TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Vincennes University golf team got their top two scorers back this weekend for the two-day Battle of the Woods tournament at Hulman Links in Terre Haute.
While they were still battling lingering injuries, the Trailblazers showed tremendous improvement on another tough course in windy conditions to come away with a third-place finish as a team.
The two-day, 36-hole tournament began Saturday morning with the first round and the Blazers looked to be in great shape after the first 18 holes of the tournament.
Freshmen Alex Nealis (Olney, Ill.) and Andy Clark got off to a great start, finishing the first round with a six-over 78, placing them in a tie for fifth on the individual leaderboard.
Sophomore Aaron Brink (Nashville, Ill.) returned to the course after an injury to shoot a first round 80, good for a tie for 10th after the first day.
Sophomore Preston Broce (Indianapolis, Ind.) also returned to the links after an injury and was ablet to come away with a first day 81 for a tie for 13th.
Freshman Xavier Brown (Franklin, Ind.) rounded out the VU golfers Saturday with an 89, putting him in a tie for 24th overall.
The Trailblazers looked to be well within striking distance of top spot on the team leaderboard, ending the first round with a team score of 317 in second place, nine shots out of first.
The Blazers returned to Hulman Links Sunday morning for the final round of the tournament and the windy conditions and injuries again looked to get the better of VU.
Preston Broce led the Blazers Sunday with an 80, giving him a tournament score of 161 and a tie for 5th place finish overall.
Broce tied with fellow VU sophomore Aaron Brink, who finished his round Sunday with an 81, giving him a tournament score of 161 as well.
Alex Nealis slid a little in the windy conditions, shooting an 84 on Sunday but was still able to place in the top-10 in a tie for 8th.
Andy Clark shot an 88 on Sunday, giving him a tournament score of 166 and a tie for 15, before the Blazers were rounded out by Xavier Brown, who had the biggest improvement from round one with an 86 on Sunday and a tournament score of 175 for a tie for 22nd place finish.
The Trailblazers as a team shot a 331 on Sunday, giving them a tournament total of 648 which was good for a third-place finish as a team.
"We were disappointed in the outcome of this tournament, as this was one we thought we could win," VU Hall of Fame Golf Coach Dennis Chattin said. "We have been beat up pretty badly in the first two tournaments figuratively and literally, with our top two scoring players out for a part or all of the first two tournaments on really tough golf courses in really tough conditions against primarily four-year schools. We knew we had an opportunity to really improve this tournament."
"We did get to play with the top scoring players, however Preston, who is our leading scorer, is still hampered with a shoulder injury which showed by his higher than normal scores," Chattin added. "The first round he was two under on the par 5's, which is very typical for him. But today I think the shoulder soreness wouldn't allow him to swing normally. He is a very long hitter and the par 5's are there for the taking for him but today he just couldn't hit the fairways."
"Granted the conditions were windy and Hulman Links is a tough golf course but for neither Preston nor Aaron to break 80 today is very unusual," Chattin said. "They still managed to tie for fifth in the tournament individually. Alex Nealis dropped six shots today from his 78 yesterday. We had the leaders in sight all day but faltered at the end."
Vincennes will look to rest up and get back to 100-percent before their next tournament, when the Blazers host the 2024 VU Invitational at Country Oaks in Montgomery.
The two-day tournament is set to begin Saturday, April 20, with the final round scheduled for Sunday, April 21.
"We may need a little rest but we have such a short spring season we will get back after it Tuesday after taking the day off tomorrow," Chattin said. "I told the team I know we are a better team than we have played thus far and I still believe we have a shot at being a top three team in the Region, which would advance us to the National Tournament."
TOURNAMENT RESULTS
TEAM RESULTS
VU (3rd) – 317, 331 – 648
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Preston Broce (T5) – 81, 80 – 161
Aaron Brink (T5) – 80, 81 – 161
Alex Nealis (T8) – 78, 84 – 162
Andy Clark (T15) – 78, 88 – 166
Xavier Brown (T22) – 89, 86 - 175
