Tuesday, March 25
Napa, Calif. / Silverado Resort, North Course
12:30 PM
Central Michigan University
vs
Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational
Chippewa Golfers Close Book on 2025 Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational
3/25/2025 8:37:00 PM | Men's Golf
Central Michigan places 13th, Tohoku Fukushi University wins Tournament.
NAPA, Calif – Central Michigan's men's golf team concluded the Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational Tuesday at the Silverado Country Club in Napa, California. CMU golf finished 13th in the 14-team field.
CMU co-hosted the tournament for the second consecutive year alongside the Golf Coaches Association of America and the PGA TOUR Pathway to Progression.
Easton Phillips led the pack for the Chippewas, finishing in 41st with an even-par 72 in the final round, totaling a nine over-par 225. Phillips recorded three birdies in the final round, two on the final three holes of the front nine, and one on the 16th hole, a straight away 580-yard par five.
Keith Hunter rose 10 spots on the leaderboard over the final day, tying for 63rd, tallying 73 (+1) in the final round, and matching Phillips with three birdies. Hunter finished the tournament shooting 234 over three rounds.
"Some of it was mindset, some of it was hitting to the spots and sticking to the strategy we chose a little better," CMU Head Coach Kevin Jennings said of Hunter and Phillips's performance, "They were able to bring it together, and play a little better today."
Jeffrey Sager tied Hunter for 63rd at 234 and totaled 78 (+6) in the final round.
Jeffrey Andrus and Nicholas Kilgore rounded out the Chippewas team. Sager recorded 81 (+9) on the day to total 237 in the tournament and a 71st-place finish. Kilgore posted 82 (+10) for a 74th place finish with a 246 final score.
As a team, the Chippewas posted 304 to finish with a team score of 930 after a 323-stroke first round and a 303-stroke second round.
"All of us are at a place where we want to try to compete a little better and produce better scores. We're monitoring attitude, strategy, skills, and all the things that we can do to help. We're looking forward to the time when we all click at the same time, and those are going to be some grand days. Then once we do that to do it on a consistent basis."
The tournament's field boasted International Universities with Nihon University and Tohoku Fukushi University representing Japan. Additionally, four HBCUs were represented in North Carolina A&T, Florida A&M, Texas Southern, and Howard.
"This is a unique event because we involve international teams, we involve HBCUs, and we involve teams that do not fall in that category. Within that, we have international teams that are exceptionally competitive and ready to come over and play. We have some teams from the states that are ready to play. All these things help to elevate the profile of not only the men's golf program but the athletic department and the institution as a whole."
Tohoku Fukushi claimed both the team victory, edging out Santa Clara by six strokes, and the winning individual, with Koichiro Furuse shooting a ten-under 206 over three rounds to earn a Korn Ferry Tour exemption.
"We are very excited to grow this event. Next year's event is going to be more competitive. This helps us in many ways, it not only puts the guys in an environment where they understand and know what direction we're headed in to be more competitive, but it's always good seeing how it's done. This event is a high-level event, a very unique event, but it elevates everything we're doing and raises the bar for us competitively. It's a wonderful opportunity for us."
Chippewa men's golf will be back in action Saturday, April 5th, for the Kishwaukee Intercollegiate, hosted by fellow Mid-American Conference institution Northern Illinois in Dekalb, Ill. at the Kishwaukee Country Club.
CMU co-hosted the tournament for the second consecutive year alongside the Golf Coaches Association of America and the PGA TOUR Pathway to Progression.
Easton Phillips led the pack for the Chippewas, finishing in 41st with an even-par 72 in the final round, totaling a nine over-par 225. Phillips recorded three birdies in the final round, two on the final three holes of the front nine, and one on the 16th hole, a straight away 580-yard par five.
Keith Hunter rose 10 spots on the leaderboard over the final day, tying for 63rd, tallying 73 (+1) in the final round, and matching Phillips with three birdies. Hunter finished the tournament shooting 234 over three rounds.
"Some of it was mindset, some of it was hitting to the spots and sticking to the strategy we chose a little better," CMU Head Coach Kevin Jennings said of Hunter and Phillips's performance, "They were able to bring it together, and play a little better today."
Jeffrey Sager tied Hunter for 63rd at 234 and totaled 78 (+6) in the final round.
Jeffrey Andrus and Nicholas Kilgore rounded out the Chippewas team. Sager recorded 81 (+9) on the day to total 237 in the tournament and a 71st-place finish. Kilgore posted 82 (+10) for a 74th place finish with a 246 final score.
As a team, the Chippewas posted 304 to finish with a team score of 930 after a 323-stroke first round and a 303-stroke second round.
"All of us are at a place where we want to try to compete a little better and produce better scores. We're monitoring attitude, strategy, skills, and all the things that we can do to help. We're looking forward to the time when we all click at the same time, and those are going to be some grand days. Then once we do that to do it on a consistent basis."
The tournament's field boasted International Universities with Nihon University and Tohoku Fukushi University representing Japan. Additionally, four HBCUs were represented in North Carolina A&T, Florida A&M, Texas Southern, and Howard.
"This is a unique event because we involve international teams, we involve HBCUs, and we involve teams that do not fall in that category. Within that, we have international teams that are exceptionally competitive and ready to come over and play. We have some teams from the states that are ready to play. All these things help to elevate the profile of not only the men's golf program but the athletic department and the institution as a whole."
Tohoku Fukushi claimed both the team victory, edging out Santa Clara by six strokes, and the winning individual, with Koichiro Furuse shooting a ten-under 206 over three rounds to earn a Korn Ferry Tour exemption.
"We are very excited to grow this event. Next year's event is going to be more competitive. This helps us in many ways, it not only puts the guys in an environment where they understand and know what direction we're headed in to be more competitive, but it's always good seeing how it's done. This event is a high-level event, a very unique event, but it elevates everything we're doing and raises the bar for us competitively. It's a wonderful opportunity for us."
Chippewa men's golf will be back in action Saturday, April 5th, for the Kishwaukee Intercollegiate, hosted by fellow Mid-American Conference institution Northern Illinois in Dekalb, Ill. at the Kishwaukee Country Club.
Players Mentioned
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