Viera, Florida -- Despite shooting a 23-under par total and having three golfers in the top 10 Indian Hills couldn't keep pace with Central Alabama and had to settle for a runnerup finish at the 2019 NJCAA National Championship played at the Duran Golf Club. The Warriors took a one-stroke lead into the fourth and final round, but had their only over-par score of the tourney (a 294) and saw Central Alabama card a 280 over the final 18 holes as the Alabamans blew past IHCC for a victory margin of 13 shots.
Indian Hills was in a second-place tie with Midland College, four strokes off the lead, after the opening round, then used the best 18-hole score of the week, a 270, to grab the 36-hole lead. The IHCC advantage was shaved to a single stroke heading into Friday's 4th round after Central Alabama posted a 273 score in round three. The Warriors didn't have anyone shoot an under-par round to close out the tournament while CAC had two 68s and a 71 over the final 18 holes.
Sophomore George Clarke ended his Indian Hills career with a 281 total and tied for 5th place. Clarke's best round was a five-under 67 in round two. Joe Hodgson, a freshman, tied for 8th with his 283, five-under par for the week. He also shot a 67, in the opening round. Classmate Jesse MacNaughtan posted a 67 and a 68 in the middle two rounds and wound up in a tie for 10th place. Freshman Harry Doig fired a 66 in round two and ended in a tie for 20th. Max Leclerc, a soph, had back-to-back 71s in the 2nd and 3rd rounds and tied for 36th.
Midland's Callum Bruce was the meet medalist with four rounds in the 60s and a 271 total, a whopping 17 strokes under par.
It was the 5th time Indian Hills has been a runnerup at the national tourney, to go along with six national titles. The Warriors have been 1st or 2nd in each of the past three years, five of the last six, and seven of the past nine tourneys.
NJCAA DI National Championship
Team scores: (top 10)
1. Central Alabama 282-281-273-280=1116; 2. Indian Hills 281-270-284-294=1129; 3. Midland 281-281-280-288=1130; 4. New Mexico 277-278-285-294=1134; 5. Calhoun 286-293-284-289=1152;6. Ranger 293-291-284-286=1154; T7. Eastern Florida State 285-286-293-294=1158; T7. Iowa Western 287-290-295-286=1158;T9. Odessa 285-291-287-299=1162; T9. Wallace State 287-299-286-290=1162
Indian Hills scores:
T5. George Clarke 70-67-71-73=281; T8. Joe Hodgson 67-70-74-72=283; T10. Jesse MacNaughtan 75-67-68-74=284; T20. Harry Doig 70-66-76-76=288; T36. Max Leclerc 74-71-71-75=291