After five tournaments over the course of two months, Bradley men’s golf fall season is in the books, ending another bonafide reason for optimism. The Braves shot their lowest round of the season at the Pinetree Intercollegiate, carding a 282 first-round score en route to an eighth place finish.
The team battled some tough weather conditions and adversity in rounds two and three which ultimately led to the Braves falling down the leaderboard after their first place start. Despite the success in the first round, head coach Jeff Roche noted that there are still things that need to be worked on.
“We are making progress along those ways,” Roche said. “Not only did we shoot our lowest round but we also shot our two highest rounds. Part of that was due to weather, wind and cold.”
The Braves lead at the Pinetree Intercollegiate was their first lead after one round all year. Roche was impressed with the new mark, but cited this as something that the players struggled with.
“This team believes they belong there,” Roche said. “But it’s the first time they’ve actually experienced it.”
One of the highlights from the tournament was senior John Stillman, who shot the lowest round of his college career of six-under par for a first-round score of 66. Stillman tied his senior teammate Josh Kirkham with the lowest round for the Braves all year and matched the school record as well.
However, Stillman struggled in rounds two and three in tough weather conditions, shooting seven-over par in round two and nine-over in round three. Nevertheless, the performance placed Stillman in the top 25.
“[Stillman] handled his own emotions well,” Roche said. “He knew where he stood. The biggest difference [for him] was that he took advantage of those opportunities.”
Another key contributor for the Braves was Kirkham. Similar to Stillman, Kirkham shot under par in round one with a score of 70 but went over par in the final 36 holes. In round two, the senior fired a five-over par 77, followed by a third-round 78.Kirkham’s strong effort placed him tied for 20th.
“[Kirkham] didn’t let things get away from him,” Roche said. “He finished each round strong. That is one of the biggest strengths I’ve seen from him: he is able to manage himself and stay playing golf.”
Senior Roy Radke also contributed a notable performance for the Braves, shooting a total score of 228 that placed him 26th on the leaderboard. He was joined by graduate student Luke Armbrust (231) and freshman Connor Hamm (240) to round out the scoring in Georgia.
This was the last meet of the fall season for the Braves, and Roche is looking forward to the spring for the team to build on the success they found during the fall. What is Roche’s key for that to happen?
“Be yourself.”
