Bison golfers finish sixth after a rollercoaster weekend in the weather
Junior golfer Nate Adams captured co-medalist honors yesterday at the RedHawk Intercollegiate golf tournament held at Pittsburgh Field Club in Fox Chapel, Pa. Adams led his Bison teammates to a tie with George Washington University for sixth place in the 14-team field. Adams, with rounds of 70-71-71, was the only golfer at or below par for all three rounds. No small feat in the rain, wind and flurries that plagued the Pittsburgh area for most of the tournament. His 212 total tied with Richmond University’s Cole Ekert for medalist honors.
In what was their final tune-up prior to the Summit League tournament on April 30 – May 2, the Bison men played consistently, especially considering the conditions, but moved all over the leaderboard. NDSU carded 296-294-295 for an 885. The Bison men were eight after the first round of play on Monday but were as high as third yesterday until they finished in the sixth-place tie.
Adams was not immune to peaks and valleys either. In round one, Adams carded a one over 37 after the first nine and held that number through ten. Then, Adams went low. An eagle three on the 525-yard par 5 11th hole, a birdie on the par four number 12 and an eagle two on the 13th put Adams four under and looking back at the rest of the field.
NDSU junior Nate Adams claimed the co-medalist title at the RedHawk Intercollegiate in Fox Chapel, Pa. Adams, with rounds of 70-71-71, was the only golfer at or under par for the entire tournament. It was Adams’ second win of the spring season. Photo Courtesy | Zach Lucy
Then came the par three 16th. Adams scored a triple-bogey six to fall to one under and the field was back breathing down his neck. Adams recovered to par 17 & 18 to card a two-under 33 on the back and a one-under 70 for the round.
In round two played later that day, Adams could not solve #16 as it was his demon again. After carding an even-par 36 on the front nine, including two birdies and two bogies, Adams once again scored an eagle three on the 11th to get back to under par at -2. Then came 16. A double bogey dropped him back to even par. He finished on the par five 491-yard #3 with a birdie to get back to -1 for the tournament, the only golfer under par.
Starting his third round on the first hole, Adams birdied one and three to get to three under. But back-to-back bogies on 7 & 8 put him back at even for the front nine. His final trip to #11, a hole he owned thus far throughout the tournament, proved fruitful once again as Adams logged a birdie 4 on the big par five. That put him two under for the tournament and increased his lead to two strokes with seven holes to play.
Adams finished strong as he used that birdie to card an even-par 35 on the back nine to finish the tournament at -1 for his second first-place finish of the spring season. He also won the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate at Kilmarlic Golf Club in Powells Point, N.C.
NDSU’s Brock Winter was one shot behind Adams on the day, as he carded his second-straight 72 after opening with a 77. Winter climbed the leaderboard with five birdies in his round, as he finished in a tie for 16th place at +8.
Nate Deziel finished one shot back of Winter after a 73 in his final round. Deziel had a pair of birdies in the final round and moved up a couple of places as well, finishing in a tie for 21st place at +9. Ian Simonich wrapped up the scoring for the Bison in the final round with a 79. Simonich had a pair of birdies to highlight his round, but finished with just seven pars, as he fell to a tie for 63rd place overall. Gavin Cronkhite also dropped places in the final round, as he shot an 80, falling to a tie for 73rd.
The Bison will now prepare for the Summit League Championships to be played on April 30th through May 2nd at the Wilderness Ridge Golf Course in Lincoln, Neb. The Bison hope to avoid a repeat of last season’s tournament where they let a final-round lead get away from them and finished in second behind South Dakota State. Current NDSU senior Nate Deziel is the defending league champion.