The BJU men’s golf team concluded its 2015 season with a second place finish in the Bruins’ Golf Classic Friday and Saturday in Greenville.
Tyler Smith, a freshman sports management major, had the best individual score.
“Being able to shoot under par in my last tournament this season was awesome,” Smith said. “It was great being able to finish the tournament strong.”
BJU hosted the annual tournament at the Green Valley Country Club in Greenville for the second year in a row.
For the tournament, Hiwassee College in Madisonville, Tennessee, and Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, Florida, accepted invitations to compete, while Columbia International University also sent one of their golfers to compete individually.
The tournament started Friday with a 30-minute delay due to weather. The golfers did not allow the weather affect them, however, as Micah Gold birdied the third hole. Blake Counts and Tyler Smith rallied behind him, with birdies of their own.
They continued the momentum into the back nine as Gold and Smith both birdied twice on the back nine holes.
The team finished with a Day 1 score of 309 (Smith–73, Gold–78, Counts–78, James–80, Heath–83).
On Day 2, Smith started out strong, as he birdied the first two holes. On the back nine, Blake Counts hit a 35-foot birdie putt.
The team, however, came out with a score of 311, two strokes more than Day 1.
Overall, this put them in second place behind Trinity Baptist College in the final tournament of the year.
“It was a great season,” Tyler Smith said. “We made it to nationals in just our third year as a program.
From an individual viewpoint, I loved being able to play intercollegiate sports. All thanks goes to God for this wonderful opportunity.”
“Falling short in this tournament in no way diminishes what the team accomplished this season,” Coach Scott said. “[We are] so thankful for the perseverance through adversity and great effort this team showed this season.”
The Bruins golf program made great strides this season by winning the Hiwassee College Invitational, getting second in the regional tournament, and qualifying for the NCCAA National Tournament for the first time in program history.
