The Hillsdale College men's golf team continued a strong fall season with a solid performance at the Doc Spragg Invitational hosted at Findlay Country Club this past Monday and Tuesday, placing fifth in a field containing many of the top Midwest Regional contenders.

The Chargers hung tough throughout as a team, using a two-under round of 286 in the second round on Monday to get back into contention and holding on with a six-over 294 in the final round on Tuesday to secure a top five spot as a team with a seven-over 871, four strokes ahead of sixth place Ferris State and five strokes behind fourth place Wayne State.

Hillsdale was led by another impressive individual performance from Robert Thompson, who took runner-up honors and finished one stroke away from his third medalist honor in four events this season. Thompson entered Tuesday as the leader at six-under par after following an even-par 72 with a scorching 66 in the second round on Monday. A tough start to Tuesday that included two bogeys in his first three holes saw Thompson drop out of the lead, but the junior kept fighting and rallied, making par or birdie on the next 12 holes to claw his way back and force a playoff with Cedarville's Aiden Hibbard.

On the first playoff hole, however, Thompson saw a birdie putt on the par 5 18th that would have tied the hole and kept the playoff going just lip out, leaving him as runner-up to Hibbard despite another great 54 holes of golf. Thompson was among the top five players in the event in scoring on Par 3s and Par 4s to fuel his playoff push.

Thompson was well supported by teammate Oliver Marshall, who closed the final round on Tuesday with three birdies in his final nine holes to finish tied for 12th individually with an even-par 72-74-70=216, his second-best 54 hole score to date this season. Marshall feasted on Par 5s in the event, tying for second among all players by shooting seven-under par on those holes to make his final day push.

Sophomore Jackson Piacsek had an excellent first two rounds, shooting 72-73 on Monday before a few hiccups on Tuesday left him tied for 43rd with a 223, and freshman John Cassiday was just a stroke back from Piacsek in 49th place with a solid final two rounds of 73-74 to finish with a 224.

Ryan O'Rourke rounded out Hillsdale's scoring golfers with a 75-77-76=228 to tie for 70th, contributing to the Chargers' team score in both rounds one and three.

Freshman Parker Stalcup also played in the event for the Chargers as an individual. While he could not contribute to Hillsdale's team score, Stalcup had a solid event, shooting 72-71 in the final two rounds to finish tied for 34th with a 221.

Hillsdale was the best team in the event on Par 5s, shooting 27-under on those holes, three strokes better than eventual champion Missouri-St. Louis. 

The Chargers now await the release of the first NCAA DII regional and national rankings, slated to be made public tomorrow. With strong results in their first four events, Hillsdale expects to be in the top 10 in the Midwest Regional rankings, putting the Chargers in position to earn a second-straight NCAA DII Super Regional berth if they can hold or improve their spot in the spring.

Hillsdale wraps up the fall portion of its schedule with the Nemacolin Intercollegiate, scheduled to be played at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, Pennsylvania next Monday and Tuesday. The nine team event will give the Chargers another shot at G-MAC rivals Findlay and Tiffin, and also put Hillsdale up against the current top team in the region, Grand Valley State.

Photo Courtesy of Findlay Athletics