SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Trailblazer sophomore Bryce Kirchner qualified for the NJCAA Division II Golf National Championships Tuesday after he shot a three-round 224 at Panther Creek Country Club in Springfield.
VU as a team finished in a tie for sixth with Lincoln Trail and three shots out of fifth place with a team score of 934.
The short-handed Blazers began the two-day event with 36 holes on Monday. Vincennes only had four active players as Brock Craney and Noah Crays both were not able to compete.
VU started the tournament on a good note, with Kirchner leading the way with a 76, with Matt Jordan following close behind with a 77 and Jackson Roberts and Cole Parmer shooting an 80 and 81 respectively.
The Trailblazers closed out Monday with an impressive team round of 302 as Matt Jordan took six shots off his first-round score to shoot a 71. Kirchner had a 74, Roberts 77 and Parmer 80.
"We had a good showing in the first two rounds Monday," VU golf coach Dennis Chattin said. "That was the two best rounds we've put together this season and we did it with only four players."
"Matt continued to play well. He had a tough stretch on the back nine of the first round but really played well the other 27 holes. To shoot five over the first round and then come back with a one under 71, knowing he needed a good score to put himself in contention to qualify for Nationals was huge."
"Bryce shooting a four over then a plus two 74 was a gutsy performance. He had it three under at one point but gave up some strokes coming in. He has been struggling with his putting some, so it was really good to see him playing with confidence again."
The final day of the event saw the VU golfers dealing with rain. Kirchner finished the tournament with a final round 74. Jordan shot a 77, Parmer continued to improve with a 79 and Roberts finished with an 88.
"Overall we had a good tournament considering we were playing a man short," Chattin added. "We had our three best rounds of the season back-to-back."
"The real plus was Bryce Kirchner qualifying as an individual for the National Championships. Bryce is really deserving of getting to play in the championship with the work he puts in. He takes it seriously and really hung tough in the final round."
"He was two shots outside of qualifying after the first two rounds and shot a 74 in the rain. That's just being focused. There was a three-man playoff for two spots and after hitting a bad tee shot, he hung in and almost chipped in, hitting the pin on his third shot. Everyone was standing behind the green and it was that TV moment of the crowd letting out a big groan when it hit the pin but didn't fall."
"Matt had a good tournament as well, missing the playoff by one shot. He had a double bogey on a par five coming in, which really hurt. Matt is a long hitter and for him to do that on a par five, where he normally gains the advantage, I'm sure was really tough on him to handle."
"But he was happy for Bryce. They are friends and I just hate it for them that they both couldn't have gone. Matt has had a great career for us and we will really miss him. Guys like that are hard to replace."
Bryce Kirchner advances to represent the Blue and Gold at the NJCAA Division II National Championships starting Tuesday May 18 and running through Friday May 21 at Swan Lake Resort in Plymouth, Ind.
TEAM RESULTS
Parkland – (287, 286, 293) – 866
Rend Lake – (298, 296, 309) – 903
Heartland – (295, 294, 317) – 906
Danville Area – (294, 301, 322) – 917
Illinois Central – (315, 305, 311) – 931
Vincennes – (314, 302, 318) – 934
Lincoln Trail – (301, 316, 317) – 934
Lewis & Clark – (325, 339, 354) – 1018
VINCENNES RESULTS
Bryce Kirchner – (76, 74, 74) – 224
Matt Jordan – (77, 71, 77) – 225
Cole Parmer – (81, 80, 79) – 240
Jackson Roberts – (80, 77, 80) – 245