After competing in three team events to start its spring schedule, Indiana men’s golf returned to the course Monday and Tuesday, this time as individuals. The Hoosiers sent four golfers to the Don Benbow Butler Spring Invitational: freshman Caleb Schnarr, sophomore Teneesh Sirivolu, junior Neri Checcucci and redshirt senior Ethan Chelf.
The two-day, three-round tournament was hosted by Butler University at Highland Country Club in Indianapolis. The par-70, 6,587-yard course challenged many golfers, as only 14 out of 96 participants finished even or under par.
Butler senior Leo Zurovac finished first on the individual leaderboard with a 9-under-par final score after three rounds. Zurovac surged into the lead after an 8-under-par first round, giving his opponents no margin for error.
Schnarr carded the lowest Indiana total throughout the tournament, finishing tied for 19th after a 3-over-par final score. The Jasper, Indiana, native earned a 2-under-par score in the first round.
The hot start tied Schnarr for sixth through 18 holes. Eagles on the third and 12th holes helped Schnarr offset bogeys on the fifth and eighth holes.
Schnarr bogeyed the par-4 16th hole to start the second round. He was then 2 over par through six holes after bogeying the third hole but responded with back-to-back birdies on holes six and seven, plus a birdie on No. 12. Schnarr ended the second round with an even-par 70 after a bogey on the 14th hole.
Entering Tuesday’s third round 2 under par, Schnarr was in prime position to finish the tournament under par.
However, a 5-over-par performance hurt Schnarr’s chances of competing for a spot at the top of the leaderboard. He started his day with a birdie on the 12th hole, but a triple bogey on the 13th snowballed throughout the rest of his round.
Schnarr then bogeyed the 15th, 16th, 18th and first holes before finally making his first birdie on the third hole. He also birdied the fifth and ninth holes, but bogeys on holes four and 10 contributed to Schnarr’s 75 score in the third round.
Checcucci followed Schnarr for Indiana, finishing tied at 46th with an 8-over-par final score. Checcucci started the invitational with a 7-over-par 77 in the first round.
The Florence, Italy, native’s opening round was hampered by two double bogeys and a triple bogey on the 18th hole. Checcucci recorded three birdies throughout the round, but three bogeys counteracted them.
In the second round, Checcucci only recorded one double bogey to help him finish 3 over par. He recorded three birdies for the second consecutive round and was trending in the right direction heading into Tuesday.
Checcucci then finished the third round 2 under par after four birdies, recording no double bogeys or worse. Checcucci bogeyed the 18th hole after starting on hole No. 16, rebounding with a birdie on the second. After bogeying the fifth hole, he rattled off three straight birdies before finishing his round with seven consecutive pars.
Sirivolu competed in his first tournament this spring, finding trouble at times to finish tied for 75th at 16 over par. Sirivolu recorded seven bogeys and a double bogey in the first round to finish with an 8-over-par 78.
Even after recording a double bogey on his first hole of the second round, the Orlando, Florida, native rebounded with a 5-over-par final score Monday afternoon. Sirivolu recorded four birdies throughout the second round and carried that momentum into Tuesday, finishing the third round with a 3-over-par 73.
Chelf finished the first round 8 over par after recording two double bogeys and a triple bogey. The North Potomac, Maryland, native responded with a 3-over-par total score in the second round. However, Chelf withdrew from the tournament before the start of the third round.
Big Ten foe Ohio State also sent individual competitors to Indianapolis. An eighth-place finish by freshman Finley Bartlett (-2) was the Buckeyes’ best finish in the tournament. Freshman Giedrius Mackelis tied for 16th (+2), sophomore Timotej Formanek tied for 26th (+5) and redshirt-freshman Jaime Yzaga tied for 46th (+8).
Indiana will conclude its regular season with two events in April. The Hoosiers will travel to Columbus, Ohio, for the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate hosted by Ohio State on April 11-12. Then, Indiana will host the Hoosier Collegiate on April 18-19 at The Pfau Course in Bloomington.
