Men’s golf looks for third straight at Quail Valley

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Coming off of two straight team wins, Kansas head coach Jamie Bermel will lead the Jayhawks to Vero Beach, Florida, to compete in the Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational at Quail Valley Golf Club. The event will take place October 24-25, with two rounds on the first day and one on the last.  

Looking to its experience once again, Bermel will bring the same five Jayhawks to compete as last week’s win in the Bayou City Collegiate Championship. Four of the five also competed in the Kansas victory at the Golfweek Challenge on October 2.  

After two wins early in the season, the Jayhawks look to keep the momentum rolling as they enter the last couple of events of the fall campaign.  

“This time of the year you just try and work on fundamentals,” head coach Jamie Bermel said. “We have to make sure we are rested up. We’re in the full swing of school so that’s taking up a big portion of the time. Just trying to keep them fresh and getting ready for the next event. Nothing real extravagant. We are very cognizant of how much time we are out there and some of the guys are getting worn down.” 

With an appearance this week, senior Chase Hanna will continue his streak of competing in every tournament of his career as a Jayhawk. Hanna was able to rack up his first career win this season and has managed to break the top-15 in every tournament. With a 69.92 scoring average, Hanna leads the team, averaging almost two strokes under par.  

Junior Daniel Hudson and sophomore Charlie Hillier have both competed in each of the previous four events, including the team’s two wins. Hudson has managed to make significant contributions in each event, with nine of his 12 rounds this season counting towards the team’s four player score.   

With a strong start to the season, Hillier has managed to break the top-20 four times including a tie for second-place finish. Hillier has recorded eight out of 11 rounds at even par or better.  

Both transfers from Idaho, junior Dan Sutton and sophomore Jake Scarrow will continue to compete in their first year on the Kansas roster. Sutton and Scarrow have proved they have what it takes, both breaking the top five in just the first few events of the season. Sutton has the lowest round of any Jayhawk on the season, posting a five-under-par 66 in his first tournament.  

Kansas will be one of 12 competing in the Quail Valley, with Michigan State and Liberty, who have both recently received votes in the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) rankings. The field will also include Mcneese State, North Florida, Jacksonville, Notre Dame, North Texas, Ohio State, Memphis, Indiana and West Virginia. 

“I think this is a good field,” Bermel said. “From top to bottom it has a lot of 25 to 75 ranked teams. I’m sure it will be very competitive from top to bottom.” 

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