The Wildcat golf team returned from the Oklahoma Collegiate tournament in Lawton with their first win of the season, with Alex Carpenter bringing home an individual title.
“It was probably the best tournament we have ever played as a team,” said Carpenter
Carpenter, a sophomore, led the Wildcats to the team title by two strokes over the University of Central Oklahoma and tied for first place with Central Oklahoma’s Josh Creel. Creel and Carpenter both shot 202.
The second day of the tournament separated Carpenter from the rest of the pack. In the second round, Carpenter shot his best round ever for ACU, a 64. The win is his fifth in an ACU uniform, the most of any golfer on the team.
Carpenter could have won the title outright, but he had to settle for a tie after a double bogey on the final hole. Both Carpenter and Creel wanted to play a tie breaking hole to decide a winner, but officials chose to award the title to the two golfers for their outstanding play.
Defending Division II National Champion Cyril Bouniol finished only one stroke behind his Wildcat teammate for a third place tie. U.S. Amateur participant Tyler Sheppard also continued his hot play, finishing sixth with a 205.
“It feels great to win anytime, but especially early in the season,” Sheppard said. “That just increases everyones confidence and makes it that much easier to win the second.”
The Wildcats showed the balance and depth of their squad with all five golfers finishing in the top 25. Rounding ACU’s lineup were Kyle Dickinson and Trey Sullivan. Dickinson shot even par for the tournament and was 16th, and Sullivan squeaked into 25th place at three over.
“It’s a huge advantage to have a deep team,” Carpenter said. “What kept us from going further in the playoffs last year was that we didn’t have that good fifth guy. This year we have that, and it showed with a 17 under first round, 14 under second round and a four under fourth.”
In three weeks the Wildcats will travel to Muscle Shoals, Ala., to compete at the Shoals Golf Club in the Division II National Championship Preview.
Only teams that the NCAA thinks may make it to the National Championship are invited to play in the exhibition style tournament.
“It’s just a chance for the best teams in the nation to see their competition and see where they stack up at this point in the year,” Carpenter said. “It is an honor to get invited, and I am looking forward to it.”