University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
MVC Championship
UNI Men Finish 2nd at MVC Tourney, Best Since 2002
4/28/2015 1:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. -- The University of Northern Iowa men's golf team finished in a tie for second place at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at The Club at Porto Cima in Lake of the Ozarks on Tuesday. The Panthers shot a three-round total of 901 (298-296-307) strokes, tying Southern Illinois.
"I'm extremely proud of the way our guys played," said head coach John Bermel. "It's definitely more fun to be able to come home with some hardware."
The second-place finish is the best team finish for UNI since 2002. It is also the first time since 1996 there was a tie for second place at the conference tournament, and only the third since 1969.
Kyle Driscoll led the team in scoring, shooting a total of 217 (69-75-73) strokes and finished in fourth place. Driscoll was one of four players to post a round in the sixties, and the only player in the field outside of Wichita State to do so. Driscoll was named to the All-MVC team following the event.
In the final round, Driscoll started slow in the first six holes, shooting two-over, but picked it up in his final 12 holes. He birdied the seventh hole, and had an eagle on the 13th hole. Driscoll led the field in par-3 scoring and was the only player in the field that was under-par on the par-3 holes. He also led the team in pars and was sixth in the field in pars (34).
Finishing tied for 16th place was Glenn Walls, who shot a three-round score of 226 (78-70-78). Walls shot two consecutive three-over 39's on the front and back nine to get to six-over in the final round. The highlight of his day came at par-5 number 13. After a big drive, Walls went for the green but hit over into the rough, then chipped in for an eagle.
Walls led the team in par-5 scoring, shooting them at two-under and averaging 4.83 strokes. He was one of 10 players in the field who shot under-par on the par-5's holes.
Jacob Bermel finished in a tie for 19th place after shooting a three-round total of 227 strokes. He was extremely consistent throughout the weekend, scoring a 75 on the first day and two 76's in the final two rounds. During the final round, Bermel was three-over after the front nine, and then posted three birdies on the back to finish one-over on the back nine.
Bermel was second on the team in par-4 scoring, shooting them at four-over and averaged 4.17 strokes.
Dustin Atkinson tied for 29th place, after shooting 232 (77-75-80) strokes. Atkinson bounced back well on the back nine after shooting a six-over on the front nine in the final round. He shot a two-over on the back-nine, including a birdie on the 13th hole. Atkinson finished second on the team in par-3 scoring, playing them at two-over.
Finishing in a tie for 36th place, Eric Sikkema finished with a three-round total of 238 (77-79-82) strokes. Sikkema played well in his last five holes of his final round, shooting at one-under after a birdie on par-3 hole 16.
Wichita State took home the team championship and WSU's Louis Cohen Boyer won the individual championship.
Players Mentioned
