JACKSON, Tenn.—Highlighted by a school record-setting second round and clutch scoring down the stretch, the Bellarmine men's golf team captured a runner-up finish in the 16-team Grover Page Classic hosted by UT-Martin at Jackson Country Club on Monday and Tuesday.
Bellarmine senior
Jensen Klondike recorded two eagles in his closing round 68, including a two on the 398-yard, par-4 second hole. Because of the shotgun start in the final round, No. 2 was Klondike's 17th hole, so that eagle came at an opportune time.
Facing a 130-yard approach on the hole, the Louisville senior knocked down a 9-iron to flight the ball a little lower, and his strategy paid off in a big way. The "deuce" helped lift the Knights past UT-Martin by one stroke as the host school had to settle for third place.
ASUN Conference rival North Alabama captured the team crown with an 843 (-21) final 54-hole total. The Knights were 13 shots back at eight-under par 856 (290, 280, 286), one ahead of the Skyhawks. North Alabama's Carter Goodwin claimed medalist honors with a nine-under total of 207 (71-68-68).
In the second round on Monday, the Knights fired an 8-under par 280 score to break the school record by one shot, bettering the 7-under total (281) Bellarmine posted in the Kentucky State Invitational in the 1994-95 season. (Several previous Bellarmine teams have recorded single-round scores of 280, but those events were played on par-71 or par-70 courses.)
The Knights' new school record was truly a team effort as four of the five players broke par in the round. Leading the way was freshman
Luke Bischoff with a 68—the best score of his young collegiate career.
Ballard Harris carded a 70 in round two while Klondike and
Kannon Tucker chipped in with 71s.
After the getting the good news of setting a school record on Monday night, the Knights then got some bad news: due to a scorecard snafu, Bellarmine's opening round 287 had been changed to a 290. On the 36-hole day, players simply continue play without stopping at a scoring tent, and in the hasty transition to the second round, Tucker inadvertently signed a scorecard for a 2-over 74 when he actually shot 71. The rules of golf stipulate that if a player signs for a higher score, then that score becomes his official score. Therefore, Bellarmine's opening round of 287 became a 290.
In the end, the mishap didn't cost the team any ground in the final standings, but it cost Tucker a top 10 finish. The Somerset, Kentucky native still managed to post a top 20 finish after closing with a pair of 71s for a T-18 finish.
Klondike was Bellarmine's top finisher, turning in three under-par rounds (70-71-68) to finish solo fourth in the 96-player field. Harris notched a T-13 finish with rounds of 72-70-72, and Bischoff tied for 20
th after rounds of 74-68-75.
"It was a great tournament and an outstanding growing experience for the team," said Bellarmine Coach
Bruce Brown.
The Knights return to action on Monday in the J.T. Poston Invitational hosted by Western Carolina in Sapphire, North Carolina.
9/19-20/2022 -- Grover Page Classic
Jackson Country Club -- Jackson, TN
Par 72, 6783 yards -- 16 teams, 96 players
GOLFSTAT RESULTS
