Rhodes, Iowa -- Indian Hills was in second place after the first 18 holes and stayed there over the next two rounds for a runnerup finish at the Zach Johnson Invitational at the Harvester Golf Course. The Warriors trailed eventual champ Bradley by four shots after each of the first two rounds and the Braves then pulled away for a 22-stroke margin over IHCC, the lone two-year school in the nine-team field.
Indian Hills sophomore Jakub Bares, who had a three-under par 69 in the first round that was the best score of the tourney, came in third behind Drake Bushong of Bradley and Davis Sutton of Northern Iowa, who played for the Warriors last year. Bares ended the 54-hole event at 223. IHCC's Eric Gilpin tied for 10th with a 228 total.
The Warriors had sophomore Jack Duguid and freshman Julien Sale in a two-way tie for 20th place with 234 scores.
"We played well the first two rounds, but the lack of experience hurt us in the third and final round," said IHCC coach Rob Murray about his team's 317 total over the final 18 holes. "With the wind blowing 30 mph you really need to think well to play well, especially at a golf course like the Harvester."
Indian Hills has finished first or second in all three meets in which they've competed this fall. The Warriors won the Mount Mercy Invitational and were second at the Fall Eagle Open. They will wrap up the fall part of their schedule over the next week in a pair of meets in Kansas. First is the Dodge City CC Shootout in Dodge City Oct. 7 and 8. Indian Hills then goes to Garden City, Kansas for the NJCAA National Preview, to be contested at the Buffalo Dunes Golf Course Oct. 9-11.
Zach Johnson Invitational
Team scores:
1. Bradley 295-300-299=894; 2. Indian Hills 299-300-317=916; 3. North Dakota State 308-304-312=924; 4. Eastern Illinois 308-300-317=925; 5. Northern Iowa 300-314-312=926; 6. Creighton 308-304-318=930; 7. Drake 305-307-321=933; 8. Green Bay 300-313-338=951; 9. North Dakota 306-319-331=956
Indian Hills scores:
3. Jakub Bares 69-76-78=223; T10. Eric Gilpin 74-73-81=228; T20. Jack Duguid 80-76-78=234; T20. Julien Sale 76-78-80=234; T24. Clayton Larsen 82-74-80=236; 31. Ekkarat Leksuwan 82-75-81=238