Senior Josh McCartain continued his outstanding season and led the Idaho Vandals men’s golf team to a fifth-place finish
For all three rounds of the Loyola Intercollegiate Golf Tournament, McCartain was under par. Each round got better and better. In round one, he went one-under par; in round two, he went four-under par; and finally, in round three, he went five-under.
McCartain closed the event with two birdies and an eagle on the last five holes to surge into a tie for sixth place in the field that included 119 golfers. This continues the streak of him placing in the top 13 the whole season.
Senior Sam Johnson also performed very well, tying for 14th with a score of eight-under. Playing under par each round, his game getting better the more he played. The competition was so close that even though Johnson placed 14th, he was one stroke away from the top 10.
Freshman Henrik Koglin was very solid in his second career start and his first outside of the Palouse. Koglin broke even thanks to an impressive second round where he went three-under. Koglin tied for 49th out of 119 golfers, the third highest for the team.
“Overall, I was pleased to see Josh and Sam play very solidly out of the gate,” head coach David Nuhn said in an Idaho Athletics press release. “The course was playing fair and rewarded smart shot making and good short game. I was also pleased with Henrik on his first trip away from home as a Vandal. To count all three rounds meant he was a contributor to our team finish. We have 10 days to work out the kinks and be more prepared to have success in Fresno. Go Vandals!”
The Vandals go back to work on March 2-3 at the Nick Watney Invitational hosted by Fresno State at the San Joaquin Country Club before heading to Bandon for the 17th Bandon Dunes Championship on March 8-10.