The Kent State men’s golf team had an extremely successful outing in the Flyer Invitational in Dayton, Ohio, as the team won the tournament, and senior Jordan Gilkison claimed the individual title. 

The Flashes shot 15-over-par (867) for the tournament and scraped past second-place Marquette by two strokes. A dominant round-two performance gave the Flashes a large cushion heading into round three, where they took care of business and escaped with a win. 

“We wanted to put ourselves in a position to get that opportunity come the final round, and we are lucky to do that,” coach Jon Mills said. 

Gilkison played three fantastic rounds of golf en route to a score of three-under-par (210). He finished just one stroke ahead of the second-place runner-up and beat out 78 other golfers competing. 

He won MAC Golfer of the Week honors for the second time this season after his performance.

“[To play good golf,] you need to adapt and be very patient, and Jordan does that,” Mills said. “There’s this passion and grit to win and to continue to play good golf, and he really showed that this week.” 

This tournament marks the end of the fall season for the Flashes, and the win concludes the season on a high note for the team. Mills said he was proud of his team for their performance. 

“They’ve put a lot of effort into our practices, and this win validates that,” Mills said. “Hopefully they take that momentum into the offseason, and when we come back in February, they’ll be ready to go.” 

Round 1 

The Flashes started off hot in the opening round. The team shot three-over-par (287) and jumped into second place. 

Freshman Isaiah Ibit led the charge for the Flashes in round one. He finished with a score of two-under-par (69) with three birdies. 

Gilkison began his dominant outing by shooting four birdies en route to a score of one-under-par (70) for the round. 

Senior Bryce Reed rounded out the Flashes with a solid round one score of two-over-par (73). 

Round 2 

The Flashes exploded in the second round, as the team shot three-under-par (281) and took first place. The team’s impressive score for the round was six strokes ahead of the nearest team. 

Ibit’s strong play continued into round two. He shot two-under-par (69) for the round and four-under-par (138) overall. 

After two rounds Ibit sat atop the leaderboard in first place. 

Gilkison stayed hot in the second round, as he finished with a score of even-par (71). Through two rounds, the senior shot one-under-par (141) and was tied for second place. 

Senior Edvin Backstrom shot the lowest round for the Flashes at three-under-par (68). His total score was one-over-par (143), and he jumped into a seventh-place tie. 

Reed and freshman Ramiro Acevedo, who competed as an individual, both kept things going with scores of two-over-par (73). Reed’s total score was four-over-par (146) while Acevedo’s was one stroke behind at five-over-par (147). 

Reed was tied for 17th place and Acevedo was tied for 21st place. 

Following round two, the Flashes overall score was even-par (568). The team was 12 strokes ahead of Marquette in second place. 

Round 3 

Gilkison completed his beauty of an outing with his best round of the tournament. He shot four birdies, finished with a score of two-under-par (69) and lept into first place. 

For Gilkison, it’s his first ever collegiate tournament win. His placement also gives him five top-10 finishes on the season. 

“Jordan getting a win is really big for him,” Mills said. “With him, it’s his consistency that’s impressive.” 

A rough round-three performance took Ibit out of contention for a first-place finish, but he still played a great tournament overall. He finished in a fifth-place tie after shooting five-over-par (76) in the closing round and one-over-par (214) overall. 

For Ibit, it’s his best performance since the Canadian Collegiate Sept. 17. 

“He’s had some very good finishes this year,” Mills said. “He’s got a great attitude and personality, so I’m excited to see his continued growth.” 

Acevedo saved his best for last with a round score of one-over-par (72), which pushed him into a 15th-place tie. He shot six-over-par (219) overall. 

“As a freshman, he handled the conditions very well and was able to adapt,” Mills said. “That says a lot about him as a player.” 

Reed concluded his tournament performance by shooting four-over-par (75) for the round. His total score eight-over-par (221) as he tied for 21st place. 

Backstrom struggled in round three, as he shot nine-over-par (80). Thanks to a strong round two outing, he still finished in a 28th-place tie after shooting 10-over-par (223) overall. 

As a team, the Flashes shot 15-over-par (299) in round three and managed to hold on to edge past Marquette for a victory. The performance marks the team’s first tournament win since the 2022 MAC Championship. 

Reflection and looking ahead 

The event marks the end of the fall season for the Flashes, as the team begins to look towards the spring. To Mills, the Flashes showed a lot of good things down the stretch.   

“It’s encouraging because we keep putting ourselves in some good spots,” Mills said. “With Jordan’s play and the freshman stepping up, I think once spring starts, we’ll be ready to go and improve.” 

Mills also acknowledged the team had some struggles that need to be fixed by the time spring comes around. 

“We have to work on being a little better on the days where we might not have our A-game,” Mills said. “We need to work on figuring out how to still shoot good scores when we aren’t hitting the ball well. Once we figure that out, we can be a really good team.” 

The Flashes spring season kicks off Feb. 10 in Mobile, Ala., for the Hal Williams Intercollegiate. 

“My expectations are to win, to keep putting ourselves in positions to win events and to move up the rankings as much as we possibly can going into our conference championship,” Mills said.

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