IU men’s golf finished in a three-way tie for 10th in Seattle University's Redhawk Invitational on Tuesday in University Place, Washington.
The Hoosiers were lifted to their 10th-place finish by the bottom of their lineup, the four and five spots being the top finishers for the team.
“The top of our line up didn’t get the job done for us this week,” IU Head Coach Mike Mayer said.
Freshman Harry Reynolds was the highest finisher for the Hoosiers, placing in a tie for 21st overall. The South Carolina native shot one-under par for all three rounds, finishing with a three-under par total score line. Reynolds had nine birdies, an eagle and eight bogeys. This is the freshman’s highest placing at an event for IU so far this season.
Junior Evan Geasser was the next highest finisher at tied for 37th. Geasser had a nice first day, shooting a 69 in the first round. The second day was where he faltered, shooting three-over par in the third round with a double bogey on the fourth hole.
“Thought they did a fine job,” Mayer said. “Gave us everything we needed from our four and five spots.”
Sophomore Ethan Shepherd was the next highest finisher, and the last Hoosier to finish in the top 50 at tied for 44th. The underclassman shot 73, 69 and 73 in the three rounds of play.
The upperclassmen did not fare so well in this event.
Senior Jake Brown finished at tied for 89th after a bad start in the opening round. The co-captain shot a 77 on the 71-par course. He did not shoot under par in his other two rounds either, shooting a combined 10 over-par for the tournament.
Mayer said without Brown performing like his usual self, the team suffers and cannot make the jump to the top of most tournament standings.
“We need Jake in the worst way,” Mayer said.
Mayer said his star player's focus seemed off at this tournament, either putting too much pressure on himself to preform or feeling the fatigue of the almost-completed season.
“He’s got a lot of things going on in his head,” Mayer said. “It’s tough to play this game when you put that internal pressure on yourself.”
Junior Brock Ochsenreiter finished just outside the top 50 at tied for 55th. The Tennessee native struggled in his first two rounds, shooting a 72 and 74, but rebounded in the last round to get under par at 70.
The Hoosiers will be back in action April 13 and 14 at the Boilermaker Invitational in West Lafayette, Indiana.
“If we do ever get anyone on the same page at the same time, I think we can compete with everybody in that field,” Mayer said.
