Results
PENFIELD, N.Y. – The University of Redlands Men's Golf team needed to advance five positions up the standings to make the Top 18 cut at the NCAA Division III National Championships. They improved by six spots into a four-way tie for 16th place, but they tied with three other teams, forcing a four-team playoff tiebreaker for positions 17 and 18.
The playoff had all four teams play their five golfers with the two teams with the lowest combined score out of their top four golfers securing the final two advancing positions into rounds three and four. The team's No. 1's, 2's, 3's, 4's, and 5's played against each other on separate holes. At the end of the playoff Gettysburg College and Amhurst College were the top two teams advancing over Redlands and Trinity University (Texas).
The Bulldogs shot a 611 (307-304) across their two rounds. Their second round 304 was the ninth-lowest on the day and only six higher than Methodist University who is the No. 1 team in the country who shot the lowest round. The gap between first and 17th was only 16 strokes and the Top-3 finish was only eight strokes ahead of the cut line.
Despite the team not advancing, Aaron Buck (Tualatin, OR) will continue on as he is one of the six highest ranked individuals whose team did not advance as he is tied for fourth overall. He shot up 96 places thanks to a 68, the second-lowest score of the day, and a 145 (77-68) after 36 holes. After posting a bogey-to-birdie ratio of six-to-two yesterday, he had a one-to-five ratio today.
Jonas DeLeon (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) will end the championship in a tie for 63rd with a 153 (74-79). He dropped 32 positions after bogeying six of his first 10 holes, though, he parred six of his final eight holes, shooting two over during that stretch after being five over through ten.
Jake Yim (Mercer Island, WA) made a big jump of 60 spots into 107th after shooting a 75, giving him a 156 (81-75) for the championships. He had no birdies yesterday but had three today. He also did not have any double bogeys that cost him at least two extra strokes in round one.
Tied for 154th was Cohen Gladheim (Sherwood, OR) and Damon Bartells (Sacramento, CA). They both finished with 160's (78-82). Gladheim had a rough start, bogeying five of his first six holes before finishing strong with a birdie and two pars on his final four holes.
Bartells sat one under par through five holes. Overall, he had two birdies unlike yesterday when he failed to record any, but he doubled on four holes and shot 11 over par across his final 13 holes.
Like previously stated, Redlands will not advance as a team, meaning they will miss out on trying to finish inside the Top-5 for a second-straight season and for the fourth time in program history. Buck will continue as he sits seven strokes out of the lead and three outside the Top-3 with 36 holes remaining.
