It’s been a good couple weeks for Luke Cote and Carter Bell at Southern Arkansas University (SAU).
On March 16 and 17 in Edmond, Oklahoma at the Oak Tree Country Club, Cote, the reigning Saskatchewan amateur men’s champion posted a tie for sixth to lead the Mueriders. Cote shot rounds of 71 and 75 to finish five shots behind the winner. Bell shot 77 and 79 at the event, the Saskatoon product was tied for 52nd.
Will Blake of Regina was competing as an individual in the event; he opened with an 87 before moving up 16 spots on the leaderboard on day two with a 77. He finished tied for 82nd.
The performance earned Cote the Great American Conference Golfer of the Week. SAU was ninth out of 18 teams in the event.
The Muleriders then travelled back to home for the Arkansas Collegiate at Mystic Creek Golf Club in El Dorado on March 23 and 24.
Bell took his turn to lead the Muleriders to second place finish in their host event with a tie for sixth, is career collegiate best. The Riverside Country Club member shot 78, 76, and 77 for a solid 54-hole score of 231.
Cote tied for 49th at 246 (79,85,82), Blake competed as an individual again and placed 76th with rounds of 86, 96, and 85.
The Muleriders will be in Mayetta, Kansas on April 6 and 7 for the Firekeeper Open at Firekeeper Golf Course.
Alex Swinnerton and Guillermo Salazar started their spring season with Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) this week in Blacksburg, Virginia at Blacksburg Golf Club after a postponement from March 16.
Swinnerton opened his final collegiate season with a tie for third to leading the Crimson Hawks to a second place finish. The Saskatoon product shot 76 in round one and followed that with back-to-back 72’s to place just three shots of the pace.
Salazar played well too tying for ninth. The Calgary native and Waskesiu junior graduate went 79, 71, 74 over the course of the tournament.
Next up is the Trevecca Music City Invitational in old Hickory, Tennessee on March 30 and 31.
Reigning Saskatchewan amateur women’s champion Chloe Wills has had a busy stretch in the second half of March. The Drury Panthers were in Bolivar, Missouri on March 16 and 17 for the Midwest Intercollegiate Invitational at Silo Ridge Country Club. The Kyle product tied for 27th at 169 (86, 83). Drury had two teams in the event, the ‘A’ team with Wills on it was seventh I the field.
Wills and the Panthers loaded up and headed to Hollister, Missouri for the Ozarks National Invitational at Ozarks National Golf Course on March 23 and 24. In the 54 hole event Wills posted rounds of 78, 84, and 70 to tie for 49th. Her team was 14th.
The Panthers will regroup and travel to Bolingbrook, Illinois for the Flyers Spring Invite on March 30 and 31. A field that should include Saskatoon’s Sarah Henderson as well.
Nipawin’s Cole Taylor and the Park University Buccaneers were in Enid, Oklahoma for the Oakwood Collegiate on March 23 and 24 at Oakwood Country Club. He started with an 80 in round before shooting a 74 in round two and another lower round of 72 in the third round. The Evergreen Golf Course staffer placed 41st in the event. The Bucs were 12th out of 18 teams in the tournament.
Park will be in Lompoc, California on April 20 to 22 for the GSAC Conference Championships for their next action.
The University of Victoria Vikes with Martensville’s Myles Johnson were in Bullhead City, Arizona for The Battle at Laughlin Ranch Golf Club. Johnson also improved every round starting with an 89, before posting an 82 in round two, and 75 in the final round. He was 93rd in the event. The Vikes struggled to a 20th place team finish.
Victoria will return to Canada for the BC Match Play Championship on March 29 to 31 in Chilliwack, British Columbia.
At the Greystone Golf Club in Dickson, Tennessee on March 23 and 24, Saskatoon’s Chase Pochylko and the Nicholls University Colonels were in action at the Austin Peay Intercollegiate. Pochylko carded a pair of rounds of 78 before closing with a 72 in round three to move up 10 spots in round three tying for 59th.
The Colonels were tied for 10th as a team in a field of 16 NCAA Division 1 schools. Nicholls is slated to be in Semmes, Alabama at Magnolia Grove for the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate on March 30 and 31.
Swift Current’s Makstyr McIntyre was in California, Pennsylvania for the Cal-U Invitational competing as an individual for Wheeling University. The Elmwood Golf Club member shot 80 and 75 at Lone Pine Country Club leaving him in a tie for 26th overall out of 70 players.
McIntyre’s Wheeling teammates were among a four school tie for second three shots behind the winning team. The MEC Spring Classic in Wheeling, West Virginia is next for the Cardinals on April 7 and 8.
Cameron Schwab of Maple Creek was in Smithville, Missouri for the NSIC Conference Preview competing with the Minot State University (MSU) Beavers at Paradise Pointe Golf Club on March 23 and 24. He shot 84 and 78 for an 86th place finish. MSU was 14th as a squad.
On April 13 and 14 the Beavers are scheduled to be in Rapid City, South Dakota for the Texas Roadhouse Spring Invitational at The Golf Club at Red Rock.
It was a smaller field of 23 players, but Saskatoon’s Justin Miller found himself at the top of the leaderboard at the Mozingo Preview at Mozingo Lake Golf Course in Maryville, Missouri on March 20. Miller, who at Southwestern Community College shot 4-under par, 68 to win the event by a shot.
The Spartans will return to Mozingo for the Graceland University Invitational on March 27 and 28.
Anthony Pesenti has his first spring event of the season under his belt. The Saskatoon product played as an individual at the Central Methodist Invitational on March 23 and 24 at Hail Ridge Golf Course in Boonville, Missouri. The Riverside Country Club member had no score for round one but was able to play in round two and carded an 83.
Pesenti’s Waldorf University teammates were seventh overall as a team. The Warriors will also be in Maryville, Missouri for the Graceland Invitational on March 27 and 28.