The Binghamton golf team concluded its 2015 spring season by traveling to Angels Camp, Calif., to compete in the Big Sky Golf championship. The Bearcats came in seventh in the eight-team tournament that began and ended their postseason hopes. Finishing at the head of the pack was Idaho, which had the lowest totals in each of three rounds, firing a total score of 856.
BU got off to a sluggish start on Monday, hitting 325 (+37), which landed it in last place after the first round. Senior captain Josh Holling led BU with 77 (+5) strokes. He was followed by freshman Kyle Wambold and senior Jack Sedgewick, who each shot 82 (+10). Over the weekend, Sedgewick was named Golfer of the Week by the Big Sky Conference for his impressive performance at the Rutherford Invitational hosted by Penn State, in which he placed first out of 75 golfers.
On Tuesday, BU came back from its disappointing start to the competition, lowering its total round score by 26 shots good enough for fifth-best of the day. The five-man squad finished the round with a score of 299. Pacing the Bearcats was sophomore Sameer Kalia, who shot two under par. He eagled the 10th hole and had birdies on holes seven, eight, nine and eighteen.
“Sameer had an awesome round,” BU head coach Bernie Herceg said to bubearcats.com. “He had one bad shot, but he was able to recover from it. He just shot well and made some better scores today.”
Sedgewick and junior Jesse Perkins also contributed to Binghamton’s improved performance. Each shot a 76 (+4).
“Jack and Jesse each played solid rounds, but both had one hole that ultimately kept them from better scores,” Herceg said to bubearcats.com.
Heading into the third day of competition on Wednesday, Binghamton looked to improve on its performance and advance in the standings. The Bearcats, however, could not best their second round results, shooting 303 (+15) on the day. Kalia and Holling both fired off rounds of 74 (+2) and had four birdies apiece en route to finishing 19th and 24th, respectively.
Despite Binghamton’s strong individual outings in certain rounds, Herceg believes the team could have performed more consistently.
“I have mixed feelings about the tournament,” Herceg said to bubearcats.com. “If we played as well in the first round as we did in rounds two and three, it would have been a different story.”
This week’s tournament marked the last collegiate competition for two seniors, Josh Holling and Jack Sedgewick. The third senior on the Bearcat roster, Stephen Mincone, did not compete in the tournament.
“It’s tough emotions with Josh and Jack playing their final tournament,” Herceg said to bubearcats.com. “They have been two great leaders and student-athletes since their start here. They both have great work ethic and set solid examples for the younger players. I truly hope that their dedication and loyalty to this program rubs off onto the younger guys. They will both be greatly missed.”
First-place Idaho is the only team from the tournament that will advance to NCAA regional competition.