TJ Leverentz/Winonan
The Winona State men’s golf team ended their fall schedule Tuesday, Oct. 15, at the Central Regional Crossover in St. Joseph, Mo.
On the first day of play, four of five Winona State golfers broke 80. Tyler Schmude led the way with 74, while Alex Zeyen and Mitch Holm followed each with 78. Luke Bollant posted a 79 and Jake Olsonoski finished the day with 83. The Warriors shot a team score of 309.
Zeyen said, “The golf course didn’t play too long, only on a few of the par threes.”
In the second day of play, the Warriors once again saw four of their five golfers break 80. Zeyen was the low man, thanks to a two over par 74. Holm and Olsonoski each shot three over par 75. Schmude posted a four over par 76, and Bollant finished with an 83. The performances were good enough for the Warriors to shoot a team score of 300—their lowest of the tournament.
“I thought that the course was a great test of the players’ ball striking and putting. The course wasn’t long, with the exception of the par threes,” Schmude said.
All season the Warriors have shot their lowest team scores on the final days of their tournaments, with this being the exception. The Warriors shot 316, which tied them for their worst score of the fall season. Schmude led the Warriors with a 74. Zeyen and Olsonoski finished the tournament by shooting 79. Holm finished with an 84, and Bollant posted an 86.
The Warriors three-day total of 925 earned them 14th place honors.
“On the final day, they moved the tee boxes back, which made the course play longer. The wind picked up to consistent 20 mile per hour gusts, and the rain picked up,” Schumde said.
Zeyen said the conditions on the final day made it tougher to score, and they encountered different grass in the area, which can take longer to adjust to.
Individually, all Warrior golfers placed in the top 100. Schmude’s three-day total of 224 earned him a tie for 17th. Zeyen tied for 44th with a score of 231. Holm and Olsonski each tied for 70th with totals of 237, and Bollant finished with a 248.
Zeyen and Schmude led the Warriors in scoring this season. Zeyen’s scoring average of 76.7 in 13 rounds is the second lowest on the team.
“The past two years have been more successful because I have settled down, my nerves aren’t really there as much anymore,” Zeyen said. “Don’t get me wrong, I can still have a bad day, but the experiences I had my first two years have really played dividends to my game these past two.”
Schmude led the team in scoring with an average of 74.6 through 13 rounds. He said he attributes the success to working on ball striking while hitting into nets over the winter.
The Warriors’ spring schedule will begin in March of 2014.
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