Even with junior Nick Piesen posting his third straight top-20 finish to open the spring schedule, Indiana men’s golf faltered at the Schenkel Invitational from Friday to Sunday.
After totaling a 5-over-par first round score, Indiana did not redeem itself during the weekend, finishing tied for 12th place with a 7-over-par (871 strokes) final score. The Hoosiers tied with Big Ten rival Maryland, only finishing above Northern Illinois University (+8) and the United States Military Academy (+31).
The 15-team tournament was hosted by Georgia Southern University at Forest Heights Country Club in Statesboro, Georgia. Over the three days, the course played at a par-72, 7,123-yard difficulty.
The University of Utah took home first place on the team leaderboard with a 21-under-par team score. The Utes — who are ranked No. 26 by clippd — recorded a 20-under-par second round score to propel themselves into first place.
Yale University sophomore Matthew Lin and University of Notre Dame junior Jacob Modleski — who is ranked 19th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings — were crowned co-champions after both finishing 13-under-par.
Piesen was the only Indiana golfer to finish under par after posting a 2-undertotal score, tying him for 19th with six other golfers. The finish marked Piesen’s third consecutive top-20 result after tying for 15th at the Gators Invitational and tying for 10th at the Colleton River Collegiate.
Indiana junior Neri Checcucci recorded the Hoosiers’ second-best score, carding a 2-over-par total. The Florence, Italy, native finished the tournament tied for 37th with five other golfers.
Junior Cole Starnes was close behind with a 3-over-par score, tying for 43rd. Junior Alec Cesare tied for 60th with a 7-over-par total, while sophomore Bradley Chill Jr. rounded out the effort 12 over par, tied for 79th finish.
The Hoosiers got off to a slow start Friday, completing the first round with a 5-over-par team total. The mark ranked 14th, with Army finishing 10 strokes behind with a 15-over-par score.
Piesen finished the first round with an even-par total, the best opening round tally for Indiana. He rattled off four birdies on the front nine with a double bogey on the eighth hole hindering him. Two consecutive bogeys to end the first round dropped him to even par.
Checcucci and Starnes both finished 1-over-par Friday. Checcucci excelled between the seventh and 10th holes, rattling off four straight birdies. However, he ran into trouble between holes 13 and 16, finishing the stretch with four consecutive bogeys. Starnes also finished the front nine at 2 under par but tripped up on the back nine with a score of 3 over par.
Cesare followed behind with a 3-over-par first round score — a triple bogey on the 10th hole hurt his day. Chill could not find much success, finishing with six bogeys or worse on his way to an 8-over-par finish.
The Hoosiers, like most teams in the invitational, found more success in the second round compared to the first. Indiana carded a 3-under-par team total — the 10th best mark Saturday — while all but three teams were under par.
Piesen started on the 10th hole with a bogey, which could have affected his play on Saturday. But he found success on the first through sixth holes — recording four birdies — to finish the second round 2 under par.
Chill rebounded from a troubling Friday with a 1-under-par performance, even after recording two double bogeys. Starnes also finished the second round with a 1-under-par scorecard. Cesare trailed with a 1-over-par total, and Checcucci finished the second round 2 over par.
Like Friday, Indiana recorded a 5-over-par team score on Sunday. But the mark ranked the Hoosiers tied for ninth in the third round compared to a second-worst showing in the first round.
Checcucci led the way for Indiana with a 1-under-par score in the final round, recording three straight birdies between the sixth and eighth holes. Piesen was just behind with an even-par third round score. Starnes and Cesare both recorded 3-over-par rounds on Sunday, while Chill couldn’t carry his second round play into the third, carding a 5-over-par score.
Indiana will look to bounce back at the Don Benbow Butler Spring Invitational on March 30-31. The tournament, hosted by Butler University, will take place at Highland Golf & Country Club in Indianapolis. The Hoosiers will match up against Big Ten foes Purdue and Ohio State.
