Men's Golf Finishes 18th at the National Championship
Hobbs, NM - The Reiver Men's golf team finished their season off at the National Championship in Hobbs, New Mexico this past week. The men started off slow and did not see many putts fall on day 1. "We got off to a bit of a slow start, and didn't see many putts fall," said Coach Ryan Norman. "Because of that we dug ourselves an early hole".
The Reivers fought back from an opening round 304 to post 293 on day 2. "I thought the guys showed some grit during our round today," Norman said. "We stuck to our game plan, minimized unforced errors, and holed a few more putts." Freshman Nick Slobbe would lead the charge on day 2 firing a 3-under par 68.
Iowa Western had their best round of the tournament on day 3. They would close round 3 with a team score of 291. Slobbe would again lead the Reivers with a very steady round of 1-under par 70. "I was proud of the way Nick balanced the good and the bad out there. He battled back from a rough first round and has put himself in contention to receive All American Honors", Norman said.
The final round of the tournament was much like the opening round. As the Reivers continued to battle and hit good golf shots, they never really got things going around or on the greens. "I was pleased how most of our guys stuck to our game plan. We just never got comfortable on or around these greens. We didn't pitch or putt the ball well enough this week, which can happen when you get to green complexes like this that provide a unique and different challenge to our guys", Norman said. Iowa Western would complete round for with a 307, and a 72-hole total of 1195 which saw them finish 18th overall.
The National Championship marked the end of three Reivers Junior College careers, who have played a lot of tournament golf the past two seasons. "I want to thank Ethan Smith, Henry Kosmicki and Calen Bishop for their efforts throughout their time here at Iowa Western, and we wish them the best of luck as they move on to their next stop", Norman said. The Reivers put a wrap on the 2023-24 season and look forward to getting back on the course this upcoming Fall!