The Valparaiso University men’s golf team finished out the Advance Golf Partners Collegiate with its second consecutive round at under par, as the team climbed all the way to tied for sixth on the leaderboard. Senior Caleb VanArragon (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) once again had the squad’s best score, solidifying a top-10 finish at the par-72, 7169-yard Hammock Creek Golf Club in Palm City, Fla.
How It Happened
Inside the Round
Thoughts from Head Coach Dave Gring
“I’m really proud of the team, battling back from a huge deficit that we made for ourselves in the first round. It was a very disappointing first-round performance and we struggled in a variety of areas. The guys made some quality adjustments from the first round, and that paid dividends in the final two rounds. We played as well as team champion Drexel in the final two rounds and better than the rest of the field. We made up a lot of ground in two days, and that’s a huge positive that we can take from this tournament.”
“While our team led the field in Par-5 scoring, our long iron/hybrid shots were not sharp today and we didn’t take advantage in scoring after a number of very good tee shots. We need to simply get more practice reps with those clubs. We really could have crushed the field in Par-5 scoring had our approach shots been better. Also, our Par-3 scoring was very solid in the second round and decent today, but we need to hit more Par-3 greens in regulation.”
“The competitive rounds always show us what we need to work on in practice. We have a month before our next tournament, so we have plenty of time to focus on those areas. For the first tourney of the spring season, I watched a lot of excellent shot execution and I felt the guys made a lot of good decisions out there in managing the course. We had some quality sub-par rounds from Caleb and Sam, with solid ball-striking and both of them putting well to make some birdies. Yianni and Owen gave us some much-needed rounds at and around par. We will look forward to playing in another quality field in a few weeks.”
Up Next
Next month, Valpo will return to tournament action by making its way to Phoenix to compete in the Grand Canyon University Invitational at GCU Golf Course. The two-day event will begin on Monday, March 13. A link to live scoring will be available on ValpoAthletics.com.
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