Kansas & Hillier take home first place at The Jackrabbit

VALENTINE, Neb. – The cold winds at the Prairie Club Dunes golf course did not phase the Kansas men’s golf team, including sophomore Harry Hillier, as the Jayhawks and Hillier won The Jackrabbit here Tuesday.
 
Finishing 7-under on the day and -19 under for the tournament, KU blew past runner-up Central Florida by 11 strokes, marking the 11^th team title for head coach Jamie Bermel while at Kansas. UCF held a three-stroke lead heading into Tuesday as KU overtook UCF by 14 shots in the final round.
 
All five Kansas starters finished in the top-20, with career best finishes from Hillier (first), Ben Sigel (third) and Drew Shepherd (tie for fourth). Hillier’s 11-under first-place finish was his first medalist honor as a Jayhawk and makes him the ninth golfer in the Bermel era earn an individual title.
 
For Sigel, his third-place marks the first top-10 finish of his collegiate career. Sigel went on to conclude the tournament with a score of 4-under 212. Redshirt sophomore Drew Shepherd would also collect his first top-10 placing of his career. Shepherd shot a 71 each round of the tournament, ending with a 3-under 213.
 
Junior Andy Spencer entered the final round 1-over par and would finish the day 3-over in a tie for 16^th in the 73-golfer field. Senior Jake Scarrow played his best round of the tournament on Tuesday with a 2-under 70 and finished tied for 20^th (220). Scarrow’s top-20 finish marks his first of this season and the fourth of his collegiate career.
 
Freshman Shaun Campbell got his first taste of collegiate golf at the Jackrabbit, finishing 14-over and tied for 44^th. Campbell played as an individual for this event.
 
QUOTES
HEAD COACH JAMIE BERMEL
Q. This is your 11^th tournament title as the Kansas head coach, how does this tournament victory compare to the other ones?
JAMIE BERMEL: This was a great team win and we won without our most experienced player – Charlie Hillier – who is playing in the Asian Amateur this week and couldn’t make the trip. With that said, the guys stepped up and played their hearts out this week. It was a total team win. They didn’t flinch today, and we had one goal in mind – bring home the trophy.
 
Q. Harry Hillier finished first overall out of the 73-golfer field, any comments on his career performance and what you saw him do well throughout the tournament?
JAMIE BERMEL: Harry grew up today on the golf course. He bogeyed his first two holes and played the next 16 holes 6-under par.
 
Q. Ben Sigel and Drew Shepherd both had career best finishes today, what did you see each of them improve on this tournament in comparison to Shoal Creek?
JAMIE BERMEL: Ben and Drew played very well all week and really helped the team compete at its highest level.
 
Notes

• Sophomore Harry Hillier’s title was his first as a Jayhawk and the first for a KU individual since Chase Hanna won the 2017 Big 12 Championship.
• Hillier’s 205 tied for the 11th lowest at KU since the 1986-87 season and was the lowest by a Jayhawk since teammate Andy Spencer shot a 203 at the Ka’anapali Collegiate Classic last year (11.3.2017).
• Sophomore Ben Sigel’s third-place finish was his highest as a Jayhawk. Sigel’s previous best was a tie for 20^th at the Badger Invitational to open the 2018-19 season.
• Sigel’s 212 was also a career low for 54 holes. His previous was 217 at last year’s Jackrabbit.
• Drew Shepherd also recorded his career best finish, tying for fourth, and career low 54-hole score of 213.
• Junior Andy Spencer has posted two top-20 finishes in three events this fall, tying for 16^th. Spencer has 13 top-20 finishes in his KU career.
• The team title was the 11^th in the six-plus seasons under head coach Jamie Bermel. KU won two tourneys last year, the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate and the NCAA Regional advancing to the NCAA Championship.
• With the team championship, Kansas has now placed in the top five on 42 occasions in the Bermel era.
• Kansas led The Jackrabbit in Par 3s, going 3-under, and the Par 5s at -21. Individually, Sigel led the field shooting 5-under on the Par 3s, while teammate Drew Shepherd was 3-under on the Par 3s.
• Hillier and teammate Jake Scarrow led the field in Par 5s with Hillier going 9-under and Scarrow 7-under.  

Kansas Tournament titles under Jamie Bermel
2018 The Jackrabbit (Valentine, Neb.)
2018 NCAA Regional (Stockton, Calif.)
2018 Desert Mountain Intercollegiate (Palm Desert, Calif.)
2016 Bayou City Collegiate Championship (Pearland, Texas)
2016 Golfweek Conference Challenge (Burlington, Iowa)
2016 Great River Entertainment Invite (Iowa City, Iowa)
2016 Desert Intercollegiate (Palm Desert, Calif.)
2015 Price’s Give ‘Em Five Invitational (El Paso, Texas)
2015 Badger Invitational (Madison, Wis.)
2015 Desert Shootout (Phoenix, Ariz.)
2013 Hawkeye Invitational (Iowa City, Iowa)
 
UP NEXT
Kansas will take a short break before heading to Hockley, Texas, to compete in the Big 12 Match Play Championship at the Clubs at Houston Oaks, Oct. 12-14.

 
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