Results
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. – The Calvin University men's golf had a long second day at two different courses at the NCAA Division III Men's Golf National Championship tournament on Wednesday.
The Knights played nearly two full rounds on Wednesday after Tuesday's first round was suspended due to thunderstorms with the five Calvin players having played only 6-8 holes and finished the first two rounds at +32 with a total number of 604 strokes.
Only the top 18 teams (out of 43) make the cut to the final two rounds of the tournament and the Knights finished the first two days in a tie for 23rd place.
Players resumed play from the opening round starting early Wednesday morning at El Campeon GC, with Calvin finishing that round with a 15-over par total of 303 as their team score to rank in a tie for 23rd.
Matt Turcotte (Grandville, Mich./Calvin Christian) led the Knights with a 1-under par round of 71 to tie for 13th out of 224 individuals at the event after round one.
Josiah McClelland (Vicksburg, Mich./Vicksburg) shot 4-over par 76, while
Dylan Clark (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) and
Jack Marzolino (Byron Center, Mich./Byron Center) both shot 6-over par 78.
The Knights quickly jumped from the end of that round to the start of the second round at Las Colinas GC, where Calvin finished with a team score of 301 (+17).
McClelland led the Knights in round two with a 3-over par 74. Turcotte shot 4-over par 75, and Clark and Marzolino both shot 5-over par 76.
Ethan Tiller (Kalamazoo, Mich./Portage Central) cared a team-best four birdies on the way to a 77.
Turcotte finished as the Knights' lowest scorer at the tournament with a two-round total of 3-over par, which ranks tied for 41st individually. He has an opportunity to continue playing by making the individual cut with an individual playoff on Thursday morning.
McClelland tied for 88th and finished +7 for the tournament. Clark and Marzolino both finished the two rounds at +11, while Tiller shot +17.
COACH'S COMMENT: "NCAA D3 Nationals was an awesome experience," head coach
Brian Bolt said. "We played well but fell just short of the day-two cut.
Matt Turcotte played his way into an individual playoff but did not advance. The team was honored to represent Calvin and the MIAA. This was a fantastic team that accomplished a conference championship but grew even more off the course. We are very grateful for this opportunity and look forward to a bright future for Calvin golf. Go Knights!"
