Slow day by Kansas ends in tie for fourth

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Starting the day in the hunt for first, too many mistakes for Kansas men’s golf resulted in a tie for fourth place at the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate, as junior Daniel Sutton was the only Jayhawk to enter the clubhouse under par.

“We just didn’t have it (Sunday) and the result was sloppy golf,” Bermel said. “We need to do a better job of being ready to play. I think some of the guys were worn down from (Saturday’s) 36-hole day.”

Sutton recorded another round under par, his second of the event, with a one-under-par, 71, in the final day. Starting out slow with two bogeys in the first six holes, Sutton managed to keep his composure, playing three holes under-par, including back-to-back birdies on holes 13 and 14. Finding himself back in familiar territory, Sutton finished the event tied for 14^th, marking his fourth finish inside of the top-20 this season.

Leading the Jayhawks after 36 rounds, some crucial mistakes resulted in a two-over-par finish for freshman Andy Spencer. Starting the day off strong with a birdie on the first hole, followed by another on the eighth, Spencer recorded a triple bogey on the ninth hole, proving to be detrimental to his round. Playing his first two rounds under par, Spencer was able to snag a tie for eighth place, his second time inside of the top-10 in his career.

Junior Daniel Hudson played his way to even par for the event, finishing in a tie for 16^th, his second straight tournament in the top-20. Hudson’s final round was rather uneventful, as the only marks on his card other than par were two bogeys, resulting in a two-over-par, 74.

Despite a strong start with three birdies on the front, a double bogey accompanied by two additional bogeys, caused senior Chase Hanna to finish the day at one over-par. His tie for 29^th finish marks only the second time Hanna has not finished inside of the top-20 this season.

Sophomore Charlie Hillier faced problems again in the final round with four bogeys and a double, shooting a four-over-par, 76, to finish the event tied for 41^st.

“We will learn from this and do better in our next event,” Bermel said. “I’m happy for Andy Spencer getting a finish in the top-10 and for Dan Sutton and Dan Hudson finishing inside the top 20.”

Kansas will continue to work on improvements before traveling to South Carolina to compete in The Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate March 26-28.

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