Rylin Petry Awarded Conference Golfer of the Week; Bison Finish Fourth in Season Finale

North Dakota State Men’s Golf wrapped another season. The regular season finale saw the Bison head down to Iowa for the Hawkeye Invitational hosted by the University of Iowa. The tournament saw 14 teams visit the Blue Top Ridge Golf Course in Riverside, Iowa. NDSU finished fourth, giving the Bison their first back-to-back top-five finishes in tournament play since the beginning of the season when NDSU opened the 2025-2026 season with two wins and a fourth-place finish. North Dakota State finished with a total score of 875(+11), three strokes ahead of Drake and South Dakota State. The Bison finished the opening round in seventh place with a 295(+7), then fell to eighth place after round two with a score of 299(+11). The Bison finally put it together in the final round, finishing with the lowest total of the round and the second-lowest score of the tournament. The final tally of 281(-7) jumped the bison from eighth to fourth place.

On the individual side, things were once again led by senior leader Rylin Petry. Petry finished fifth overall with a final score of 214(-2). Petry started slow; his opening round stroke total was a 74(+2). Petry only knocked in one birdie and had three bogeys. Round two saw a slight improvement with Petry shooting a 73(+1). He got up to five birdies this round, but six bogeys set him back. Everything finally aligned for Petry as he finished his final regular season with a 67(-5), with seven birdies across the round. An amazing finish to a storied career at NDSU. A true building block of a program with a bright future. Petry was honored with the Kwik Trip Summit League Player of the Week for his performance in Iowa!

Next up, the second senior leader for NDSU, Jake Skarperud, finished in a three-way tie for 20th place. Skarperud has been one of the best golfers for the Bison this season and finished his final regular season event with a 220(+4). Like Petry, Skarperud started things rather slowly. In the opening round, Skarperud shot a 78(+6). He had five bogeys and a pair of double bogeys, compared to his three birdies, all in the back nine. In the second round, Skarperud improved to a 75(+5). He shot two birdies in the first half, but struggled with three bogeys in the back nine. Finally, he was able to match Petry with a 67(-5), only shooting one bogey to six birdies. A strong finish to a breakout season for the senior.

Senior Gabe Benson ended his Bison career in a six-way tie for 28th. Benson was able to finish with a 223(+7). Benson opened things with a 77(+5). He sat one under after the front nine, but shot four bogeys and a double bogey in the back nine. In the second round, Benson improved his total by one stroke with a 76(+4). He was able to drop one bogey and replace it with a par to improve his score. Like his fellow seniors, Benson’s best round was the final 18 holes. He shot a 70(-2), shooting four pars in the back nine with a total of six pars in the round. The Bison seniors gave it their all in the final round, and these three showed what it meant to be a Bison in what may be their final chance.

Freshman Carter White would fall into the group of golfers, finishing in a four-way tie for 34th place. White ended his debut season with a 224(+8). The freshman started things strong in Iowa, ending the first round in second place with a 69(-3). White had six birdies in the first round with only one bogey and a double bogey. Moving into the second round, White shot a 78(+6), dropping down the leaderboard with nine bogeys. He was able to get a stroke back in the final round, shooting a 77(+5), but three double bogeys set back the four birdies he was able to shoot.

Fellow freshman Joey Mackinac represented NDSU as the independent golfer, finding himself in an eight-way tie for 38th place. Mackinac shot 225(+9) overall, shooting two consistent rounds to open the tournament, both rounds sitting at 78(+5). Mackinac arguably had the best round from any Bison in round three as he was able to drop his score to a 71(-1). Mackinac shot an eagle on the fifth hole, accompanied by three birdies. The final freshman for NDSU was Andrew Ballou, who finished in a six-way tie for 48th place. He shot a 228(+12), he started strong with two good opening rounds. He opened with a 75(+3) with five bogeys to two pars. In the second round, he would repeat with a 75(+3) with fourteen pars. In the final round, Ballou shot a 78(+5). He shot two birdies, two bogeys, and a pair of double bogeys to end his tournament.

Once again, this wraps things up for the Men’s Golf regular season. The next time the team steps onto the pitch, the Bison will be taking part in the Summit League Tournament. This year, it is being held in Mesa, Arizona. The championship tournament will kickoff on May 3 and go to May 5.