The Kent State men and women’s golf teams both finished in the middle of the pack at the Blessings Collegiate Invitational at Fayetteville, Arkansas, which ended Wednesday. 

The three-day tournament was special in the aspect of having the men and women’s team play on the same course on the same days. Men’s coach Jon Mills said he was grateful for the opportunity to play alongside the women’s team. 

“I hope in the future there’s more events like this,” Mills said. “It adds a little uniqueness to the collegiate.” 

Women’s coach Casey VanDamme also praised the tournament for the opportunity to play together. 

“We don’t ever get to that, so just seeing them on the road, flying there with them and being around them,” VanDamme said. “Our teams get along really well.” 

The difficulty of the course proved to be too much, as the men’s team finished in seventh place out of 10 teams with a score of 46-over-par (910). Mills said this event will be a good takeaway for the team in regards to playing on such a challenging course. 

“Our guys really got an understanding of what a national championship-style golf course is like,” Mills said. “It tests your game, but it also tests your mental fortitude.” 

The women’s team put together a similar performance with a sixth-place tie and score of 56-over-par (920). VanDamme also made a point about the course’s difficulty, describing it as “one of the hardest golf courses in the world.” 

“It’s very demanding, and it’s almost like a U.S. open style golf course,” VanDamme said. “When you play a challenging course like that, any holes in your game get exposed really fast.” 

Men’s golf performance 

Round 1 

The Flashes struggled early during round one of the tournament with an opening score of 14-over-par (302). 

Senior Jordan Gilkison and freshman Nolan Haynes both started off hot after shooting even par (72) for the round. They were both tied for seventh place – for Haynes, this was his first collegiate event competing for Kent State. 

The Flashes finished in eighth place after round one. 

Round 2 

The Flashes fell into ninth place after shooting 17-over-par (305) for the round. 

While this course was difficult for several Flashes, Gilkison carved through it, as he jumped into second place after round two. The senior shot three-under-par (69) in round two to bring his total score to three-over-par (141). 

Haynes was not able to follow-up his strong opening performance, but still shot the second-best round score for the Flashes at six-over-par (78). His total score was six-over-par (150), and he slid down into a tie for 23rd place. 

Following round two, the Flashes total score was 31-over-par (607). The team was 25 strokes outside of first place. 

Round 3 

Gilkison’s dominance carried over into day three with a two-over-par (74) finish. His total score for the tournament was one-under-par (215), good enough for fourth place out of 56 golfers. 

He was one of four golfers to finish the tournament with a score under par. 

“I can’t say enough about how he played,” Mills said. “For him to play as well as he did on that tough of a golf course, it was really impressive.” 

Haynes finished close behind Gilkison in round three, shooting three-over-par (75) to conclude his first ever collegiate tournament. His total score was nine-over-par (225), which led him to a 20th-place tie. 

“He doesn’t hit the ball as far as some of the other guys on the team, but he makes up for it with his ball striking,” Mills said. “I was really impressed at how he handled himself, and that’ll definitely add momentum for him going forward.”  

Freshman Isaiah Ibit (who won Mid-American Conference Golfer of the Week honors after the team’s last event) and senior Bryce Reed also had solid outings in the final round as they both shot five-over-par (77). However, they largely struggled to find their footing throughout the course. 

They finished the tournament in a 42nd-place tie with scores of 19-over-par (235). 

The Flashes ended the tournament with a third-round score of 14-over-par (302). 

The team was a whopping 48 strokes behind first place LSU and only finished above Kansas State, Missouri, and Virginia Tech.

The Flashes were not able to follow up on their success at the Canadian Collegiate in Ontario, in most part due to the challenging elements and aspects of the Blessings course. However, Mills said the stats don’t paint the best picture for how the team played. 

“When you play at some of these elite events like that, there’s times where a good score might be a 75 (three-over-par),” Mills said. “It’s just mentally getting into that mindset that it’s okay, and at times we handled that and at other times we could’ve handled it better.”  

Additionally, some of the Flashes participated at an individuals-only tournament called the Virtues Intercollegiate. The event ended Sunday, and the team had two top-15 finishers in senior Edvin Backstrom and freshman Ramiro Acevedo. 

Backstrom tied for seventh place after shooting two-under-par through two rounds (third round was canceled due to weather) and Acevedo tied for 13th place with a score of one-under-par.  

“It was a good showing; Edvin and Ramiro both played really well,” Mills said. “Both of them got off to a bit of a slow start, but they bounced back from the bad weather.” 

Looking ahead 

The Flashes will look to rebound at the Fighting Irish Collegiate in South Bend, Ind. 

The tournament will run Sunday-Monday. Mills said the team has played in the event several times over the years, and knows the course well.

“Everything’s going to feel a little easier compared to what we just played,” Mills said. “I’m looking forward to it, and it should be a good week.” 

Women’s golf performance  

Round 1 

The women’s team also got off to a cold start to open the tournament. The team kicked off the tournament with a score of 12-over-par (300) and was tied for sixth place following the round. 

Senior Leon Takagi and freshman Isabella Goyette got things going for the Flashes with opening round scores of one-over-par (73). They were both tied for 15th place. 

Veronika Kedronova, fresh off a MAC Co-Golfer of the Week Award and a tournament win last week, clocked a solid opening performance. The sophomore shot four-over-par (76), and was tied for 29th place. 

Round 2 

The Flashes’ struggles continued into round two as the team dropped into seventh place after shooting 20-over-par (308). 

Goyette’s impressive outing continued with a second-round score of three-over-par (75). 

Her strong performance pushed her into ninth place, and brought her total score to four-over-par (148). 

Kedronova also jumped up the leaderboards after shooting two-over par (74) for the round. She was tied for 4th place, and her total score was six-over-par (150). 

Takagi rounded out the Flashes’ solid round two performances with a score of eight-over-par (80). Her total score was nine-over-par (153) for the tournament, and she tumbled into a 28th-place tie following the round. 

The Flashes team score was 32-over-par (608) after round two. The team was 36 strokes behind outside first place. 

Round 3 

The Flashes once again largely struggled throughout round three, but there were some bright spots such as Goyette’s finish in a 15th-place tie. She shot six-over-par (78) in round three, and ended the tournament with a total score of 10-over-par (226). 

“She left some shots out there, like all of our team did, but she did a good job competing,” VanDamme said. “She’s doing well and should take some confidence out of it.”

Kedronova’s tournament performance took a hit after a rough round three performance. She shot eight-over-par (80) for the round which caused her to drop into a tie for 24th place. 

The sophomore concluded the tournament with a total score of 14-over-par (230). 

“She hit the ball very well but struggled on the greens,” VanDamme said. “She did a good job driving the ball, and a lot of her full shots were really good.” 

Aryn Matthews had the lowest score of the day for the Flashes at two-over-par (74). However, the freshman’s poor round one and two performance caused her to settle for a 32nd-place tie. 

Her total score for the tournament was 19-over-par (235). 

Despite the challenges they faced, VanDamme applauded his freshmen for sticking it out on such a difficult course. 

“We knew when we went there it was going to be tough for them, but it was a great experience for our young players to figure out,” VanDamme said. “I think they’ll get better as we move forward to the next tournaments because of it.” 

As a team, the Flashes shot 24-over-par (312) to tie with Ohio State in sixth place. The team was behind a colossal 68 strokes to first-place Arkansas, who rode home-field advantage to victory. 

The Flashes performance this tournament was unlike the team’s previous performances this season. However, their challenges can likely be attributed to the difficulty of the golf course. 

Looking ahead 

The Flashes will hope to bounce back at the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational in Lawrence, Kansas. The tournament will run Monday and Tuesday.

The tournament was last played two years ago, and the Flashes won the event, making them the defending champions. 

“It’s a challenging course but not as challenging as what we just played, so I think we’re prepared for it,” VanDamme said. “We expect to do well and control what we can control, and I think we’ll have some players play pretty well there.”

John Engoglia is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].