(Story courtesy of Trinity University Athletics)
WHEELING, W.Va. - Trinity University Men's Golf rounded out the 2021 NCAA III National Championship tournament with a 300 (+16) round score to land in a tie at 11th overall with West Region foe Willamette University (OR) at a four-round total of 1203 (+71).
The Tigers stayed on pace with Thursday's third-round performance as they posted 10-plus stroke improvements in both rounds on the Robert Trent Jones Course over Tuesday's opening round.
Since Wednesday's second round, Trinity posted the eighth-best score out of the final 18 teams (890) which fueled the team's steady rise in the leaderboard over the week.
The 2021 NCAA III National Championship marks the conclusion of the season for Trinity Men's Golf.
The Rundown
Senior Bryce Pidgeon teed-off Friday's action at 7:30 a.m. local time at the start of the back nine to pace the Tigers with a one-over (72) performance on the challenging Jones Course to conclude the championship with an 18-spot rise in the individual standings to t-65th at 307 (+24).
Pidgeon's final round was a seven-stroke improvement from Thursday's 79, and an 11-stroke difference from Tuesday's 83 card. The Trinity veteran birdied four of the front nine holes to close the round on a pair of par-fours (first and ninth), the par-five fifth and the par-three fourth.
With an even-par performance on the front nine, junior DJ Springer carded a 75 (+4) to land t-34th overall in the field at 301 (+18).
Springer was the most consitent of the Tigers on the Jones Course this week as Friday's 75 matched his score from Thursday after he carded a 77 on Tuesday.
To round out Trinity's top four, sophomores Holden Wisener and Zac Bunder punched in cards of 76 and 77, respectively.
Wisener landed as the top Tiger individual in a tie at 31st in the field with a four-round 300 (+17). Bunder concluded the four-day event at 305 (+22) at t-57th.
Sophomore Daniel Nunez carded a 79 (+8) on Friday after notching his lone birdie on the par-four ninth hole at the end of the day. Nunez finished the 2021 NCAA III Championship with a four-round 309 (+26).
Notable Numbers
The Tigers finished 10th in par-five scoring, an effort led by Pidgeon at three-under on par-fives which ranked fourth in the individual field.
Wisener and Springer pushed Trinity to the sixth-most pars of the tournament as the pair finished ninth and 14th in the field at 46 and 44 pars, respectively.
Bunder's eagle on the par-four fourth hole of the Palmer Course was the fourth eagle of the tournament at the time which made Trinity one of 10 teams with an eagle.
Trinity finished in a tie at 11th overall with Willamette as the highest finishers from the West Region, followed by University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in 18th (+91). It also marked the highest finish for an SCAC program since Schreiner finished seventh in 2015.
Coach Speak
"While we didn't make the charge up the leaderboard that we'd hoped," Head Coach Sean Etheredge began, "the guys put together a strong finish on the back nine."
"Overall, it was a wonderful experience for us all which we will use to build on for next season," Etheredge continued. "This has been a tremendous spring season for us and we'll try to carry that momentum forward in our program."
That's A Wrap
Trinity Men's Golf's 11th-place finish in the 2021 NCAA III National Championship wrapped up the 2021 campaign for the Tigers, who entered the tournament ranked seventh nationally by the Golf Coaches Association of America and first in the West Region.
