Men's Golf Opens Season; Gormley Leads With A Runner-Up Finish
Lincoln, NE - Reiver Men open their season with a 3rd place finish at the Blue River Classic. The event was hosted by Concordia University – Nebraska, and Doane University at the Highlands Golf Course in Lincoln, NE.
Day 1 saw 36-holes of competition, consisting of rounds 1 and 2. The Men got off to a great start and found themselves at 6-under par with 4 holes to play during round 1. A few mistakes closing the round saw the Reivers drop some shots and finish with an even par 288. Iowa Western was led by sophomore Steven Gormley who fired a bogey free 5-under par 67. Returning NJCAA All-American sophomore Ethan Main fired an even par 72, freshman Ty Potter would close round 1 with a 1-over par 73, and finishing the scoring for the Reivers was sophomore Sam Wells who carded a 4-over par 76.
During the afternoon, the Men had to battle the cooler temps and wind. Iowa Western would total a 5-over par 293 round 2 score. Led by Wells who came back with a solid even par round of 72, equaling his score was sophomore Emmanuel Jensen's 72. Gormley would post a round 2 score of 1-over par 73, and Potter would card a 4-over par 76.
"We played well in the morning. It was unfortunate to drop those 6 shots with four holes to play but being the first tournament round of the season, it's just about reminding them to stay focused on the details", said Iowa Western's Director of Player Development Coach Ryan Norman. "I challenged the guy's Tuesday morning to stay focused and enjoy the pressure of a tournament. There's always going to be pressure in tournament golf, it's never going to go away. When you learn to accept it and understand that it's a good thing, you can actually learn to thrive in it."
Iowa Western responded throughout the final round. Gormley would again lead the Reivers as he blistered the par 72 layout with another 5-under par 67 and post a tournament total of 9-under par which would see him finish 2nd place overall in the individual standings. Wells and Main would both card 1-under par 71's, and closing the scoring for round 3 was Potter who would card an even par 72. The Reivers would close with a tournament low round score of 7-under par 281 which saw them finish 3rd overall.
The Men are back in action September 15th & 16th at the Central Kansas Classic in McPherson, KS. The event will be played at Turkey Creek Golf Course.