The Valparaiso University men’s golf team completed the final round of the Invitational at Savannah Harbor on Sunday at The Club in Savannah, Ga. Freshman Charlie Toman (Chardon, Ohio / Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin) was the top Valpo golfer on the first weekend of the spring season as he once again turned in a team-best on Sunday to complete a Top 10 finish in the event.

How It Happened

• Toman carded a team-best 72 on Sunday to finish the three rounds at 217. He finished the tournament tied for ninth overall at one stroke over par. His 72 in Round 3 was an even par after he went two strokes under in Saturday’s Round 1.
• Toman had three birdies in the final round and shot par or better on 16 holes.
• Brett Seward (Aurora, Ill. / Aurora Christian) clubbed a 74 (+2) on Sunday, his best round of the weekend. Seward finished at 227 (t-54) in the event, third on the team behind Toman and Jack Juskow (Greenville, S.C. / Hamilton Southeastern), who golfed a 225 (t-43).
• Seward stroked an eagle on the 11^th hole, needing three strokes to complete a Par 5.

Inside the Round

• Valpo finished with a team score of 301 in Round 3 and 904 for the tournament, placing 15^th of 18 in the event. The team topped Omaha by two strokes for 15^th while also finishing ahead of Washington & Lee and Columbia. Valpo was just two strokes behind Northern Kentucky in the team standings.
• South Carolina Beaufort won the event with an 872, while Washington & Lee had the individual medalist despite finishing 17^th of 18 as Brian Peccie turned in a 212 (-4).
• Valpo finished the weekend with 161 pars and 29 birdies.
• Seward’s eagle was one of six total across all teams in the tournament.

Thoughts from Head Coach Dave Gring

“Today’s final round was disappointing because the team played very solid with the exception of the middle of the front nine. Just with the four scores we counted, we were +12 for holes 4-7. That’s a tough stretch on the course and we didn’t manage and execute well on those holes. The same four guys played the other 14 holes +1 as a team, which is terrific.”

“We were certainly looking forward to a better team finish, but there were numerous positive takeaways for the first tournament of the year. Our ball-striking was pretty good for the first time on grass in four months, we had three rounds of par or better, we played the back nine very well after some slow starts to the rounds and Charlie finished in the Top 10.”

“Charlie played very solid for us all weekend. He worked very diligently this winter with his practice in our Golf Room, adding distance to his entire bag. For the first rounds of the year, I was impressed with how sharp his chipping and putting were the entire tournament. His Top-10 finish is well deserved and he’s excited for the spring season.”

Up Next

Valpo will next hit the links on Monday, March 11 for the first day of the Twins Oaks Intercollegiate in Springfield, Mo.