The Arizona men’s golf team watched thunderstorms from the clubhouse while preparing to redeem a frustrating first round at Saturday’s Purdue Midwest Shootout in West Lafayette, Ind.
Inclement weather, however, shortened the tournament to 18 holes, leaving Arizona with a disappointing ninth-place finish.
“”Our damage was done, and we couldn’t make it up,”” said senior Creighton Honeck. “”I definitely think everyone’s mental attitude was down at that point, sitting around for an hour (waiting to play the second round).””
Arizona shot an 18-over 306, led by the two Australian freshmen, Andrew Kelly and Tarquin Macmanus. Kelly finished tied for 17th place with a 75 in his collegiate debut. Macmanus finished tied for 28th place overall with a 76, after finishing even-par on the back nine.
Honeck, who finished tied for 36th place overall with a 77, said a lackadaisical, overconfident first round created the deficit.
“”We really didn’t put so much emphasis on the first round that we needed to,”” Honeck said. “”We really needed to go out there and play well at the beginning. We just expected it to happen and come to us.””
Prior to the second-round cancellation, Honeck said the mood in the clubhouse was optimistic with a sense of eagerness in athletes to prove their potential after underachieving in the first round.
“”If it was a 36-hole tournament, our mental toughness would’ve gotten through those 36 holes,”” Honeck said. “”I really felt if we kept playing, we would’ve made up a ton of ground on the field.””
Bad weather affected the entire field but may have had a greater impact on teams without rain experience.
“”We don’t play in a lot of bad weather,”” Honeck said. “”It’s tough because we didn’t get to practice in it.””
Junior Tyler Neal finished tied for 46th place with a 78, and Roberto Galletti, a freshman transfer from UNLV, finished tied for 74th place with an 82.
The Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex is a tough, long course with a deep, 8-inch thick rough, unfamiliar to Tucson’s desert landscape, Honeck said. The Wildcats struggled to find the greens, resulting in a number of bogeys.
Honeck said Arizona must improve on keeping the ball in play, and hitting fairways and approach shots on the green.
“”Short game is just key to work on,”” Honeck said. “”We gotta make sure we get up and down, especially in tougher conditions like (on Saturday). We don’t do a whole lot of chipping out here just because of our conditions.””
Michigan won the invitational after a scoreboard tiebreaker over Bowling Green State. Both teams shot a five-over par 293. Kent State, Missouri, Purdue and Northern Illinois captured the top five spots.
Honeck said he expects the team to bounce back Saturday in the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate in Albuquerque, N.M.
Honeck said he expects the team to handle the familiar desert-style course.
“”Now that we have this one in our belt, we’re going to be a little more prepared out there and take care of business,”” he said.
