Men's Golf Sets 3 Program Records at Arkansas State

Tuesday, October 3

Jonesboro, Ark. (RidgePointe C.C.)

9 a.m.

Central Michigan University

Bubba Barnett Intercollegiate

Coach Kevin Jennings (right) led the Central Michigan men's golf team to 18-, 36- and 54-hole scoring records this week at the Bubba Barnett Intercollegiate in Jonesboro, Ark. Sophomore Easton Phillips (left) posted a career-best 2-under 70 in the opening round of the tournament.

Photo by: Brian Blalock

10/3/2023 9:33:00 PM | Men's Golf

Team-by-Team Player Scores Leaderboard

CMU sets 18-, 36-, and 54-hole marks; Yturralde shoots a 1-under 71 to lead CMU in final round

By: Andy Sneddon

JONESBORO, Ark. – More steps in the right direction and some confidence building for the Central Michigan men's golf team.

The Chippewas on Tuesday closed the Arkansas State Bubba Barnett Intercollegiate with a 295 team score for a program-record 875 54-hole total at RidgePointe Country Club. Their first-round 289 and their 36-hole 580 are both records for the second-year program.

"We're moving in a good direction, learning and continuing to elevate what we're doing," coach Kevin Jennings said. "Those are strides toward improvement and elevating our program that the entire team undertook."

The Chippewas finished 12^th in the 16-team field. Host Arkansas State won the event with an 817 team score, 13 ahead of runner-up Memphis.

Philippe Yturralde closed with a 1-under par 71 to lead CMU on Tuesday. The sophomore opened with a 2-under 70 and then posted a second-round 74. He finished tied for 32^nd with a 215 total.

Freshman Trey Rusthoven shot 74 on Tuesday, while CMU's Easton Phillips and Arie Jackman both shot 75. Phillips finished among a group tied for 47^th with a 218 total; Rusthoven finished at 220 and tied for 53^rd; and Jackman tied for 64^th with a 223 total. The field comprised 88 players.

CMU's Jeffrey Andrus shot 81 on Tuesday and finished at 233.

Playing in just his third collegiate tournament, Rusthoven opened with a 3-over 75 and then posted a 1-under 71 in the second round. It was his first sub-par round as a collegian and his 220 finish was 17 shots better than his previous best 54-hole total as a Chippewa.

Rusthoven played the course's par 3s at 4-under with a 2.67 scoring average, leading the field both categories.

"He's doing precisely what we intended and/or thought that he would do," Jennings said of Rusthoven. "I don't feel as though he's had a tough couple of weeks because he's learned; he's doing what we want him to do and he's heading in the direction that we want him to go.

"That buy-in requires a little bit of transition time. He's doing well, transitioning well, and we're looking forward to more great things from him and the rest of the team."

The Chippewas' opening 289 was one shot better than their previous low 18-hole round, a 290 they posted in the first round last week at the Miami (Ohio)-Bowling Green-hosted Virtues Intercollegiate.

Their 36-hole 580 topped the 582 they posted at that same tournament and their 875 54-hole eclipsed their previous best, an 882 that they recorded a year ago at the Joe Feaganes Marshall Invitational.

The Chippewas will next head to The Carolina Cup, hosted by USC Upstate, in Spartanburg, S.C. the 54-hole event is scheduled to begin on Sunday, Oct. 8.

The Carolina Cup format is a departure from the norm and will be contested with three 18-hole rounds over three consecutive days. Typically, tournaments are played over two days, with 36 holes on the first day and 18 on the final day.

The Mid-American Conference Championship in the spring is played under the 18-18-18 format.

"You can't win a golf tournament the first day, but you can sure lose it," Jennings said. "We're learning to position ourselves so that we can continue to learn and elevate and have some great things happen for us in the future. That's our main goal (next week), learn to position ourselves."