Thanks to the putting of senior Josh Kirkham and freshman Connor Hamm, Bradley men’s golf bounced back in their second outing of the spring season, finishing in sixth place at the Gulf Coast Collegiate in Springfield, Missouri.
Kirkham shot 71-77-68 on a par-72 course with a total of 33 pars and 10 birdies. The senior finished fifth overall with precision on the green.
“The putter got hot for me,” Kirkham said. “The stuff I have been working on for the past couple of years has finally paid off a little bit.”
Hamm clinched 15th overall, shooting 73-71-81. The freshman’s impressive outing led the Braves throughout the second round and finished with 31 pars and 10 birdies. Bradley head coach Jeff Roche spoke on the upsides of the Braves keeping their head down and pushing forward.
“We have to be competitive; it’s a mindset,” Roche said. “If we be ourself and not any other team, we have the ability to do great things.”
It’s clear that when the Braves are themselves, the sky’s the limit. Bradley also had respectable performances from senior Roy Radke, who finished 29th overall, shooting 230 and also finished with 10 birdies. Graduate student Luke Armbrust finished under Radke and tied for 30th, shooting 231.
The Braves plan to keep building on the confident mindset Roche voiced. With only a few days off, Bradley heads to Springfield, Missouri, on Monday, Mar. 30, for the Twin Oaks Intercollegiate.
Roche is excited to see how the team will perform after a few days and against some conference opponents.
“We will see a few Missouri Valley teams when we are down there, I would like to see how we stack up against them,” Roche said. “We need to trust ourselves a little more.”
With assertiveness on the course and momentum building, the Braves are ready to improve further in Springfield, Missouri.
