Owensboro, Ky. – The host Kentucky Wesleyan men's golf team finished fourth among the 10 teams at the Kentucky Wesleyan Invitational at The Pearl Club on Sunday.
The Panthers finished the event with a team score of 597 (295-301), just one stroke behind third-place Kentucky State.
Junior Thomas Scott, who came into the day in third place after a strong opening round, turned in a sixth-place finish (145, 71-74) among the 62 student-athletes to lead the way for Wesleyan.
Freshman Benjamin Carter impressed with his consistency, carding a 75 in each round on his way to slotting in at T-12th.
Sophomore Jonathan Kaminski came in right behind him at T-14th, posting a 151 (76-75) and moving up nine spots throughout round two, and sophomore Braydon Bond came in T-14th as well after moving up four spots in round two (151, 75-76).
Senior Harrison Sallee, in his last event as a Panther, finished T-45th with a 162 (79-83). Freshman Ryan Loiars rounded out the effort with a 165 (83-82) to tie for 65th.
Both freshman Kolby Crook and freshman William Hammond competed independently in the event. Crook came in 60th with a 180 (90-90) and Hammond finished one spot behind him with a 183 (94-89).
"It was really good to see the golf course play tough today. I thought we handled it about as well as we could. The wind and the speed of the greens really made the course a good test for everybody in the tournament," head coach Ken Badylak said. "I was happy to see Thomas [Scott] get in the mix again. He had a really strong spring last year and he ends the fall with another good performance. Jon has been "Mr. Consistency" throughout the course of these past five events, holding our best average and finishing in the top 15 four times."
"We now have to decompress a little bit and focus on what direction we want to take things in the spring," Badylak continued. "Right now, we need to evaluate, celebrate our successes, and recognize our shortcoming. Once we do that, we can push forward and make more progress in the spring. Overall, I'm proud of our guys for their performance this week and throughout the fall. We have made some strides. They're getting closer and closer to recognizing their true ability."
41st-ranked Missouri S&T brought home the team title, prevailing by a remarkable 22 strokes over second-place Maryville. It's the Miners' second consecutive victory at the event.
Similarly, Missouri S&T's Isaac Chern Yi To, ranked 84th in Division II, earned his second straight title at the Kentucky Wesleyan Invitational, this time by just one stroke over two of his teammates.
The Panthers will now look to build on their fall momentum while preparing for the spring season.
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