The Binghamton golf team concluded its spring season at the Big Sky Championship this weekend, placing sixth out of eight competing teams.
“We didn’t start off too well; we had a slow start, but we had a great second round,” BU head coach Bernie Herceg said. “If we had a better first round we would have maybe been in the thick of things going into the last round.”
The Bearcats struggled in the first day of play, combining to shoot a round-high 300 (+12). Following the first round, Binghamton sat in last place of the tournament.
But, BU rallied on day two. Despite strong winds and pouring rains, the Bearcats delivered their best round of the weekend, shooting a 287 (-1). Binghamton jumped from last in the standings to sixth.
“I know in the spring we have to compete in some pretty bad weather, so it might have helped us a little bit,” Herceg said. “They were able to still putt well under the conditions … It was really just their mental toughness and gritting it out in bad weather and it was just great to see.”
Leading Binghamton’s charge from the bottom spot was junior Kyle Wambold. Wambold tied for the lowest score in round two, shooting three-under par (69). He shot a team-best 212 over the three-day event.
“[Wambold had] a phenomenal tournament,” Herceg said. “He’s a great player. He’s going to feed off of this and he’s only going to get better.”
The Bearcats remained in the same spot of the standings in day three, shooting a 295 (+7). BU topped North Dakota and Southern Utah, an improvement over the team’s finish last season. Binghamton placed seventh in the Big Sky Championship in 2015.
“It’s always good to improve a little bit,” Herceg said. “The second round really catapulted us and showed the capabilities that we have. I really feel strong about the direction that we’re going in.”
Idaho captured the Big Sky Championship, delivering a team score of 842. Sacramento State (849) placed second, finishing seven strokes back while Hartford shot an 864 to round out the top three.
BU is set to return six of the eight players currently on its roster for the 2016-17 season.