The Valparaiso University men’s golf team concluded hosting of the inaugural Crusader Collegiate at Sand Creek C.C. in Chesterton on Tuesday. The Crusaders finished second as a team, finishing behind only the champions from Bradley, while junior Zach Cutler (O’Fallon, Mo./Timberland) led the way individually with a second-place finish.

How It Happened

• Valpo posted a third-round score of 297 on Wednesday to finish the 54-hole event at 894. Bradley pulled away to earn the team title with a final-round 285 for a total of 864.
• Cutler backed up his recent strong play with another stellar round. The junior shot a 2-under 70 on Wednesday to finish with a 54-hole score of 215 (-1), just one shot back of the individual champion.
• Cutler was one of three Crusaders to finish inside the top-10. Senior Peter Webb (Madison, Wis./James Madison Memorial) shot a final-round 73 to finish at 227, while sophomore Mitchell Wittmann (Kaukauna, Wis./Kaukauna) also posted a three-round total of 227 as the duo tied for eighth place.

Inside the Tournament

• Bradley’s Ethan Brue earned the individual title by one stroke, finishing the three rounds at two-under 214.
• Valpo topped both other Horizon League programs in the tournament field. Wright State finished in third place, nine strokes back of the Crusaders, while Detroit finished 17 strokes behind the Raiders.
• In relation to par, Cutler’s 54-hole score of one under par was tied for the tenth-best three-round tournament score in program history.
• Freshman Ross Lazar (Okemos, Mich./Okemos) shot the best round of his young career, carding a 74 on Wednesday to finish in 14th position.

Thoughts From Head Coach David Gring

"Our team thoroughly enjoyed hosting our inaugural event at the Sand Creek Country Club over the past few days. The golf course was in impeccable shape, with the greens rolling very true and fast for all three rounds. We are grateful to the entire membership at the private golf course and the staff that made the experience very gratifying and enjoyable. It took a few years to put this home tournament together for our program, and we are grateful to the Valpo athletic department and the host of volunteers that helped make it come to fruition. We will look forward to hosting this home event again next year."

"Our birdie production was better than the second round, but still not where we need it to be. The guys had a lot of good looks on the greens, but the pin placements were tremendous and the greens were challenging to read. We had our best round of the three today in par-5 scoring at -9, but our par-3 scoring was the worst of the three rounds at +10. When we can take advantage of the par-5's and play solid on the par-3's, our team scoring is always low."

"Zach Cutler has finished our first two tournaments as a runner-up individually, and he continues to play with a lot of confidence. His decision making is very strong on the golf course, he is selecting high percentage shots, and his execution has been fantastic. He has certainly been enjoying himself out on the golf course."

"It has been a fast start to the fall portion of our season, with two tournaments in the past two weeks, and we are just past Labor Day. We are looking forward to a larger and national field at the Golfweek Program Challenge in South Myrtle Beach this coming weekend."

Next Up

The Crusaders continue their busy early-season schedule next week as they travel to Pawley’s Island, S.C. for the Golfweek Program Challenge. The three-day tournament kicks off on Sunday, Sept. 11.