The Kent State men’s golf team traveled to Charleston, S.C., to take on the Hootie at Bulls Bay tournament. The team finished 11th out of 15 teams, ending with a four-over-par (868), showing solid performances across the board. 

Freshman Liam Curtis led the charge for the Flashes, recording a two-under-par (214) total and placing in the top 24 on the individual leaderboard.

Sophomore Isaiah Ibit was next as he carved his way to a three-over-par (219) and a spot at 46th. Close behind Ibit was sophomore Darcy Hogg, who recorded a four-over-par (220) which placed him at 53rd.

Nolan Haynes, a sophomore out of Barberton, Ohio, ended the tournament in 65th with a seven-over-par (223).

Argentinean sophomore Ramiro Acevedo struggled the most during this tournament as he recorded a 12-over-par (228) and rounded out the team.

The Flashes overall had a solid performance with Curtis leading the way for the team in Charleston.

“The first few days were perfect. It was good scoring conditions,” said coach Jon Mills. “On the last day the temperature dropped, and it was extremely windy.”

Round 1

The Flashes landed themselves in 14th place after 18 holes, with Curtis as KSU’s top performer. He carded a two-under-par (70) and landed himself in a tie for 29th. 

“He’s [Curtis] played pretty much every event this year,” said Mills. “I’ve been very impressed that he’s been able to do that. He seems to be getting stronger as the season goes on.”

Haynes also had a solid round with an even-par (72) and tied for 53rd on the individual leaderboard.

Both Ibit and Acevedo carded one-over-par (73), and the duo rounded out the scoring for round one.

Hogg’s score was dropped after falling out of KSU’s top-four scorers; he shot a three-over-par, still a solid score overall.

The Flashes found themselves in second-to-last place despite decent performances from the team. The second round presented the opportunity to climb up the ranks. 

Round 2

There wasn’t much improvement from the Flashes in the second round, as they maintained their 14th-place position and shot five-over-par (293) as a team. 

Ibit led the way with a two-under-par (70) and took the spot as the lowest scoring on the team. He tied for 42nd on the individual leaderboard. 

Hogg climbed out of the dropped score category and shot a one-over-par (73) in the second round.

Both Curtis and Acevedo shot a three-over-par (75). Curtis remained at a one-over-par (145) after two rounds.

Haynes did not score for KSU this round, posting an eight-over-par (80). He faced struggles on the back nine.

The Flashes showed some promising performances from Ibit and Hogg, but a lot of work was left to be done in the third round. 

“I’ll be honest, I wasn’t too happy with how we started,” said Mills. “Even in the second round, I thought, it’s a course that we know, and we just didn’t get the results we wanted.”

Round 3

KSU had its strongest round of the tournament in the third round, posting an even-par (288). They climbed three places and ended the tournament in 11th. 

“I think it’s starting to show that they can handle adversity,” said Mills. “There’s a lot of good things to take away, but the key is to compete for more than just one round.”

Curtis took back the lowest scoring position on the team as he carded a three-under-par (69) in the third round, the lowest of any of the Flashes during the tournament. 

Haynes also bounced back from his second-round performance and shot a one-under-par (71). Hogg was close behind with an even par (72).

Ibit closed out the scoring for the Flashes with a four-over-par (76) as he struggled in the front nine.

Acevedo’s score was dropped as he recorded an eight-over-par (80) in the final round. 

The Flashes put it together in the last round despite a difficult outing the day before. Curtis and Haynes led KSU to a finish as promising performances were had all around. 

“We knew the conditions were going to be hard,” said Mills. “We wanted to finish the tournament on a good note, and they did that.”

Up Next

The Flashes will stay in Ohio as they travel to the Robert Kepler Invitational, hosted by Ohio State University in Columbus. They will play from April 11-12, looking for another strong performance. 

Luke Nedved is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].