04/11/08
Rain didn’t keep the Baker men’s golf team from placing first in the Nike Invitational Monday in Hutchinson.
Despite severe weather, which included a hailstorm, the Wildcats were able to pull out a win by three strokes.
Head coach Karen Exon said the Cottonwood Hills Golf Club’s course was difficult, but freshman Chris Wilson was able to tie with two others for first place. Wilson finished with 79 strokes on a par 72 course with freshman Adam Taylor right behind him with 80.
“What sets Chris apart from the other two he placed with is that he’s so consistent,” Exon said.
The second day of play Tuesday was canceled due to severe weather.
“I thought it was one of the hardest courses I’ve ever played in my life,” Wilson said. “It’s so new, and for being so new it was in great shape. There was no question the course was hard, and the scores in the tournament showed it.”
Both the men’s and women’s teams hosted a tournament April 2 and April 3 at Alvamar Golf Club in Lawrence. The women competed head-to-head on 18 holes both days with Avila University and won by 92 strokes. The Wildcats ended both days with a score of 751 to Avila’s 843.
Although the team ran away with first place, freshman Dani Weimholt said the team could have done better considering it was played on the Wildcats’ home course.
“We think we should do well because we know the course, but it was a head game too because when it’s your home course you think you should be doing well, but when you don’t it makes it that much worse,” she said.
The first day consisted of spring weather, but the teams got caught in rain April 3. The tournament was postponed for about 20 minutes before administration decided it was safe to resume.
Weimholt led all golfers with a combined total of 171 strokes, 13 ahead of the second place finisher.
“Dani was the only competitor to score in the 80s one day, let alone both,” Exon said.
Weimholt finished day one with a score of 87 and 84 the second. Junior Melissa Brown finished fourth overall with senior Ashley Johnson right behind in fifth.
The men took home a second place finish right behind Newman University. The teams played two 18-hole rounds April 2 and finished with one 18-hole round April 3.
“That’s exactly the format they’ll play in their conference and regional tournament, so I wanted them to have an opportunity to rehearse that,” Exon said.
Exon said she is pleased with the men’s finish, as Newman will be moving to National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II next year.
“They didn’t beat us by much, and we gave up a majority of our strokes in the first round,” Exon said.
Newman finished with a combined score of 932, with Baker finishing with 952. Evangel University was 51 strokes behind Baker, allowing Baker to win second place easily.
“We played pretty well, and we beat every (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) team, so that helped our national ranking,” Wilson said.
Wilson tied with two others for first shooting 78, 75 and 78.
The women’s team will travel Sunday to Columbia, Mo., to compete in the Park University Tournament.