Haiden Widener, Campus Carrier Asst. Sports Editor
The Berry men’s golf team hosted the Chick-fil-A Invitational on Monday and Tuesday. The team placed first on both days and took away the overall championship trophy.
Not only did the team finish in first place as a whole, but sophomore Ryan Elmore individually finished first as well. He had the low score of seven under par overall in the tournament.
“Personally I feel like I played well,” Elmore said. “It is always good to get a win personally, but it honestly would not mean nearly as much without the team winning.”
The next closest individual score was from LaGrange College with a two under par.
Berry was the only team to finish under par. The Vikings were 11 under par with a total score of 853. LaGrange College came in second at eight over par, with a total score of 872.
Three other Berry golfers placed in the top five. Senior Drew Kosko tied for third with another player from LaGrange College, and finished one under par with 215. Senior Tommy McCloskey tied for fourth place with a player from Piedmont College, with a total score of 216. Sophomore Eddy Black finished fifth at one over par with 217.
Berry players made up 18 of the total 71 participants in the invitational.
The team teed off between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. on both Monday and Tuesday. The weather was extremely cold both mornings, with temperatures around 35 degrees. But that did not affect their playing. Multiple players still shot under par in all three rounds.
Even though Berry golf doesn’t typically get to compete on their own course, they have had a very successful season while traveling to other tournaments.
“We have won three tournaments this season in our five starts this year compared to two wins during all of last year,” Elmore said.
The Vikings have finished first in two other tournaments as a team, the Rhodes Fall Classic and the Gordin Classic, and hope to continue their success through the remainder of their season.
In an interview with Sports Information, head coach Brian Farrer said, “The guys played great this week. This is a great way to end the fall season.”
Berry is currently ranked third in the nation for NCAA Division III golf and, according to Elmore, they are hoping for a national championship during the second half of their season this spring.
This past win for the Vikings will complete the fall portion of their season.
The Berry men’s golf team will kick off their spring season in March at the Callaway Gardens Collegiate Invitational at the Mountain View golf course in Pine Mountain, Ga.