Fall 2016 Regional Recap
It’s official, we are going to Disney to compete in the NCCGA National Championship after dominating the Midwest field. For the fans who weren’t able to make it out to cheer on the squad at Regionals One and Two, here’s a quick recap:
Regional One took place at Hawk Hollow, just close enough to MSU’s campus to make out the sound of hearts breaking following their football team’s “disappointing” loss to BYU on Saturday. This of course only added to MSU’s already tough weekend on the course. Day one was very windy and scores were coming in a little higher than expected. When the seven hour round finally came to an end, U of M’s A Team was in the lead after shooting 395 with MSU A and U of M’s B only five strokes behind. After day two on the course, A Team was able to capture the victory with a two-day team total of 789. B Team was only one stroke behind following some impressive scores on day two, including a fiery 73 from Alex Finsterwald. Zeeraq Rana was the tournament medalist with a total score of 153 (+9) and Bennett Langton was the runner-up after shooting 155 (+11). On his first medalist honors of his club golf career, “Perseverance. My swing and putting stroke were off both days, so In had to keep reminding myself not to get frustrated, stay focused, and grind out some scores in tough conditions.”
We also had Luke Stull, Andrew Hartman, and Alex Wrocklage place in the top 8 for the tournament. To celebrate the victory, the team went to Jimmy’s where a fun time was had by all but Diesel.
Two weeks later we headed to The Meadows in Allendale for Regional Two. The course was in excellent condition with lightning fast greens and pristine fairways (for those who were lucky enough to hit them). Being able to count your number of penalty strokes on one hand was an accomplishment not many could boast, but the A Team was in the lead after the first round. After some intense hotel hallway putting practice, we went into day two ready to dominate and book our flights to Disney. After round two, A Team had secured their spot with a total score of 767. B Team placed third after shooting 798. Ian Martin was the tournament medalist with a two-day total of 145 (+1). When asked what led to his victory, he said, “Making a putt outside of 6 feet for the first time in years gave me the confidence I needed to putt well and swing freely.” Zeeraq Rana, Bennett Langton, and Chand Rajendra-Nicolucci joined him on the all-tournament team. Another notable score came from Amanda Lownes who fired a 74 on the second day after eating a super food packed breakfast. There’s no telling how low this Team will go at Nationals if only they follow her example.