The Eau Claire men’s golf team had started to defend its national championship this fall by playing a difficult schedule every time it has competed. This week’s tournament was no exception, as the Blugolds finished third out of 12 teams at the Nebraska Wesleyan Fall Preview in Lincoln, Neb.
The Blugolds opened the tournament on Monday with a 317, a score that was good for fifth place, seven strokes behind first-round leader Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.). Juniors Mark Christensen and Andy Smith had the lowest scores for Eau Claire on the first day, each shooting a 76 to tie with three others for third place.
The second day was better for the Blugolds, as they cut five strokes off their first-round score to jump to third place.
Gustavus Adolphus won the tournament with a 615. Host Nebraska Wesleyan finished second with a 626, and the Blugolds finished three shots behind them for third.
Despite the second day improvement, Eau Claire coach Todd Oehrlein said that he was disappointed with the way the team played.
“I’m not happy with third place,” he said. “But I am happy we showed improvement.”
Christensen was Eau Claire’s top finisher, finishing in third place with two scores of 76. Smith shot a second-round 80 to finish tied for ninth with junior Bill Conroy.
“We played OK as a team,” he said. “We didn’t play as good as we can.”
Oehrlein and Christensen said that one area where Eau Claire needs to improve in is its consistency. Oehrlein also said that the team needs to improve its short game.
“We have to work on our scoring shots, our shots from 100 yards and in,” he said. “We’re in good position off the tee, but we’re getting a little careless when we get in close. We’re letting too many chances slip by.”
Christensen’s performance at the Nebraska Wesleyan tournament was his second straight strong showing. He placed third in a field of more than 100 golfers in the three-day Twin Cities Classic that ended on Oct. 1.
Christensen’s performance earned him the Student Athletic Advisory Committee’s athlete of the week award.
The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Blugolds this weekend. Their next event is the Gordin Collegiate Classic, which runs on Sunday and Monday in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The Gordin Collegiate features the top 12 teams from the previous year’s NCAA tournament.
This is the second straight year that Eau Claire has gone to the Gordin Collegiate. The Blugolds finished 10th last year, but they know they can compete with the teams that are there.
“It will be very competitive,” Oehrlein said. “We’ve been pretty competitive the last few years, and we’ve faced solid competition week in and week out.”