The Hoosiers left Carrollton, Texas, and the Maridoe Golf Club, one of the hardest courses in collegiate golf, with a ninth-place finish Monday.
IU Coach Mike Mayer said his team performed alright, but it could have executed better and it failed to sustain positive momentum throughout the rounds.
“I think we had good play at times from everybody, but at times everybody also faltered,” Mayer said.
Senior Jake Brown was one of the bright spots for the Hoosiers at this invitational, rediscovering his 2017 form after struggling in his last two events for the team.
Brown started off his first round poorly, carding two double bogeys, but quickly recovered on the back nine holes with only one bogey and eight pars. He shot seven over par in that first round, but only got better over his three rounds in Texas.
He finished his next two rounds with scores of 74 and 69, recording seven of his eight birdies in those rounds, which earned him a top-15 finishing spot. This is his second top-15 finish of the season.
“I think he went into it with a little more moxie and a little more confidence,” Mayer said.
Junior Brock Ochsenreiter was the Hoosiers' rock at the two spot in their lineup. He finished in the top 25 with scores of 76, 77 and 72 on the par-70 course in his three rounds. While normally the top finisher for the Hoosiers this season, Ochsenreiter's style of play didn’t fit this course, Mayer said.
“Brock's a big-time golfer but he’s also been known to take a few chances,” Mayer said. “He payed for those a few times.”
Sophmore Ethan Shepherd came in behind Ochsenreiter and finished tied for 36th place. The underclassman put in a solid first two rounds, scoring 76 and 73 respectively, and then hit a wall in the final round, turning in a score of 78.
Freshman Mitch Davis showed his inexperience at this competition, finishing tied for 58th scoring a 75, 80 and 78 in his three rounds. It was only his fourth collegiate competition and it came on one of the hardest courses Mayer had ever seen at this level.
“He'll have to get mentally stronger and figure out what we all have to figure out," Mayer said. "There’s a way to play every golf course and a way to play every golf hole regardless of how difficult it is.'
Finishing last for IU was junior Evan Gaesser, who finished 71st out of the 75-person field. He scored 75, 85 and 81 in his three rounds of play and had a quadruple bogey in his second round.
The Hoosiers are back in the Midwest next week as the Hoosiers will play in the Chatham Hills Intercollegiate in Westfield, Indiana, next Sunday and Monday.
