Photo by Summer Moody
Chickasha, Okla. – After a week hiatus, the Central Christian College men's and women's golf teams were back in action Monday and Tuesday at the Winter Creek Golf Course down in Chickasha, Oklahoma. The tournament, dubbed the Battle at Winter Creek, was hosted by the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO).
It was a tough set up for the women's tournament with a par of 73, but a slope rating for the course above 78 meaning the course was set up to play five strokes over par. The set up and pin placements made it a very challenging two rounds of golf for the women. The Tiger women shot 348 on day one, but with day two conditions even that much tougher, they shot 370 on the second 18 giving them a 718 for the tournament and landing them in 5th place. Park University won the tournament with a 669, 85 strokes above par. There were zero rounds played under par in the women's tournament, the lowest round was a 74.
For the Tigers, the top individual medalist was Mikyla Albert who finished in 6th place with a 168. She was very consistent, shooting an 11 over par 84 in both rounds.
Below are the rest of the Tigers' scores.
Coach Moody commented on the women's performance saying, "This was a tough course and pin placements were difficult, but as a team we simply have to execute shots better and learn how to make on course adjustments and we did not do that during this tournament. The best thing we can do is use this tournament as a learning tool to get better."
For the men it was a tournament to remember. The Tigers looked rough coming out of the gate, opening the tournament with a 310 landing them in 4th place out of six teams. However, in round two they started to figure some things out and at the end of the round they finished with 303 and worked themselves into a tie for 3rd heading into day two.
At the start of the final round, the Tigers trailed the first place team by seven strokes, but when the tournament concluded they had the low team score of the round a 309, and had erased the seven shot deficit and turned it into a three shot victory. The Tigers finished with a three round score of 922 and giving Coach Moody his first ever team win.
Noah Fiks was the top individual medalist for the Tigers finishing in 4th place with a 73, 74, 78, 225, plus 9 for the tournament. Max Burleson had the low score in round three, an even par 72.
Below are the other individual scores and finishes for the Tigers.
Coach Moody summed up the tournament for the men saying, "This course was tough, but our men gutted it out. I am especially proud of the last 9-holes we played as a team. Going into the final round we were 7 strokes back of the lead, we had a game plan going into the final day and for the 1st 9-holes we did not execute our game plan. With 9 to play we were 10 shots back, but we did not give up as a team we kept grinding out pars and making birdies here and there. I am so proud of the mentality of our guys and how they finished."
Next up for both Tiger teams is a trip south to Palm Coast, Florida for the NCCAA National Tournament. The three day tournament begins October 24 and runs through the 26th.
