The Idaho men’s golf team returned to the course for the Bob Sitton Invitational hosted by Oral Roberts University at TPC Four Seasons in Dallas, Texas.
The Vandals placed 19th of 24 with sophomore Enrique Marin leading the way. Marin finished day one with a 3-under-par 68, tying him for first going into round two. Marin would go on to finish the tournament with a 1-over-par 214, tying him for fifth place out of 119 golfers.
Marin sank five birdies and just two bogeys on day one en route to a personal best as a Vandal. He would go on to struggle in round two, shooting a 6-over-par 77 before getting back on track in round three, carding a 1-under 70 thanks in part to an eagle on the third hole, a par-5 528 yarder. Marin’s play on par-5s played a big role in his score, as he only recorded one bogie on the longest holes throughout the tournament.
Coach David Nuhn was pleased with Marin’s performance, but said in a news release that the Vandals need to maintain their play throughout the tournament and not only play well in the first round.
Despite starting the tournament with a 9-over 80 on day one, senior Ryan Porch would quickly get comfortable on the course and shave his score considerably. He finished tied for 65th after shooting 75 and 72 on days two and three.
Freshman Thomas Ethan Atherstone played consistently throughout the tournament, shooting in the 70s on all three days. Atherstone would finish with a 232, tying him for 81st.
Arkansas State would shoot even as a team, winning the tournament by 10 strokes. Zan Luka Stirn of the Red Wolves would shoot rounds of 69, 68 and 69 to finish 7-under-par, edging out Oral Roberts’ Cody Burrows by four strokes on his home course.
The Vandals will look to continue to improve when they visit Whirlwind Golf Club in Chandler Arizona to participate in the Wyoming Cowboy Classic tournament on April 10-11.
Colton Clark can be reached at arg-sport.uidaho.edu or on Twitter @coltonclark95