Oklahoma City, Oklahoma -- Indian Hills finished 5th at the Broncho Invitational this week in a tournament that included some of the best teams in NCAA Division II golf, a result that coach John Mulholland said will help the Warriors continue to build toward the end of the season.
IHCC was tied for 4th after the opening 18 holes, shooting a 286. That was their lowest round of the tourney. They followed with a 294 and closed with a 298 for an 878 total. That was 15 strokes behind the team champ, St. Mary's University (Texas). Missouri-St. Louis and SE Oklahoma State tied for 2nd at 872. The field included the Warriors and 15 four-year schools playing the Oak Tree Country Club.
Harry Doig topped the IHCC individuals with his 54-hole total of 216, six shots over par. That put Doig in a tie for 10th place. Jesse MacNaughtan tied for 16th with a 219 that included an even-par 70 on the final round. George Clarke tied for 25th. He was even-par after the first day, shooting a one-under 69 and a one-over 71. Clarke struggled to an 81 in round three. The Warriors' total also included 229 totals for both Joe Hodgson and Maxime Leclerc, who tied for 53rd.
"The course we played was very challenging," Mulholland said, "and the greens were the big reason for the higher scores during the event."
Mulholland complimented Clarke on his first two rounds and said the third round saw some gutsy play by the two freshmen, Doig and MacNaughtan, who carded a 69 and 70, respectively. "Playing like this in tough conditions will build a lot of confidence for them as me move to our next event," the IHCC coach explained. "Those two are very determined players and it showed with the scores they produced on a tough day. I'm really excited for them and looking forward to seeing them play a lot more good golf in the future."
The Warriors will be idle until they compete in the Beu Mussatto Invitational in Macomb, Illinois Apr. 15-16. They won that event last year. Mulholland said, "We learn a lot about our games playing in events like these and this is what is going to make us better in the long run. Playing against quality fields and stronger players will really give my guys a leg up on the competition we will play in May this year."
Broncho Invitational
Team scores (top 9):
- St. Mary's 278-288-297=863; T2. Missouri-St. Louis 287-289-296=872; T2. SE Oklahoma State 285-282-305=872; 4. Oklahoma Christian 287-284-3-2=873; 5. Indian Hills 286-294-298=878; 6. Midwestern State 295-291-295=881; 7. Southern Arkansas 289-285-310=884; 8. Central Oklahoma 284-295-310=888; 9. Henderson State 291-290-308=889
Indian Hills scores:
T10. Harry Doig 71-76-69=216; T16. Jesse MacNaughtan 75-74-70=219; T25. George Clarke 69-71-81=221; T53. Joe Hodgson 71-74-84=229; T53. Maxime Leclerc 76-75-78=229