Finishing strong has been a weakness of the Creighton men’s golf team this year.
The Bluejays were tied for fourth after the first day of the Branson Creek Invitational in Branson, Mo., but ended up in ninth place when the tournament was over on Thursday.
“We were in position for a top-three finish, but we played very poorly as a team which dropped us down the leader board,” senior Matt Kouri said. “We have shown the potential to shoot low scores, and we really need to meet that potential for all the rounds of a tournament. If we do this, I feel we can compete with any team in the Valley.”
Kouri led the team in Branson, shooting rounds of 72 and 77. It was the second straight event where he led the team as he finished in a tie for 22nd place. The tournament was shortened from three rounds to two because of rain.
“I have gained confidence because of the two or three low scores that I have contributed to the team score combined with the solid play of our team on some occasions,” Kouri said.
Head coach Bob Hanson has been impressed with Kouri’s play this spring.
“Matt has a unique swing and has practiced a ton,” Hanson said. “He’s got his timing and swing like last fall. He is hitting as well as ever.”
The Jays shot a combined overall score of 609, leading to their third top-10 finish of the spring. Missouri State was the team champion with a score of 583.
Senior John Sutko, the defending Missouri Valley Conference individual champion, was Creighton’s second-best finisher with a 36-hole total of 150, while sophomore Michael McDonnell and freshman Aaron Clausen both tied for 45th place. Senior Michael Hoch rounded out the scoring with a 163, good enough for 64th place.
The Branson tournament marked the second-straight event that Creighton fell down the leader board after strong opening rounds. The Bluejays led before a final round 316 led to a third-place finish at the GEICO Intercollegiate on March 13-16.
“Our team is not finishing strong in the tournaments that we have played in,” Sutko said. “Our team had an 8-shot lead going into the last day in Georgia and failed to win the tournament, and that’s disappointing.”
The weather hasn’t done the team any favors either, even with tournaments in Florida and Georgia. In addition to a shortened tournament in Branson, practice rounds have also been rough.
“It’s been a poor spring overall,” Hanson said. “In Branson, every shot was plugged. Practice rounds have been bad too. The weather has been about the same everywhere.”
Creighton will play in the Wiscon Corp. Invitational in Mudelein, Ill. April 13-15 in its last warm-up for the MVC Championships, which will be held at the Davenport Country Club in Davenport, Iowa.
“We need to make our last rounds of the year our best rounds to finish like we did last year,” Sutko said. The Jays finished fourth at the MVC Championships last year, their best-ever finish.
“I feel fortunate to have kids with experience going into the MVC Championship,” Hanson said. “The weather has been hit-and-miss, so we’ll see how it goes. Maybe we’ll bring our snow shovels, just in case.”