By Evan Martens
With the spring season underway, the men’s golf team took a trip down to Lexington, North Carolina, to play at Sapona Golf Club, where they finished fourth, shooting +31, after a tough start to round one.
Coming into the tournament, Cedarville knew it would be challenging with top players from schools such as High Point, UMass, Montana State Billings, and finally the 52nd and 59th nationally-ranked players from Missouri University of Science and Tech.
Round one was a struggle for the Jackets, with four of the five players having at least one bogey during the first three holes.
The round never got better for most, with DJ Norman shooting a 75, Ian Reed shooting a 79, Danny DeHimer shooting an 81 and Huston Ritter shooting an 84. But luckily for the Jackets, Aiden Hibbard shot a 69.
“Starting my round with a birdie was huge for my confidence,” Hibbard said. “I was able to use that start but made sure not to get ahead of myself.”
As the second 18 began, Cedarville needed a big momentum swing. While once again the team started a little shaky, the birdies began to fall. The team made 18 birdies in round two, where DJ Norman bounced back and shot a school record, tying five under, and shooting a 66.
Norman said there was not a big physical or mental switch from round one to round two, but knew the realities of the game.
“Golf is hard,” Norman said. “There’s a lot of things that take place after you hit the ball that are out of your control, and honestly, the difference between two rounds sometimes might be just some putts falling and getting a couple breaks to go your way.”
As the day went on, it was evident that the team had settled in.
Hibbard followed behind with a second round 72, and Reed then shot a 75.
“I felt like I really played poorly the first round, so I was just focusing on trying to get back to playing solid golf,” Reed said. “Just more of a calming down and not making stupid mistakes.”
DeHimer also shot a 75 and relied on his practice to carry him through.
“I was obviously a bit frustrated with how round one went, but I still had confidence in myself and the work I put in this offseason,” DeHimer said. “As a senior, I understand I don’t have many opportunities left to compete, so every time I’m out there, I want to make the most of it. I’ve faced a lot of adversity during my collegiate career, so I’m honestly used to it at this point.”
And freshman Hudson Ritter shot 79.
“The 36-hole day in golf is a long day, both physically and mentally,” Ritter said. “Even after a tough stretch, my focus was to gain momentum heading into round three, which I felt that I did a good job of. Stringing together four pars and then to birdie my final hole, there is no better way to finish off a day of golf.”
Golf is so much about momentum, where in Norman’s exceptional round, he caught fire, making five straight birdies, after a tough two-hole stretch.
“I made a bogey on 16 and a double bogey on 17 and really didn’t feel like I deserved them,” Norman said. “But to be able to reset and string together 5 birdies in a row was fun.”
The Jackets looked to continue their momentum in hopes of closing the gap, starting the last 18 holes.
Once again, four of the five Jackets started the day with a bogey, but they did not let it get to them.
“I was pleased with the way I responded to the triple in the final round following the five straight birdies,” Norman said. “I was proud that I didn’t get upset, rather… I hit the best shot I could out of the bad lie and then was able to get up and down for par.”
DeHimer similarly said, “I made five birdies in the second round and was able to carry that momentum through the rest of the tournament.”
While ultimately the team did not finish as high as they wished, they bounced back after a tough first round.
Hibbard had an exceptional tournament, shooting scores of 69-72-68, 209 (-4), ultimately winning the tournament, earning the medalist.
“I’m putting a lot of work in, and it’s nice to see it pay off right now,” Hibbard said. “My biggest takeaway is that I still need to stay humble and be hungry to get better and improve, and I also need to praise Jesus and be grateful because He’s blessed me with this opportunity.”
The Jackets continue in action on March 16 and 17th in Murray, Kentucky.
Evan Martens is a freshman broadcasting journalism major with a minor in business marketing. He loves playing any and all sports and going to the gym.
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