PHOENIX, Ariz. – The Drake men's golf team returned to the golf course this week out in the desert for the GCU Invitational, where the Bulldogs finished in fourth place out of 18 teams. Drake concluded play on Wednesday and ended the event with a team score of 855 (288-288-279).
"This week took a true team effort," head coach
Matt Lewis said. "Several guys had outstanding rounds. It was great to build off from our first tournament."
On the leaderboard,
Nate Spear led the way for the Bulldogs finishing in a tie for 10th. Spear began the tournament with a blistering opening round 68 followed with rounds of 73 and 72 for a total score of 213. The junior tallied 11 birdies and 32 pars over his 54-holes of play en route to his top-10 finish.
Sam Johnson ended his tournament on a high note firing a career-best 66 in the final round of play. The Bettendorf, Iowa, native smashed his previous 54-hole career best of 231 carding a total score of 215 at the GCU Invitational. Johnson placed inside the top-20, tying for 18th with his performance.
The duo of
Jake Weissenburger and Jake Dumas ended up tied for 37th as both scored 218. Weissenburger improved each round posting scores of 78-72-68, while Dumas went for rounds of 71-68-79.
Rounding out the Bulldog lineup was
Nikko Ganas. The senior ended competition tied for 60th at 223 (75-75-73).
"I was proud of how the guys played today after a very long day yesterday," Lewis continued. We warmed up at sunrise at 6:45 am and didn't finish all 36 holes by 6:45 pm. The conditions were challenging with some gusty winds and firm conditions. We were all very tired from last night and for the team to respond with 5-under today, which tied for the low round of the day, was very impressive.
"This was a very strong field with several teams ranked in the top-75. I believe the guys gained some confidence that they can compete at a high level."
The Bulldogs remain in Arizona for their next tournament, the Bell Bank "Pay It Forward" Collegiate, which will take place March 24-25 from Wigwam Golf Club in Litchfield Park, Ariz.
