Amarillo, Texas -- Indian Hills brought back an 8th-place finish from the Warriors' first competition of the fall -- the Ryan Palmer Foundation Invite at the Tascosa Country Club. As one of only two two-year schools in the 17-team field, the Warriors made up a little ground after the opening round of the 54-hole tourney. They were 10th after 18 holes, then had the third-best score of the middle round, a 284, and bested a dozen other schools over the final 18 holes. They ended the event just one shot out of a tie for 5th place and three strokes behind the 4th-place team.
Freshman Harry Fearn used a second-round three-under par 68 and a final-round even-par 71 to claim a top-ten finish. Fearn's 211 total was good for a tie for 9th place and was two-under for the invite. "Harry played some great golf over three rounds," said coach John Mulholland. "That shows me he will be a big part of the lineup this year. I really liked the way he handled the trying conditions."
Those conditions included a lot of wind on Monday, which Mulholland said contributed to the slow start for his squad. However, the coach thinks that will help the Warriors in the long run as the national championship will be played in Odessa, typically a very windy place.
The Indian Hills lineup featured three players who were on last spring's national tournament runner-up squad. And they were the next three finishers for the Warriors. Jesse MacNaughtan shot a one-under 70 in the 2nd round and he ended up in a tie for 28th with a 216 score. Harry Doig's 217 earned him a tie for 32nd. And Ethan Keane tied for 62nd place. "Jesse continues to impress and will be one to watch for the rest of the year as he looks to move on to another school next year. This guy can really play the game and enjoys the challenge," his coach said.
Freshman Cyril Henault overcame a slow start and fired rounds of 74 and 71 to wind up at 231.
Oklahoma Christian ran away with the team title, shooting 12-under par, nine strokes better than St. Mary's (Tex.). OCU's Andres Brictson and Midwestern State's Jake Doggett tied for medalist honors at 205, eight-under par.
Mulholland summarized the opening meet by saying, "It was a solid start to the year overall against some strong NCAA DII schools; I'm really looking forward to our next event at home!"
Indian Hills will host its own Warrior Challenge Sept. 16-17 at the Preserve on Rathbun Lake. IHCC will play in six events this fall, ending with the NJCAA National Preview in Odessa, Tex. Oct. 31-Nov. 1.
Ryan Palmer Foundation Invite
Team scores (top ten):
- Oklahoma Christian 282-278-280=840; 2. St. Mary's 283-286-280=849; 3. St. Edward's 278-281-295=854; 4. Midwestern State 284-289-284=857; T5. Colorado State-Pueblo 281-288-290=859; T5. Hutchinson CC 284-291-284=859; T5. Arkansas-Fort Smith 285-285-289=859; 8. Indian Hills 290-284-286=860; T9. Southwestern Oklahoma 280-291-295=866; T9. Central Oklahoma 288-291-287=866
Indian Hills scores:
T9. Harry Fearn 72-68-71=211; T28. Jesse MacNaughtan 74-70-72=216; T32. Harry Doig 72-73-72=217; T62. Ethan Keane 72-73-80=225; T80. Cyril Henault 86-74-71=231