Men's golf finishes 5th in Cardinal Intercollegiate

Playing on a much easier golf course than during their first two tournaments, the IU men’s golf team came up short of expectations Tuesday.

Despite putting four players in the top 25 individually, the team as a whole finished in fifth place in the Cardinal Intercollegiate with a 16-under 848 for the tournament.

Junior Alex Martin followed his first-place finish at last weekend’s Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational by shooting a 7-under-par 209 and tying for seventh overall. At Olympia Fields, Martin’s 7-under would have finished six strokes ahead of the field, but not in Simpsonville, Ky., at the Cardinal Club course, where 23 players shot under par compared with only two at Olympia Fields.  

Martin’s 209 total equaled the season-best he set last weekend and is also his second best finish in a collegiate tournament.

The tournament winner over the 54-hole event, Trey Bowling of Eastern Kentucky, used two rounds of 65 and one at 70 to shoot a 16-under 200. Louisville won the team championship shooting a combined 30-under. 

All-American senior Jorge Campillo shot a 4-under 68 on the final day of the tournament to secure a tie for ninth place, ending the day only one shot back of Martin.

Campillo, a Caceres, Spain, native, was one of four players to have two eagles in the tournament. An eagle occurs when a player shoots 2-under par for an individual hole.
IU’s third golfer coming in with a top-25 finish was senior Seth Brandon. Brandon wrapped up competition in the event with a three-under par, 18th-place finish.

Brandon, who won the individual title in last season’s Pinehurst Intercollegiate, has improved over the course of this season after a 40th-place finish at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate, and a 22nd-place finish at the Olympia Field/Fighting Illini Invitational.
 
Senior Drew Allenspach, who played his first tournament of the season in the lineup, tied for 32nd overall. Allenspach, a key member of the team that last season placed 21st at the NCAA Championships,  and also finished 64th as an individual at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate this season.

Part of Allenspach’s early season struggles occurred because he did not play much golf over the summer, opting instead to do an internship in New York City. Allenspach has put in extra practice this season so far, and Mayer said he expects him be part of the regular lineup this season.

Freshman Chase Wright rounded out the Hoosier lineup with a 44th-place finish.
Wright’s classmate, freshman David Erdy, also played well competing as an individual, registering a 24th-place finish.

The Hoosiers will not have much down time, as they will get back to practice in preparation for the Windon Memorial Classic in Chicago on Sunday.

The event is one in which they have experienced past success, with Campillo and Brandon both securing top-10 finishes last year to lead the team to third place overall.