The Hillsdale College men's golf team found itself in another tight race in the top half of the leaderboard at the Kyle Ryman Memorial Invite at the Mohawk Golf Club in Tiffin, Ohio, on Tuesday.

The Chargers placed fifth with a 54-hole team total of 883 strokes, just one stroke behind fourth place and three strokes out of third place. Findlay won the event with an 868, with host Tiffin taking runner-up with an 875.

Hillsdale got off to an excellent start, shooting a one-under 287 in the opening round to hold the lead after 18 holes. The Chargers let the field catch up in the second round after posting a 300 to close out play on Monday, and as other teams in the top half went low in the final round on Tuesday, Hillsdale shot a 296 to drop to fifth in a race decided by just a few strokes.

The Chargers got strong individual play from two golfers who both finished the event under par to tie for fifth overall. Sophomore Robert Thompson continued a strong second season with his third top-10 finish in three events. The North Carolina native shot a three-under 69 in the opening round to sit in a tie for first, then closed with an even par 72 and a two-over 74 to finish at 215.

Freshman Jackson Piacsek matched Thompson with his second-straight top five finish in as many starts for the Chargers, adding to an impressive debut season. Piacsek was a stroke behind Thompson after one round with a two-under 70, then shot back-to-back rounds of 73 and 72 to cap a consistent and strong showing.

Sophomore Ryan O'Rourke placed 26th for the Chargers, closing strong with an even-par 72 to finish at 227 for the event. Freshman Aryan Sharma shot 71-79-80=230 to tie for 32nd for Hillsdale, and senior Charlie Belden placed 45th with an 81-77-78=236.

Senior Filippo Reale also played as an individual in the event, and placed 32nd with a 76-74-80=230 as well.

As a team, Hillsdale dominated Par-5s at Mohawk, shooting a tournament-best -11 on those holes throughout the three rounds. Thompson led the way for Hillsdale on those holes, shooting -8 on Par 5s to fuel his strong finish. Piacsek also was solid on Par 5s and had a good showing on Par 4s as well, finishing 1-over in the sixth-best performance among players in the tournament. 

The Chargers will be back in action next Monday at the Doc Spragg Invitational hosted by the University of Findlay at the Findlay Country Club. It'll be another chance for Hillsdale to get valuable competition against regional foes, with many of the top Midwest Region teams in attendance once again.

Photo by Tiffany Treppa