Idaho finishes tied for fifth in tough field
The Idaho men’s golf team proved it can compete against some of the best teams in the nation when it competed at the Cleveland Golf Palmetto Invite March 9-10 in Aiken, South Carolina. The four teams who finished ahead of Idaho are currently ranked in the top 30 according to Golfweek.
No. 13 South Carolina finished first by shooting a 15-under-par 825, No. 30 Clemson finished right behind South Carolina by carding a 14-under-par 826 and No. 26 Virginia and No. 28 Kennesaw State tied for third with 8-under-par 832 scores.
Idaho and Georgia Regents-Augusta tied for fifth with 1-over-par 841 scores. Both teams were neck-and-neck throughout the invite as they shot the same score each round (278-281-282). Georgia Regents is ranked No. 57 in the country and Idaho is ranked No. 83.
“We can compete with any team in the country,” Idaho coach John Means said. “We can beat any team in the country. There’s no doubt in my mind about the ability of these guys to be able to play golf at the very highest level. The problem is they still just don’t understand that. They don’t see themselves there yet, but they’re getting there.”
Senior Aaron Cockerill led the Vandals by tying for eighth place out of 90 golfers. The Stony Mountain, Manitoba, native shot a 5-under-par 205, including a 4-under-par 66 the first round and a 3-under-par 67 the second round.
“I thought it showed him he can compete and it showed him how to compete when he’s under the gun, and he’s already working hard for our next tournament,” Means said. “It was a very, very, very good tournament for him.”
Sophomore Jared du Toit tied for 18th with a 1-under-par 209. He shot consistent scores of 70-70-69.
Means said that du Toit probably played his worst golf this year the first day of the invite and that du Toit fought hard to score well.
“I mean by the time that round was over, he was exhausted because he had worked so hard trying mentally to figure out how he was going to finish the hole,” Means said.
Means said du Toit improved his ball striking the second day but struggled putting.
“He went out and absolutely struck the golf ball like a tour player,” Means said. “I mean it was the most beautiful round of golf you’ve ever seen in your life and then he couldn’t make a single putt. So all the things that he did great the day before that led him to shoot 70-70, the next day everything changed. It was a completely reversed cycle.”
Fellow sophomore Ryan Porch tied for 31st with a 4-over-par 214, junior Rylee Iacolucci tied for 38th with a 5-over-par 215 and freshman Ian Kim tied for 64th with an 11-over-par 221.
Means said it was Kim’s first collegiate invite.
South Carolina’s Will Starke fired a 9-under-par 201 to win the invite. He barely beat out Georgia Southern’s Scott Wolfes and Clemson’s Cody Proveaux who both shot 8-under-par 202 scores to tie for second.
Garrett Cabeza can be reached at [email protected]