Following a few down years and flashes of improvement last year, the Bradley men’s golf team is ready to make a name for themselves in the 2022-23 season. The Braves are tested and ready for the season to start after finishing preseason qualifying.
“We have had a good five rounds of qualifying,” head coach Jeff Roche said. “We have seen a variety of different conditions from perfect weather [to] wind and rain; it has given us a good basis to see where we stand.”
The Braves return five players from last season, all of whom are upperclassmen. In addition, two new faces joined the program in the offseason in Luke Armbrust, a graduate transfer student from the University of Illinois, and Connor Hamm, a freshman from Macomb, Illinois.
Hamm’s name is one that Braves’ fans may want to familiarize themselves with. The freshman was named the Peoria Journal Star Golfer of the Year in 2021-22 after he won 11 tournaments during his senior campaign with Macomb High School. Hamm capped off his season with a fourth-place finish at the Class 2A IHSA State Championship.
“[Hamm] has come in and proven himself already to be a quality player,” Roche said. “By adding him, it helps us for this year but helps us establish for the future as well. If someone like [Hamm] can come in and compete with the likes of Josh [Kirkham], Luke [Armbrust] and Roy [Radke], the experience he will have next year and after, we will feel the benefits for a long time.”
Luke Armbrust, the other newcomer, is the brother of Nick Armbrust who is also a senior on the Braves’ golf team. Luke was recruited by Mike Small and the University of Illinois, a perennial golf powerhouse in the last decade, out of high school. After spending three years in Champaign, he landed in Peoria for a chance to show off his talents.
“You will see someone that is really consistent,” Roche said about the elder Armbrust.
In his three years at Illinois, Luke struggled to crack the lineup, which may speak more to the competitiveness of the Illinois team than anything the statistics show. He was sixth on the team in scoring average at 74.52 during his time with the Illini and he was a medalist at the 2022 Butler Spring Invitational.
“Playing with those [Illinois] players on a daily basis and seeing what it takes to be that good is what he can bring to us,” Roche said.
Josh Kirkham headlines the Braves’ returning players. The senior, after posting a team-leading stroke average of 74.07 last season, finished his junior year with two top-10 finishes, six top-20 finishes and a career-best four-under 67 at the Twin Oaks Intercollegiate.
“There is a very chill, calm vibe amongst all the guys currently,” Kirkham said about the beginning of the season. “We have all been together a lot and even with the two guys coming in, we had prior relationships with [them]. The team chemistry aspect is there. We know we are good, [we just have to] compete this year.”
After a late-season push in the spring, senior Roy Radke returns to campus this fall to help the Braves. Radke had the third-best scoring average on the team last season at 78.54. The former draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks recorded a top-10 finish at the MVC Championship and a top-15 finish at the Stampede at the Creek.
Senior John Stillman and junior Brady Kreiter round out the team for the Braves this season.
Bradley begins their 2022-23 campaign on Monday at the Wildcat Invitational hosted by Kansas State.
