MIDLAND, TX – No. 5-rated Indian Hills had a solid start to its spring schedule this week as the Warriors finished second by just two strokes after three rounds of play at the TankLogix Intercollegiate at the Ranchland Hills Golf Club.
The field included six schools that are currently ranked in the top 15 of the NJCAA golf rankings, including the hosts from Midland, who the Warriors share the No. 5 spot with in the national poll.
The Chaps would edge IHCC with their 3-under performance over the two days, due in large part to Samual McKenzie's 14-under 196-stroke total which outdistanced the field by 10 shots. Warrior sophomore Antoine Sale picked up right where he left off in the fall with a 4-under 206 total which left him in a tie for runner-up honors with Ranger's Howon Kim.
"We're very pleased with the results obviously we know we were doing a lot of the right things during the winter," said IHCC Head Coach John Mulholland. "It's disappointing to come so far and be so close to winning but these guys are super talented and they showed it this week. We came down and faced multiple top ranked teams who get to play during our winter term and we only lost to the host team. We know how to win and this will spur us on for the rest of the spring season."
Mulholland was impressed with Sale's opening salvo this spring.
"Antoine played fantastic for three rounds which is exactly what he expects to do. He's going to be exciting to watch for the rest of the spring," said Mulholland. "Being three over after four holes in his first round, he climbed back to post 70 in round one which was impressive. 67 in the final round is what every coach wants to see. Stress free golf is fun to watch."
IHCC teammate Harry Fearn continued his impressive play as he finished in a tie for fourth at 1-under with a 209 three-round total, which landed he and Sale on the All-Tournament team.
"Harry has been rock solid. He struggled early in the final round but pulled it together and posted 69 which is great for his confidence," Mulholland added. "Both Harry and Antoine have put themselves in contention consistently and will be hard to beat come the end of the year."
Max Hartmann put together back-to-back rounds of 70 to go with his opening card of 73 to land in a tie for eighth place with a 213.
"True freshman Max Hartmann recorded another top10 finish in a strong field. He's a hard-nosed competitor and great ball striker which will help him be a big part of our championship season," said Mulholland.
All six IHCC players finished in the top 30 of the individual standings as Thomas Burou was 17th, Cyril Henault 19th and Blade Gadd was 28th. Freshman Jake Calhoun played unattached and finished 52nd.
Both Midland and Indian Hills topped the highest ranking opponent in the field coming into the contest as No. 2-rated Odessa finished in third place, ten strokes behind the Warriors.
"We scraped by and pulled out a win. Indian Hills played really well," Midland coach Walt Williams said.
The Warriors will now be idle for nearly three weeks as they prepare for the Shoal Creek Invitational in Kansas City, March 22-23.
TOP FIVE TEAM STANDINGS
- Midland 279 277 281 837 -3
- Indian Hills 279 279 281 839 -1
- Odessa 292 285 272 849 +9
- Midland-B 276 278 300 854 +14
- Ranger 293 284 291 868 +28
WARRIOR INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
2. Antoine Sale 70 69 67 206 -4
4. Harry Fearn 69 71 69 209 -1
8. Max Hartmann 73 70 70 213 +3
17. Thomas Burou 72 69 77 218 +8
19. Cyril Henault 70 73 76 218 +9
28. Blade Gadd 70 79 75 224 +14
52. Jake Calhoun* 77 78 78 223 +23
*played unattached to team totals