Last week, Union University’s golf team came home from the University of Tennessee Martin Grover Page Classic with a seventh place finish out of eight teams in a three-round tournament that was marked by unseasonably cold weather.
Mother Nature didn’t exactly provide ideal golf weather in Martin last week. The high for the tournament was only 39°F, more than 20 degrees lower than Martin’s March 13 average.
The weather provided for unpredictable play across the board. Union’s second round score (290) was good for third-best in the tournament, but their scores in the first (311) and third (310) rounds were not nearly as impressive and plummeted the team to second-to-last in the standings.
Despite Union’s seemingly unimpressive finish, they were competing mostly against NCAA Division I schools with larger golf programs. The list of teams that finished ahead of the Bulldogs includes UT Martin, which won the event, Samford University, and Murray State, all of which are in Division I. Union even beat Division I opponent Tennessee State, which finished in dead last.
Jordan Botwinick and Cal Templeton, freshmen, were Union’s first- and second-leading finishers, respectively. Botwinick finished tied for 14th with a 224 (+8) and Templeton came in 16th place with a 225 (+9). Samford’s Garrett Moores, senior, took home gold after shooting 212 (-4).
Union’s next tournament appearance is bound to be a warmer one. On April 3-4, they will visit bright and sunny Pensacola, Florida, for the West Florida Argonaut Invitational at Tiger Point Golf Club. This tournament should also feature more Division II schools that will matchup better with Union.
