The only thing more ideal than Tuesday’s weather was Butler’s golf game.
Senior Michelle Nash captured medalist honors while leading the Butler women to a team championship in the Butler Fall Golf Invitational. The win marked the squad’s third tournament victory in as many tries.
The Bulldogs entered the final day of competition with a 13-stroke lead over Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. The Jaguars played catch-up, shooting a tournament-best 287 in the final round of play.
Photo by Rachel Anderson
IUPUI, led by junior Jordan Essman, finished second, four strokes behind host Butler.
Essman closed out the tournament tied with Nash as both players shot identical first and second rounds, finishing with overall scores of 142. Nash, one of five Bulldogs to finish in the top 20, captured medalist honors in a playoff against Essman.
Junior Julia Porter and freshman Isabella Lambert finished tied for fifth and seventh, respectively. Freshman Jenna Peters finished tied for 12th, and senior Clare Cornelius tied for 17th.
On the men’s side, junior Andrew Wegeng also captured medalist honors and paced Butler’s men’s squad en route to a second place team finish behind IUPUI.
During Monday’s second round, Wegeng shot a school-record 65. He shot an even-par 70 in the final round to finish one stroke ahead of Eastern Illinois senior David Lawrence.
“Andrew [Wegeng] has been knocking on the door for a few years,” Butler head coach Bill Mattingly said. “He has worked hard, especially on his short game, to get to where he is.”
The Bulldogs entered Tuesday’s final round with an 11-stroke lead over eventual winner IUPUI. Three Jaguars shot under par to lead IUPUI to a tournament-best 273 in the final round. The Jaguars finished four strokes ahead of host Butler.
Four Bulldogs finished in the top 20, including junior Matt Vitale, who finished with an overall score of 216, one stroke ahead of senior teammate Jordan Mack. Senior Alex Walker finished with a final score of 218.
Photo by Rachel Anderson
The men will get a week off before resuming play Oct. 17 at the Dayton Fall Invitational in Dayton, Ohio.
“There is always room for improvement in golf,” Wegeng said. “We beat a lot of good teams in this tournament and gained some confidence. I think we will progress really well.”
The Butler women will be in action this weekend as part of the MAC Preview in Indianapolis.
