BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. – Fort Hays State Men's Golf finished fifth, while Tanner Copeland jumped 20 spots into a Top-10 finish at the NSIC Spring Preview Invitational on Tuesday. Copeland tied for ninth individually. The tournament took place at Adams Pointe Golf Club, a par-72 layout.
The Tigers sat in a tie for fifth after day one of competition with Bemidji State, shooting 306 (+18) as a team. They made a big improvement on Tuesday shooting just 7-over par as a team with a 295 and finished fifth alone. It was the team's second-best round total of the season. Tanner Copeland, Jackson Rader, and Dustin Nichols had a big part in the day-two improvement. Copeland shot a 1-under par 71, which was career best and was one of five under par rounds for the tournament. Rader shot a 1-over 73 and Nichols shot a 2-over 74, while Bryce Cowan and Parker Krob each shot 77 (+5).
The Tigers were very much in the team race to finish in the top three. They were only four strokes back of second-place Rockhurst, three back of third-place Drury, and three back of fourth-place Winona State.
Copeland's 71 following a 77 to open the tournament vaulted him from 29th to a tie for 9th in the individual standings at 148 total. Cowan slipped from a tie for fifth after an opening round 73 to a tie for 15th with a total of 150. Rader's second-round 73 followed an opening round 77 for a 150 total, tying Cowan for 15th. Nichols had a big improvement from a first-round 82 with a 74 and Parker Krob shot rounds of 79 and 77, tying both for 45th at 156.
Rogers State, ranked 14th nationally, won the team title by 17 strokes, shooting just 4-over par as a team through two rounds. Luke Palmowski of Rogers State ran away with the tournament individually finishing at 5-under par overall. He shot 5-under in the first round to hold a one-stroke lead going into the second round, which expanded to a five-stroke win by the end of the tournament.
The Tigers return to action on April 4-5 at The Mule, hosted by the University of Central Missouri at Mules National Golf Club in Warrensburg, Mo.