In its second tournament of the spring season, Indiana men’s golf placed ninth out of 14 schools at the Colleton River Collegiate in Bluffton, South Carolina. Indiana went into the competition ranked No. 46 and scored under par as a team for the third time this season.
Despite the Hoosiers finishing with a combined score of 850 (286-280-284; -14), the team was still 18 strokes behind first place. Georgia Southern University took home first with a team score of 32 strokes under par, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga came in second with a -30 and Rutgers slotted in third with a score of 23 strokes under par.
At its peak, Indiana held the sixth place spot heading into the third round. Senior Drew Salyers once again led the way for Indiana, earning his 18th career top-10 finish in South Carolina. Salyers placed 10th overall, ending his three-round card with a score of 208 (71-70-67; -8). The former All-Big Ten first team honoree posted 11 birdies and two eagles throughout his three rounds of play while placing first for Indiana.
Indiana’s starting lineup stayed consistent since its last tournament in the Battle at Briars Creek a month ago. Redshirt junior Robert Bender III, redshirt seniors Noah Gillard and Eric Berggren, graduate student Thomas Hursey, and freshmen Cole Starnes and Nick Piesen started for Indiana at the Colleton River Golf Club.
Bender finished tied 26th overall and second for Indiana, shooting a 4-under 212 (75-68-69) en route to his lowest score this season. Bender recorded 14 total birdies, sinking five of them in the third round.
The pair of freshmen in Starnes and Piesen shot the two worst scores for Indiana, with Starnes shooting a 222 (72-76-74; +6) and Piesen a 220 (76-74-70; +4) while competing as an individual.
Gillard knocked in a team-high seven birdies in the second round, finishing the tournament with 16 total. Gillard posted scores of 216 (72-70-74; E), ending in third place for Indiana, and tied for 46th overall. Hursey held down the middle part of Indiana’s final scorecards, posting scores of – 217 (71-72-74; +1), notching an impressive five birdies and an eagle after his first round.
After two consecutive competitions in South Carolina, the Hoosiers will head to Tallahassee, Florida, to compete in the Seminole International starting Monday, March 11. After its trip to the panhandle, Indiana will compete in an individuals-only event in the Butler Spring Invitational from April 1-2.
