The Milligan men’s and women’s golf teams recently played in the NAIA Direct Qualifier. The women came in first place with a total of 619 strokes on April 14 in Pine Mountain, GA in a two-day tournament. The men came in fifth place with a total of 915 strokes on April 21 in Acworth, GA in a two-day, three-round tournament.
The women scored an overall score of 305 on day one, which was a new record for them. They finished day two with a score of 319, defeating St. Andrews University by 32 strokes, with a combined score for day one, totalling 619. The Buffs had four women in the top 10 and five women in the top 20 out of 50 athletes.
Cassidy Gibson led the team on day one with a score of 76, and on the second day with a score of 75, combining for a total of 151 strokes, placing her in first place overall. Ann Sullivan and Madison Smith followed closely, by two strokes, giving them individual totals of 153 strokes, putting them in second place. Megan Gaylor finished with a total of 162 strokes, which tied for ninth place. Brittany Branker scored a total of 167 strokes, which tied for 18th.
“The girls had a terrific season. They were the best in the NAIA direct qualifier, and they were ranked 22 nationally,” stated Coach Tony Wallingford. “There are two girls in the top 100 nationally; Gibson is ranked 43 and Smith is ranked 80 individually. They also performed the best when it counted the most.”
The men had a bit of a tougher time. They scored an overall score of 915 strokes, placing them in fifth place overall. Round one had a score of 308 strokes, round two had a total of 301 strokes, round three had a score of 306 strokes, and the final score of 915 strokes was seven strokes behind third place. There was also an issue with the weather causing round two to be played half on the night of April 20, and the other half on the morning of April 21.
After round one, the men were in seventh place overall. At the end of round two, the men moved from seventh to sixth place. This was due to Cody Johnson’s score of 71 and Mitchell Sutton’s score of 75, which was 3-over-par. Sutton came in 22nd individually, with an overall score of 231 strokes. Johnson came in ninth individually with an overall score of 225 strokes.
“The men had a frustrating season,” said Wallingford. “They had great potential and some solid performances, but they couldn’t pull everything together in the tournament. There were no seniors in the line-up for Atlanta. The team was also ranked nationally at 26, which was just short of the top 25. Their competitive ability was magnificent.”
When asked about the whole team he stated, “The team was outstanding. They have a great work ethic. They are competitive. They improve continuously. They also need to get ready for next season.”
The women will be playing again May 12-15 in the NAIA national tournament.