Golf continues fall season with field-low 11th-placed finish at Bluejay Invitational

By Cassandra Ercoli, Sports Reporter

Junior Mikey Takacs shot a final round score of 74 (+2) to snag a tie for 39th as the Griffs claimed 11th at the Bluejay Invitational hosted by Creighton in Omaha, Nebraska. 

Takacs, a native of Iowa City, Iowa, began his first round with a three-over par 75 before finishing the day with a score of 73 to sit at 33rd after day one. Takacs’ tie for 39th was the team’s best placement of the tournament and the junior’s second consecutive team-leading finish. 

Fellow junior Jake Dantonio began his tournament with a first round score of +5 (77) before recording the team’s only even-par score in the second round. His performance consisted of 5 birdies before falling from 42nd to 57th after a closing round score of 79. 

Freshman Cole Thomson began his second collegiate outing with a one-over par 73. Thomson remained consistent at the end of day one with a second-round score of 75 before shooting his tournament low of 81 (+9) in the final round. The freshman finished right below Dantonio in a tie for 58th.

The Griffs’ Midwest trip posted similar scores to the team’s first outing just over a week ago at Colgate. Although a different course, the Seven Oaks Golf Course in Hamilton, NY also called for a score of 72 for even par. Takacs posted the same score in both tournaments (+6), while Dantonio was the only team member to improve at the Bluejay Invitational, bettering his score by three strokes in this week’s outing. 

In the team event, North Dakota State posted scores of 281, 282 and 284 to claim the title. The lowest team cumulative score in a single round belonged to host Creighton in the final round with a score of 276. The Bluejays finished in a tie for second with St. Thomas with a combined score of 853 (-11). 

The individual title, however, belonged to Creighton senior Grant Feldman. The Bluejay carded 7 birdies in his opening round for a score of 67 (-5) before performing back-to-back two-under par rounds en route to the top of the podium. Northern Colorado’s Cooper Tate and North Dakota State’s Jake Skarperud rounded out the top three, posting scores of -8 and -6 respectively.

The Blue and Gold are back on the greens on Sept. 24 when they tee off against regional rivals St. Bonaventure and Niagara at the Little Three Championship, hosted by the Purple Eagles in Youngstown, NY.

Photo Courtesy of Tom Wolf.