After starting its spring season with a strong tied-for-eighth-place finish at the Gators Invitational on Feb. 14-15, Indiana men’s golf returned to tournament play at the Colleton River Club Dye Course in Bluffton, South Carolina, for the Colleton River Collegiate.
The two-day, 54-hole tournament took place Sunday through Monday, as the Hoosiers ended the first round in fourth place, looking to continue their early success.
However, Indiana found trouble in the second round Sunday afternoon, finishing last with a team score of 11-over-par — four strokes behind second-worst Michigan State. The second-round blunder hampered the Hoosiers in the third, as a 5-over-par team score led to Indiana finishing the tournament 15th and last.
The par-72, 7,403-yard course challenged Indiana throughout the weekend, but the University of Kentucky took advantage of low second-round scores (-8), finishing first with an 11-under-par team score. The Wildcats won a collegiate golf tournament for the first time since 2018, besting Ohio State by one shot.
Kentucky was led by senior Jack Schoenberger, who finished second with an 8-under-par final score. University of Memphis junior Diego Do Patrocinio Lourenco beat Schoenberger for first place after carding a 10-under-par total score and a 4-under-par third round.
Along with the Buckeyes, the Hoosiers were bested by Big Ten foes Minnesota (-4), Northwestern (-2), Rutgers (+4), Michigan State (+7) and Iowa (+11). Indiana couldn’t gain any momentum, tying for the fourth-most double bogeys or worse of any team in the tournament after carding 11 over the three rounds.
Junior Nick Piesen carded the lowest total score for Indiana with a 2-under-par performance, finishing tied for 10th. No other Hoosier finished even or under par during the three rounds.
Indiana junior Cole Starnes posted a 5-over-par final score to secure a tied-for-48th finish. Starnes went 3-under-par in the first round, but a 7-over-par second round performance hurt his chances at contending toward the top of the leaderboard.
Junior Neri Checcucci recorded a 6-over-par final score, while sophomore Bradley Chill Jr. was one behind with a 7-over-par total, finishing tied for 57th and tied for 61st, respectively.
Of the six Hoosiers who competed in the tournament, only junior Alec Cesare and freshman Caleb Schnarr recorded double-digit final scores. Schnarr competed in his first spring tournament as an individual — which didn't count toward Indiana’s team score — finishing 15-over-par and tied for 82nd. Cesare posted a 16-over-par score to tie for 84th out of 92 golfers.
Indiana finished the first round 2-under-par and in fourth place. The Hoosiers were one of five teams that completed the first 18 holes under par, with Minnesota leading the way with a 10-under-par total.
Starnes and Chill Jr. were the only Hoosiers who finished the first round under par, recording 3-under-par and 1-under-par rounds, respectively. Starnes recorded four birdies and only one bogey. After starting on the eighth hole, Chill Jr. recorded a double bogey to begin the tournament but bounced back throughout Sunday morning.
Piesen started on the seventh hole and recorded a bogey but made pars on every other hole. Checcucci was also 1-over-par in the first round.
In the second round, Piesen went 2-under-par with four birdies and two bogeys. However, no other Hoosier was better than 3-over-par, a number Chuccucii and Chill Jr. finished at. Starnes was the last Indiana golfer to be recorded in the team score with a 7-over-par total, while Cesare compiled an 8-over-par total.
On Monday, for the third round, Indiana totaled a 5-over-par team score, which ranked tied for 12th with Rutgers. The Hoosiers were only better than the University of Missouri (+6) and Iowa (+17).
Piesen carded the lowest round for an Indiana golfer Monday with a 1-under-par score. After starting on the 10th hole, the Strongsville, Ohio, native recorded three birdies on the back nine and an eagle on the par-5 second hole. However, Piesen recorded four bogeys on the last six holes.
Starnes went 1-over-par, Checcucci recorded a 2-over-par score and Cesare compiled a 3-over-par round three score. Chill Jr. finished the tournament with a third round, 3-over-par final score that did not count for the Indiana team total.
Indiana is currently ranked No. 91 by clippd. The Hoosiers will resume their spring season March 13-15 at the Schenkel Invitational hosted by Georgia Southern University at the Forest Heights Country Club in Statesboro, Georgia.
