Goucher Men's Golf Wraps Up Season At NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championships
NICHOLASVILLE, Kentucky – The road to the Champions Course of the Keane Trace Golf Club is named Avenue of Champions and the Goucher College flag waves proudly around the lake to the left of the entrance is an example of #GoucherProud moments. The Gopher men's golf team belongs among the champions as the two-time Landmark Conference Men's Golf Champions. Julian Gonzalez (Heredia, Costa Rica/Berkley Academy) paced the Gophers in the second round of the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship in what turned out to be the final round of the tournament for the Gophers on Thursday.
The Champions Course will host the 2019 PGA Barbasol Championships so the Goucher players played a course on Thursday that PGA players have played in the last two years and will walk the same path as the Gophers in July.
"It was really great to wins a second Landmark championship and get a second trip to the national championship," said head coach Hunter Brown. "We are disappointed that our hard work did not show off at the national championship, but we are inspired for next year."
Gonzalez posted the best round of the tournament with a 78 to finish with a two-round score of 159 to sit in 121st place, finishing 10 strokes behind for the chance to play the final two rounds as an individual and 17 strokes behind the leader after two rounds.
The freshman posted a one-over par on the first nine holes thanks to a birdie on 7, pars on 1,4,5,6,8 and 9 while bogeying 2 and 3. He then shot a five-over par on his final nine holes of his freshman campaign. Gonzalez had bogeys on 11, 15 and 16, a double bogey on 12 and pars on 10, 13, 14, 17 and 18 to end with a 78 on the afternoon.
Nick Fisher (Fishers, Ind./Fishers) shot an 83 in the second round after an 82 in the first round for a two-day score of 165 to finish in 166th place. The freshman started his round two-over par in the first seven holes after birdies on 2 and 6, pars on 1 and 7, bogeys on 3 and 5 and a double bogey on 4. He then posted a double bogey and bogey to make the turn with a five-over par 41. He then posted pars on 10, 12, 13 and 17 while carding bogeys on 11, 14, 16 and 18 and a double bogey on 15.
Steph Lee (Manalapan, N.J./Saint John Vianney) tied Fisher for 166th place after posting an team-low 80 in the first round and an 85 in the second round for a two-round score of 165. Lee had a decent start to his final round after going into No. 8 one-over par. He posted birdies on 4 and 6, a par on 2 and bogeys on 1, 3 and 5. He then had a bogey on 7 and 9 along with a par on 8 to head into the final nine three-over par. The sophomore then registered a par on 17, bogeys on 10,11, 13, 15, 16 and 18, and double bogeys on 12 and 14.
Evan Yue (Beijing, China/IMG Academy) finished 178th with a two-round score of 168. Yue had pars on 1,2,7,11,12,15 and 18, bogeys on 3,4,5,6,10,13,16 and 17, and double bogeys on 8,8 and 14.
Roberto Mikse (Fort Wayne, Texas/Jim McClean Junior Academy) posted an 89 in the first round and an 85 in the second round to post a two-round score of 174 to place 202nd. The sophomore had birdies on 2 and 17, pars on 1,5,6,11 and 15, bogeys on 3,8,10,12,13,15,16 and 18, double bogeys on 4 and 7 and a triple bogey on 9.
Goucher shot a 325 in the first round and a 331 in the second round to finish with a score of 656, 36 strokes from advancing to the next stage of the championship.
