OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – No. 4-rated Indian Hills used a strong third round finish to close five strokes on their nearest competitor to move from third to a tie for runner-up honors at the U.C. Ferguson Classic, hosted by Oklahoma City University at Lincoln Park West Golf Course, April 11-12.
While the Warriors were able to track down second place Southwestern Christian University (OK), neither team was able to catch tournament champion Bellevue (NE) as the Bruins outdistanced the field by ten strokes.
For the first time in five events this spring, the Warriors were led by someone other than Antoine Sale, as sophomore Blade Gadd put together sterling scores of 66 and 68 in his final two of three rounds on the par 71 course at Lincoln Park West. The scores helped offset an opening round 3-over par 74 to land Gadd in a tie for eighth place with a 5-under 208 at the event which featured five ranked NAIA schools.
"It was a really impressive final two rounds from Blade which is something he for sure has in him more regularly with how he swings the club," said IHCC Head Coach John Mulholland. "He got off to a shaky start, but really brought it back with some of his best golf of the year, nearly making an albatross (scoring a 2 on a par 5) in the final round, a highlight along with many other good shots he had."
Despite not dominating the leaderboard as thoroughly as in previous events, Mulholland was still satisfied with his squad's effort.
"It was another good week of golf from the Warriors, and although we didn't play our very best, we for sure competed as well as we have all year," Mulholland added. "The greens were a challenge being aerated and that never makes it easy mentally."
For his part, Sale was steady, posting scores of 70, 69, and 71 to land the Frenchman two strokes behind Gadd at 3-under 210, good enough for a tie for 12th place. Harry Fearn was 1-under for the 36-hole even with a score of 212 to land him in a tie for 17th. Thomas Burou and Max T. Hartmann finished at 1-over and 2-over, respectively.
Collectively, each of the five Warrior golfers each posted at least one round in the 60s, a fact that pleased Mulholland.
"It was excellent to see everyone post a low number, and have all our guys post numbers to our team total," Mulholland said. "Everyone shot a round in the 60s and that helps a lot with the confidence."
The Warriors have closed out the regular season portion of their schedule and will now look to drive towards potential district and national championships. IHCC will compete in the NJCAA District III Tournament April 26-27 at Crestview Country Club in North Wichita, Kansas. A qualifying finish there would send the Warriors back to the scene of their last National Title in 2017-18 at The Rawls in Lubbock, Texas, site of the 2021 NJCAA Division I Championships.
"Districts will be another good test for us on a championship course down in Wichita," Mulholland said. "We've had a chance to see the course a couple times, which will help us with course knowledge as we look to bring back number seven in a row for District III titles. We're excited for the post season, no doubt."