The Valparaiso University men’s golf team saw two individuals post top-25 finishes as the Crusaders finished in 14^th position as a team at the Golfweek Program Challenge on Tuesday from True Blue G.C. in Pawley’s Island, S.C.

How It Happened

• The Crusaders posted a final round team score of 293 on Tuesday to close out the 54-hole event with a team score of 880, just one stroke back of 13^th
• Junior Michael Doherty (Lisle, Ill./Naperville North) posted Valpo’s best round on Tuesday, shooting a one-under 71 and finishing the tournament in a tie for 45^th position with a three-round total of 218.
• Both senior Peter Webb (Madison, Wis./James Madison Memorial) and junior Zach Cutler (O’Fallon, Mo./Timberland) finished the 54 holes under par to earn top-25 spots. Webb carded a 73 on Tuesday to finish at 214, good for a tie for 22^nd position, while Cutler shot a final-round 75 and finished in a tie for 24^th place at 215.
• All five Crusaders shot 75 or better for the final round. Freshman Ross Lazar (Okemos, Mich./Okemos) posted his best round of the tournament by shooting a 75, finishing the three-day event with a total of 234, while sophomore Mitchell Wittmann (Kaukauna, Wis./Kaukauna) improved by seven shots from Monday to Tuesday, recording a 74 to close the tournament at 239.

Inside the Round

• The Crusaders’ three-round score of 880 is tied for seventh-best in program history by stroke count, while in relation to par, the +16 total is fifth-best all-time. Each of Valpo’s four trips to the Golfweek Program Challenge ranks among the top-seven by 54-hole stroke count and among the top-five by 54-hole score in relation to par.
• Webb’s 54-hole score of 214 is tied for tenth-best in program history by stroke count, and his total of -2 is tied for sixth-best. 13 individuals have gone under par for 54 holes since the program’s resumption, with Webb owning a program-best five of those marks.
• Webb carded five birdies on Tuesday, while Cutler, Doherty and Wittmann each registered three birdies apiece. For the tournament, Webb finished with a team-best 14 birdies, just two off the top mark in the field.
• Webb finished the tournament at -8 on the par-5s, just one stroke off the best performance in the field on the course’s longest holes. Both Cutler and Wittmann closed out the event at -1 on the par-3s.

Next Up

The Crusaders head to Fort Collins, Colo. next week for the Ram Masters Invitational, hosted by Colorado State at Fort Collins C.C. The two-day tournament begins on Monday, Sept. 19.