Kansas wraps up regular season play with third place finish

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Following the suspension of play in the second round on Saturday, Kansas men’s golf wrapped up its second and third rounds on Sunday afternoon, placing third in the Great River Entertainment Invitational, led by top-10 finishes from senior Chase Hanna and junior Daniel Hudson.

“We played well to finish the second (round) and just couldn’t do much in the final round,” head coach Jamie Bermel said. “We counted two triple bogeys and three double bogeys this week, with only one water hazard. We just have to show more discipline when we get in bad spots and not to be so aggressive.”

Ending the event in fifth place at 3-under par for the event, Hanna has now finished in the top-20 in three-straight events, and recorded three top-five finishes this season. Playing the first 11 holes of the second round at 1-over par before the weather delay, Hanna opened up Sunday with back-to-back birdies and played his remaining seven holes at 3-under par on his way to a second round, 70. Hanna’s momentum slowed as he played the final round at 4-over par. Taking advantage of a familiar Finkbine golf course, Hanna collected 14 total birdies, the second most by any player in the field.

Continuing his solid play, Hudson finished his second round with a 4-under par, 68, his fourth round in the 60’s this season. Hudson recorded three bogeys in his final round before finding his first birdie on his final hole of the day, resulting in a final round, 74. Finishing in a tie for ninth place at 1-under par, Hudson has back-to-back top-10 finishes.

Freshman Andy Spencer posted one bogey countered by a birdie in the last six holes of his final round, finishing with a 2-under par, 70. Spencer’s consistency continued, playing the first 13 holes of the final round at 2-under par. A bogey and double bogey got in the way, causing Spencer to enter the clubhouse at even par. Spencer finished the event in a tie for 11^th place, the third top-20 individual finish of his short career.

After playing his first two rounds at even par, junior Daniel Sutton continued his steady play, recording an eagle on his way to a 2-over par, 74. Sutton finished the event just outside of the top-20 in a tie for 21^st at 2-over par for the event.

Sophomore Charlie Hillier finished the final round with a 74, ending the event at 8-over par and finishing in a tie for 46^th.

“I think we played our last two holes at 4-under par which is good to see,” Bermel said. “The guys never quit, we just played poorly in the middle of the round.”

Opening the final round with a birdie, sophomore Jake Scarrow posted five bogeys on his way to a 76. Scarrow finished the entire event at 11-over par.

Kansas finished the event at 4-under par, just one stroke behind Iowa. No. 11 Texas Tech was the winner of the tournament, posting a 9-under par, 855. The Jayhawks were eight strokes in front of fellow Big 12 competitor Iowa State who finished in fourth.

“I’m not one to make excuses, but I would have really liked to play with the second and third place teams in the final round,” Bermel said. “Due to the bad weather, there was no time to re-pair after finishing the second round.”

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