Results
NEWTON, Kan. – The Wayland Baptist men's golf team secured its first tournament victory in 2½ years, and
Johannes Hounsgaard paced a foursome of Pioneers in the top 10 by winning the individual title at the Mid-South Classic.
The 11
th-ranked Pioneers followed up rounds of 290 and 281 with a 280 for a 13-under 851 total, a whopping 21 strokes over runner-up Oklahoma City University, ranked third in the NAIA.
"It was fun to fun to watch and good to see them play some really good golf," coach
Tom Harp said. "Today was a superb day for the team. It was really a team effort through the whole tournament. I was truly impressed with the guys. They've worked super hard and they handled themselves so well on the golf course."
It is Wayland's first win since finishing first at the Arbor Hotels Classic in Lubbock on March 6 and 7, 2017.
"It feels like it's been forever since we'd won a tournament, so for the guys to do that against these teams on this course says a lot," Harp said. "To see all five guys shoot under par on that golf course says a lot about them and the team."
Hounsgaard, a sophomore from Germany who won the Sooner Athletic Conference title last season as a freshman, led the way by shooting rounds of 71-69-69 for a 7-under 209. That was a solid four shots in front of OCU's David Meyers (70-72-71—213) and Nicolas Evangelio of 16
th-ranked Missouri Valley (69-71-73—213).
Hounsgaard's final round Tuesday featured an eagle on the par-5 fourth in addition to four birdies and three bogeys.
"I was really excited for Joe winning another individual tournament," Harp said. "Three rounds in a row under par is phenomenal."
WBU senior
Sentanio Minnie tied for fifth (74-71-71—216), while junior
Jake Craft (73-67-79—219) and sophomore
Joshua Smedema (72-78-69—216) wound up tied for 10
th. Craft was tied for the lead after Monday's 36 holes with Hounsgaard and two others. Smedema made a big final-round push with his 3-under 69, accomplished with three birdies and 15 pars.
"For Jake to shoot 5-under on that golf course is awesome. That's big for the team," Harp said.
Also for Wayland, senior
Sebastien Tremulot (78-74-71—223) ended on a strong note and tied for 23
rd, while freshman
Zane Welborn (73-80-82—235), playing as an individual, tied for 49
th in the field of 72 golfers.
"Sebastien was really upset with himself (Monday), but he played really well today," Harp said. "For Josh and Sebastien to both play like they did today was big. And Zane shooting 73 his first college round was good for him.
"We have a lot of good players. All of them are going down the right road and headed in the right direction."
Next up for the Pioneers will be an even bigger challenge, the Innisbrook Invitational hosted by the University of South Carolina-Beaufort. That event will play out Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at Innisbrook Golf Course in Palm Harbor, Fla.
"The guys are excited about going to Florida next week," Harp said. "We'll see a new bunch of teams that are all top-5 to top-10.
"I'm looking forward to the rest of the year."
