Robert Thompson finished his freshman season in the spring of 2024 on a roll with a strong performance in the G-MAC Championships.

Despite a summer off, Thompson has only kept building as the 2024-25 season gets under way this fall. After another top 10 finish in his first competition last weekend, the sophomore from North Carolina played three excellent rounds at the Hillsdale-hosted Get To Foundation Invitational this past Monday and Tuesday on the Cardinal Course at Saint Johns Golf Resort in Plymouth, Michigan, finishing tied for first after 54 holes and finishing runner-up in a hard-fought two-hole playoff to Findlay's Luke Metzger.

The sophomore was in the hunt throughout the tournament, in third, one stroke back, after the first round and tied for first entering the final round on Tuesday, and was consistent throughout the three rounds, shooting 71-72 on Monday and firing a 73 with three birdies in the final round to card an even-par 216. Trailing by a stroke on the 18th hole, Thompson hit a clutch second shot from 190 yards out, overcoming a lie in the deep rough and putting his ball within a few inches of the hole for an easy tap-in birdie that forced the playoff. After both golfers made par on the 17th in the first playoff hole, Metzger edged Thompson by a stroke on the second hole to take the victory. While Thompson just missed medalist honors, his runner-up finish is his best individual performance in a collegiate golf tournament to date and another big step forward for the fast-improving sophomore. 

As a team, Hillsdale was close behind defending G-MAC Champion Findlay in the standings after all three rounds, and took third overall in a tight race decided by a total of four strokes. A hard-charging Wayne State team took the top spot, shooting three under in the final round to finish with a 15-over 879, with Findlay a stroke behind at 880 and the Chargers three strokes back in third at 882.

Along with Thompson's title-winning performance, Hillsdale also got an excellent debut from freshman Jackson Piacsek, who shot a 73-73-72 to finish two over with a 218 and tie for fifth in his first-ever collegiate event. Sophomore Ryan O'Rourke placed 26th with a 73-75-79=227, freshman Aryan Sharma took 28th, rallying from an opening-round 82 to shoot 74-72 and finish with a total of 228, and junior Maxwell Burns placed 30th with a 75-76-79=230.

On top of a solid team performance, the Chargers also had multiple team members playing as individuals. Senior Charlie Belden had arguably the best 54-hole performance of his collegiate carer to just miss a top 10 finish, placing 11th with a five-over 72-74-75=221. Fellow senior Filippo Reale was consistent with a score of 78 in all three rounds to place 40th with a total of 234, and Christopher Desfassiaux took 58th with an 83-83-85=251.

Hillsdale now has back-to-back top three team finishes in its first two events, and will look to keep the momentum going into October. The Chargers next play in the Kyle Ryman Memorial on Oct. 7 and 8 at the Mohawk Golf and Country Club in Tiffin, Ohio.

Photo by Tiffany Treppa