Despite cold and windy weather, the Red Raider men’s golf team grinded out a stellar performance at the 2022 Red Raider Cup on April 16 at Landsmeer Golf Club in Orange City. The Raiders’ varsity team finished tied for second with Iowa Western Community College thanks to a season-low team score of 281. The junior varsity squad earned fourth place after securing a team score of 289.
“It was extremely cold, and the wind was a big factor,” said freshman Jackson Laven. “Our team kept our cool and did our thing. We battled well.”
The Raiders’ lowest score came from junior Trenton De Haan, who finished three strokes under par with a score of 68. This was good enough for De Haan, to end in third place. Other Raiders that completed the tournament with scores below par included juniors Brock Murphy and Ezra Meyer and sophomore Kyle Christy. After witnessing the outstanding showings from his teammates, Murphy claims that the key to his team’s success was being able to stay mentally sharp.
“One thing that our team did really well was that we came ready to play. It could have been really easy for us to give in to the cold weather, but we went out and battled and had a great day,” said Murphy. “Our mental toughness as a group has always been a strength of ours.”
However, as the Raiders near the end of their season, they can make some adjustments that will help them finish their year on a high note.
“One thing we can improve on is that we could think our way around the golf course a little better as a whole group,” said Murphy. “Knowing where to miss it and putting ourselves in okay positions when getting out of position is something that we can always improve on.”
The Raiders will be back in action on April 22 and 23 at The Bluffs Golf Course in Vermillion, South Dakota for the GPAC Championships.
“With the GPAC tournament coming up soon, it is important to be positive and confident in our team’s ability,” said Laven. “We can’t dwell on the little things because it does no good.”Golf
