The men’s golf team at UW-Eau Claire competed in their first matches of the spring season on April 7 and 8 in Normal, Ill. at the Illinois Wesleyan Invitational.  

According to the Blugolds athletics schedule, this is the men’s golf team’s first time competing since Oct. 17, 2022. The team competed in a total of 12 days of matches before taking a five-month hiatus for spring.

Cole Jahnke, a fifth-year marketing student, said the team has put in a lot of work to stay competitive over their winter break from golf. 

“In spring you’re coming right out of a long winter for us, as most northern schools are,” Jahnke said. “In spring it’s more important to fall into routines quickly and get back into that competitive spirit.”

Darrin Skinner, the head coach of the men’s golf team, said the team hasn’t been able to get outside on a golf course before this invitational.

“We still have snow in Eau Claire, at least some of it, and there hasn’t been a golf course open yet, so we’ve been able to practice indoors. It was a solid start,” Skinner said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to capitalize on some of the golf we’ve been able to play.”

The Blugolds competed on April 7 against 37 other teams at Ironwood Golf Course. According to the recap page, the team ended the match in third overall. 

The team shot a collective 297 with five players playing 18 holes each. This left the team 10 strokes behind the first-place team.

Skinner said the team has a strong tradition and history of bringing strong players into the golf program, having won nationals in 2001.

“There’s just an expectation to be a competitive group of individuals and team,” Skinner said.

At 9 a.m. on April 8, the Blugolds played the final round of the Illinois Wesleyan Invitational at Weibring Golf Course for a new set of 18 holes.

According to the second day’s recap page, the Blugolds placed fifth overall, finishing 24 strokes over par as a team. The team shot a collective 299, adding up to a grand total of 596 strokes for the invitational.

The five competing golfers also ranked individually in the meet according to the final results page. Jahnke placed second overall, finishing four strokes behind the golfer in first.

Out of 214 golfers, Carson Brock tied for 13, Nick Amtmann tied for 28, Corey Boerner tied for 70 and Connor Brown tied for 104.

Jahnke said that the Blugolds’ competitiveness sets them apart from other teams, getting competitive during practices to push the team forward.

“We have a really good work ethic around practice. I think that is always something we can kind of fall back on,” Jahnke said. “We kind of always thrive on each other versus doing our own thing.”

According to the schedule, the men’s golf team’s next competition is at 8 a.m. on Monday, April 10 in Florence Alabama. They will compete at the Shoals Intercollegiate, hosted by Emory University. 

The matches will be played at the Robert Trent Jones Trail School Master Course and viewers can follow the men’s golf team at Blugold Game Day.

Fisher can be reached at [email protected].