The Valparaiso men's golf team concluded its first tournament of the 2014-15 campaign on Tuesday with the final 18 holes at the Whistling Straits Intercollegiate in Sheboygan, Wis. The Crusaders came into Tuesday’s action in second place, and although strong performances were put forth by all five team members who hit the tee box, they fell just short of the team title, finishing in second position, eight strokes back of Youngstown State.

The Crusaders put together their second-best round of the tournament in the final round on Tuesday with a 293, to finish with a combined total of 894.  The Penguins tallied their best round, a 290, to finish at 886.

Regardless of the outcome, head coach David Gring was impressed with the effort the team provided on the links. “It was a close tournament right down to the end and I was really happy with the way that the team responded with our final round today,” said Gring.  “While we came up short of the victory, the guys gained some valuable experience and demonstrated a lot of confidence coming in to the final round.”

Three Crusaders placed within the top-ten of the individual scoring, with senior Eric Winters (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) leading the Brown and Gold. Winters finished in a tie for third, turning in a final-round score of 73 to close the tournament at 219. Coach Gring was very pleased with the performance Winters turned in. “Eric was a rock for us all three rounds and I was happy to see him and Nick finish among the top-five individuals,” said Gring.  “We will bring a lot of confidence with us to our remaining fall tournaments, including this coming weekend, coming out of this tournament.”

Sophomore Nick Seitz (Xenia, Ohio/Carroll) finished tied for fifth with a final round of 72, and a three round total of 222, while senior Joe Harris (Washington, Iowa/Washington) finished play with a 225, thanks to a final round of 73. Rounding out the Crusader scoring, sophomore Peter Webb (Madison, Wis./James Madison Memorial) finished tied for 21st with a three round total of 237 and freshman Zach Cutler (O’Fallon, Mo./Timberland) completed his first collegiate tournament at 242, good for a share of 31st place.

“The entire team put in a lot of quality work over the summer on their games, and it was evident with the five guys that played in this event,” said Gring.  “We had a lot of consistency in our scoring throughout the tournament.  I was very pleased with our team's putting and the way that the guys managed the challenging golf course.”

Next up for the men’s golf team is a trip to Pawley’s Island, South Carolina, where they will participate in the Golfweek Program Challenge at the True Blue
Golf Course.  The three-day event kicks off this coming Sunday, Sept. 7.