The Lawrence University golf team had a decent showing this past weekend at the Ripon Invitational, shooting for a total of 334 strokes on the first day and 328 on the second for a total of 662. The team came in 10th place out of the 16 teams present.
The standout player for the tournament was freshman John Pechan, who shot for a double eagle — three under par — on the first day and for par — 72 — on the second day for a total stroke count of 141.
Pechan’s performance on the first day tied him for first place at the competition, and his performance on the second kept him as one of the best performers of the weekend, finishing third. Concerning his performance at the Invitational, Pechan modestly said, “I played okay.”
“I struck the ball quite well. However, my putting brought me down,” he commented. “All three of my bogies came from putts.”
Despite this feeling, Pechan said that it was a “satisfying weekend” considering it has been a while since the team has competed in a tournament, and that he looks forward to improving as the season progresses and “shooting in the 60s more often.”
Head Men’s Golf Coach Kalle Larsson was extremely happy with Pechan’s performance at Ripon, saying that the freshman “stole the show” after the first day of competition.
“I love the way Pechan competes,” said Larsson. “He wants to win and does not back down from any challenge.”
The rest of the team also had a good showing this weekend, considering the time spent away from tournament play. Senior John Mays shot for a total stroke count of 169, freshman Nathan Fearing for 174 and junior Zach Joseph for 168.
Pechan noted that the team did much better on the second day of competition.
“For most of the guys it was the first time they were able to get on a course in a while due to the weather, school and other commitments,” said Pechan. “I think as the year continues we will all be posting better scores.”
Larsson noted that the “overwhelming response” from the team after this tournament was the need for more practice time “with a strong focus on chipping and putting.”
However, Larsson said he was optimistic about heading to events at Beloit and Carroll this coming weekend. Said Larsson, “With good weather ahead and our home course opening soon, I think the team will continue to score better and better.”