The Valparaiso University men’s golf team close out the Bash at the Beach in impressive fashion on Tuesday at The Surf Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The Crusaders stroked a 291, the third-best Round 3 score in the 16-team field. Valpo finished the event in ninth place with a 54-hole score of 900.  

How It Happened

• Zach Cutler put together an impressive third round, trimming 10 strokes off his Round 2 score to post a team-best 70 on the final day of competition. He finished the three-round event at 230, which put him tied for 58^th.  
• Peter Webb led the way in the event by stroking a 71 in Round 3. He finished the event with a team-best score of 220, putting him in a tie for 14^th overall.
• Nick Seitz followed closely behind Webb with a 73 in Round 3 and a 222 overall. He finished in a tie for 20^th in the event.
• Adam Baracani sustained his consistency on the second day of competition, stroking a 77, identical to his second-round score. He finished the event at 230, tied for 41^st.  
• Mitchell Wittmann posted a 92 on Tuesday to finish at 253 in 89^th place.
• Jeremy Wu golfed as an individual and had his best round of the tournament, stroking a 78. His total score of 236 allowed him to finish in a tie for 65^th.

Inside the Rounds

• The team score of 291 in Round 3 marked Valpo’s second-best round of the season, eclipsed only by a 286 in Round 2 of the Golfweek Program Challenge on Sept. 12.
• Wu, a freshman, turned in a 78, the best round of his young Crusader career.
• The Crusaders finished a full 17 strokes ahead of Fairleigh Dickinson for ninth and just seven strokes in back of Appalachian State and Horizon-League foe Wright State, who tied for seventh.
• Oakland, the third Horizon League participant in the event, posted an 887 to finish fifth.
• South Carolina Beaufort won the meet at 874, edging out second-place George Washington by one stroke.

Thoughts from Head Coach Dave Gring

"Our team is focusing and building on the positives during this spring season and we had a number of positive results from our second tournament of the spring season. Three of our six players had their best tournament of the year, our team scoring improved steadily all three rounds for the second consecutive tournament and we had our best finish of the year in a round, shooting three under par for our final nine holes today."

"The conditions were challenging for half of the tournament and the guys responded well, playing very focused and keeping a good attitude during the entire tournament. They have put a lot of work in during our offseason and we are just starting to see some of the fruits of those labors. We can feel some nice momentum going in to our next event." 

Up Next

The Crusaders will return to the course on Monday, March 20 as they partake in the Twin Oaks Intercollegiate at Twin Oaks C.C. in Springfield, Mo.