OWASSO, Okla. – Fort Hays State men's golf placed fifth at the Hillcat Classic, hosted by Rogers State University at Bailey Ranch Golf Club, a par-72 course. Jackson Rader and Bryce Cowan turned in top-10 finishes, Rader in seventh alone and Cowan in a tie for eighth.
Rader had a dramatic turnaround from a first-round 81, shooting a 3-under par 69 in the second round. His round of 69, which consisted of five birdies, two bogeys, and 11 pars, tied for third-lowest in the tournament. Rader led the Tigers in birdies for the week with nine. He finished with a 74 in the final round to shoot 224 (+8) overall.
Cowan shot a 6-over par 78 to open the tournament before backing that with an even-par second round of 72. He closed out the tournament on Tuesday with a 3-over par round of 75 for a total of 225. Cowan had seven birdies for the week.
Parker Krob finished third among FHSU players in a tie for 37th overall. He shot 78 and then a 1-over par 73, but struggled in the final round with an 86 to finish with a total of 237. Krob like Cowan, had seven birdies for the week. Dustin Nichols tied for 41st with rounds of 82, 75 and 83 (240). Tanner Copeland figured into the team scoring for the Tigers in the final round with an 84. Prior to that, he had rounds of 85 and 79 to finish with 248 and a tie for 48th. Caleb Humble also competed for FHSU shooting 90 and 86 before withdrawing from the third round with an injury.
The Tigers shot 319, 289, and 316 as a team for a total of 924 to finish in fifth. The 289 in the second round was the best team round by the Tigers in three years, which helped them move from eighth after the first round to third after the second round. Rogers State won the tournament at 871, followed by Union University (Tenn.) with 885 and Missouri Southern with 906.
The Tigers return to action in two weeks (Mar. 28-29) at the NSIC Conference Preview Invitational to be held in Blue Springs, Mo. at Adams Pointe Golf Club.