other\u2019s backs. We all have confidence in each other, and we all want to see each other achieve great things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Howell said the team looks up to Nichols and Mellott this season as the upperclassmen and team leaders, but the younger players have been doing well, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFreshmen Wilmer Haakansson and Finlay Cummings have been really stepping up in the big moments,\u201d Howell said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The team is ranked in the top 30 teams in the nation, and there are five Bisons ranked in the top 30 regionally. Among those who are ranked as of March 28 are: Tandy (9), Nichols (15), Haakansson (17), Mellott (23), and senior Jake Croshaw (27). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cStatistically this is the best season so far in Bison golf history,\u201d Howell said. \u201cThe team has a scoring average of 292.41, ranked 30th in the nation according to Golfstat \u2014 the official NCAA stat company.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Things the team has said they need to work on is being in a certain mindset for tournaments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mellott said he is working on being in the winning mindset. He said he \u201cstruggles with the mental aspect of the game,\u201d but the team has been there to build him back up after a rough tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The men\u2019s golf team will play in the GAC Tournament next week at the Hot Springs Country Club from April 10-12.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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