The Wisconsin Badgers men’s golf team hosted the Badger Invitational at TPC Wisconsin for a two day tournament with 14 teams participating on Sept. 22 and 23.
Southern Mississippi claimed the team title, shooting -23, while Anthony De Schutter of Southern Illinois was the top individual player in the tournament, finishing -11.
This week, it truly felt like all the right things were aligning for the Badgers: home course, home town, home fans and fall weather. Despite the advantages, the Badgers placed 11th out of 14th posting a collective score of 21 over, a disappointing result with momentum in their favor.
Going into the tournament, Spencer Turtz was a name to keep on the radar. His leadership and winning experience make him a crucial part of the team, and he definitely showed that this week.
Turtz was the top team finisher for the Badgers, placing 29th and shooting +3 for the tournament. Although not under par, he was solid over three rounds, shooting a consistent +1 (73) each day.
Another notable performance came from true freshman Vijay Kumar, an individual player for the Badgers. Kumar started off shaky with a +6 in round one, but then pulled it back, shooting even in round two and an amazing -3 in round three. He jumped 31 spots on the leaderboard to tie teammate Turtz in 29th and place second among all individual players.
William Harned and Charles Erlandson were also able to post some good scores. Harned finished the tournament +6 but was able to card a -2 (70) in round two and finish 47th. Erlandson also finished 47th and surged 10 spots on the leaderboard by carding a +1 (73) in the final round. They both finished +6, the next best scores for the Badgers, behind Kumar and Turtz.
Although this was not the outcome the Badgers had hoped for nor expected, there are bright spots to look back on. Versatility was certainly shown as a senior and freshman were able to get it done and end up placing well.
It is now time to focus up and build for what’s next. The Badgers will travel an hour to the iconic Erin Hills Golf course to take on the Marquette Intercollegiate tournament on Oct. 5.
