The Vandal men’s golf team put on a strong performance last weekend — playing smart and staying consistent earned the team first place at the Jim Colbert Invitational in Manhattan, Kan.
Coach John Means said the team’s success is a testament that things are finally starting to come together.
“We had four excellent performances finishing in the top 10,” Means said. “The golf course was extremely difficult with a lot of wind, and they were able to get the ball up and down where it needed to be.”
The Vandals finished 10 over par, outscoring second-place BSU by 12 strokes. Host, Kansas State finished third at 30 over. The bottom of the pack was University of South Dakota who sat in eighth place shooting 102 over par.
“The other teams were struggling with the wind and not keeping it in play as well as we were,” Means said. “We walked away with the victory.”
Means compared the course to the Palouse Ridge Golf Course, where missing the fairway lands the ball in deep grass.
One of the Vandals’ top finishers, senior Justin Kadin did his best to keep his ball out of the deep stuff, and shot a par 72 all three rounds to finish at even par and tie for second overall.
“Justin handled the wind like a pro and shot great golf this weekend,” Means said.
The other three Vandals in the top 10 were senior Jarred Bossio in fourth, Stefan Richardson in fifth and Gordon Webb in eighth.
Means was pleased that all five Vandals who went remained in the tournament the whole time. He said it is also nice to see four guys bunched up so close together at the top.
“We had four players that were in contention and that hasn’t happened before,” Means said. “That’s a great sign of things to come.”
Means said Kansas State had some great expectations on its team and was playing at home, but did not deliver.
“Winning a golf tournament at someone else’s home golf course is very difficult to do because the team with the advantage in golf is almost always the home team,” Means said.
Means said a home field advantage for golf is different from other sports, in which the courts or fields are the same size no matter where you play.
“When you play a golf course enough times, you know where to put the ball and how to play the course so it is much different than teeing up on it for your first time,” Means said.
The Colbert Golf Club is known for having very narrow fairways which pose a challenge for any golfer. Add some of that famous Kansas wind, and Kadin’s performance becomes even more impressive.
Next, the team is off to Chicago on Oct. 16 where the Vandals could be in for another windy tournament.
“I’m thinking it’s an older style golf course, which means big trees and tall grass,” Means said. “Which is different than what we have been playing.”