USF Men’s Golfers Prepare for Season with Strong Play in City Championship
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Five members of the University of Saint Francis Men's golf team competed in the recent Fort Wayne City Championship tournament and performed well, prompting strong optimism for the upcoming season.
All five players finished in the Top 50 of the 158-player field: freshman Bailey Marquart tied for 20th (74, 74, 76), junior Levi Follett tied for 26th (74, 74, 78), junior Wyatt Johnson tied for 31st (74, 74, 79) freshman Seth Roop tied for 44th (73, 78, 80) and senior Danny Kimes tied for 46th (78, 76, 77). The event was held Aug. 5, 6 and 7 at the Autumn Ridge Golf Course, one of the most challenging courses in Fort Wayne.
"The City Championship is a historic event in Fort Wayne, and I was happy to see five of our seven players competing," USF Coach Corey Potts said. "They have been working hard all summer, playing in tournaments and practicing, so getting out in this type of event is huge leading up to the season. It's always good to get those competitive juices going again before the season."
Since USF graduated two of its top five players from last season, Potts said he was encouraged to see freshmen Marquart and Roop perform well.
Kimes had shoulder surgery in the spring, so it was also promising to see him returning to form. "He has the ability to go under par on any given day and this tournament was a nice steppingstone to his recovery," Potts said. "Our juniors will be constant Top 5 performers this year and I know they are excited about the season based on this tournament's results."
Potts also believes the strong showing at the City Championship is a good indicator the players are ready for a successful season as a team.
"During the individual stroke play event, we had some really nice team scores," Potts said. "Autumn Ridge is one of the toughest courses in town and we managed to shoot team scores of 295, 298 and 310. Anytime your golf teams shoots in the low- to mid-290s, you have a chance to win the tournament. I'm extremely excited to get the guys back on campus and I'm looking forward to qualifying week, starting Aug. 22."
From left to right: Levi Follett, Wyatt Johnson, & Seth Roop
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