The No. 6 ranked Grand Valley State University men’s golf team teed off on the road at the Ralph Hargett Memorial in Charlotte, North Carolina. The tournament was hosted by Wingate University from Monday, March 17 to Tuesday, March 18. GVSU placed third overall as a team, and one Laker was crowned individual champion.
The two days of golfing were split into three rounds, with rounds one and two both being played over the first day, and round three filling out the second day.
In round one, junior Charlie Cooley and graduate student Drew Coble led the Lakers, both shooting 69 (-3). Juniors Manuel Cue Vargas and Bryce Wheeler followed, both hitting even par with 72. Freshman Ryan Gallagher was close behind after hitting a 74 (+2).
Cue and Gallagher improved in the second round, carding a 67 (-5) and 70 (-2). Coble also had another impressive outing with a 70 (-2). Wheeler and Cooley closed out round two for the Lakers, carding 73 (+1) and a 76 (+4).
Ending a successful day one, GVSU held the lead, shooting rounds of 282 and 280, overall ending -14. Coble and Cue stood out throughout day one, both hitting 10 birdies, as well as being tied for third place and leading their team at five under par.
With one round left to play on day two, the Lakers held a four-stroke lead over second place.
Making five birdies and an eagle, as well as hitting a 68 (-4), Cue was able to jump two spots and finish with the best overall score of -9. This final round success won Cue the title of individual champion. Along with winning his second individual title of the season, Cue was awarded the GLIAC Conference Men’s Golfer of the Week.
“Manuel showed a lot of positive signs this week,” said head coach Gareth Lappin. “He got off to a slow start, but managed to keep his composure and stayed patient and he was rewarded. He is learning fast and there is no limit on how far Manuel can go this season.”
Coble was the next ranked Laker, tied at 13th after carding a 75 (+3) with three birdies, and finishing two under par. Tied for 26th place was Cooley, who finished his round with 73 (-1), hitting four birdies and an eagle. Wheeler followed, shooting a round of 74 (+2) and tying for 31st place. Wrapping things up for GVSU was Gallagher, who tied for 38th, carding a 76 (+4).
“As a team we are close,” said Coble. “We just have to put everything together for three solid rounds. Going forward, I think it is the same mentality, trying to clean everything up. We are just now getting to play outside in Michigan, so that will definitely help us build more confidence going forward.”
Lappin added that despite the team showing “good signs,” the Lakers still have a couple skills to work on.
“We need to continue working on our putting speed, and some guys have technical things to work on,” said Lappin.
Since this event was the 12th-straight top-five finish for the Lakers, the GVSU men’s golf team looks to continue their winning on the green at the Tennessee River Rumble in Lenoir City, Tennessee from Monday, March 24 through Tuesday, March 25.
“We are a very process-driven team and we treat each event the same,” explained Lappin. “Putting guys in high-pressure situations is the most important thing at this time of year to prepare us for championship play.”
