At the Dolenc Invitational, the Idaho Vandal men’s golf team secured another win and yet another school record. In the past two weeks, the Vandals have won first place twice and broken two school records, an impressive beginning of the season for the Vandals. The Vandals won the Dolenc Invitational with a score of -31, beating their previous school record they set last weekend by eight strokes.
Senior Sam Johnson led the team and the whole event with a first-place tie. Johnson finished with a score of 14-under. Once again, the Vandals proved that the whole team could produce. Senior Joe Sykes placed third with a score of 9-under, senior Josh McCartain tied for seventh with a score of 6-under, graduate student Dalton Dean tied for 23rd with a score of 2-under and sophomore Charley Simpson tied for 82nd with a score of 11-over.
Last week, the Vandals broke a school record by totaling 23-under par and, in just a few days, they have beaten their record again.
“I’m really proud of the guys this week,” head coach David Nuhn said in press release by Vandal Athletics. “I think winning in college golf is hard. Winning two weeks in a row is really hard. To set the program scoring record one week and reset it the following is a testament to our players’ efforts every day. They train hard and focus on the important things.”
Sam Johnson, a senior at the University of Idaho, is from Congleton, England. Johnson has been a reliable starter for the Vandals during his time at the school. As a true freshman, he played and started in every tournament. His experience really showed at the Dolenc Invitational, where he continued to perform well at every event.
The Vandals’ next event will be the Oregon State Invitational on Oct. 14-15 in Salem, Oregon. Last year, the Vandals did not perform well with a team score of 10-over. However, after two straight wins, the Vandals look poised for some good days on the golf course.
Taylan Hallum can be reached at [email protected].