The Hoosiers failed to put in a quality team performance for the third consecutive week, and finished 32 strokes over par. IU Coach Mike Mayer said their performance this weekend was nothing more than sub-par.
The Hoosiers finished 11th in the 14-team field, their second consecutive finish in the bottom third of a tournament. Against Big Ten competition, they finished ahead of only Rutgers, who posted a 54-over final score.
Mayer said he finally received the production he was looking for from senior Keegan Vea in the five spot. Vea led the team in scoring. He shot a two-under first round and finished five strokes over for the tournament. This tournament marks his eighth career top-25 finish at IU.
The timing wasn’t right, however, and despite Vea’s bounce-back performance, the consistent, solid production from the top of the lineup wavered.
Senior Andrew Havill finished eight-over and tied for 29th. Sophomore Jake Brown and freshman Brock Ochsenreiter both finished 12-over and tied for 45th. Junior Brendon Doyle went 15-over and tied for 60th.
“This was the first tournament I felt like we didn’t play as well as we should’ve,” Mayer said. “I think we left some strokes out on the course.”
They may be able to swing by and pick them up in a two weeks when they head back to Chicago for the Northern Intercollegiate, which will be their third consecutive tournament in northern Illinois. Vea and Mayer agree the first week off of the season comes at the right time.
“I think everyone’s a little disappointed with how we finished this week,” Vea said. “With it being the third straight week I think a little fatigue might’ve come into play, but I think we just have to be positive and have the right mindset because we know we’re better than that.”
The Hoosiers have a full week of practice to refuel and get the jets going again. With only two fall tournaments remaining, their finishes could have post-season implications for the spring.
As for the first three fall tournaments, seniors have led the way for IU. Havill led the team in scoring the first two weekends, and Vea stepped up and did so this weekend. However, Vea said this team doesn’t rely solely on senior leadership.
“All five of us pick each other up when we’re down,” he said. “That’s the team aspect about golf. You might think it’s individual, but when the emotions and the vibes are going, everyone gets picked up by everyone. We have a good group of guys.”
