SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers didn't just take care of business on their home course at Springfield Country Club. They made a statement about the quality and depth of their team with a record-setting performance in a 14-stroke victory in the Rosencrans-Maurer Invitational.
Playing in what could only be described as perfect weather conditions throughout both days of the tournament, Wittenberg carded stunning rounds of 282 and 283 on the historic Donald Ross-designed course, which was playing par-72 and 6,708 yards. The Tigers broke the two-round school record in the process, posting a total score of 565, two strokes better than the 567 that set records in 2011 at the Denison Fall Classic at Granville Golf Course.
Relative to par, the 11-under score of 565 shattered the program record. The previous mark was established during the 2015 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championship Series #2, also at Springfield Country Club, when the Tigers went two-under-par with a score of 574.
Wittenberg won the 2016 Rosencrans-Maurer Invitational by 14 strokes over Otterbein, which carded outstanding rounds of 288 and 291. The Cardinals also boasted two of the best three individual finishes of the tournament, as Adam Crider won it with a 139 and Austin Wells, playing as an individual, checked in at 140.
Wittenberg freshman Isaac Hartley (Bellevue, Ohio/Bellevue) matched Wells with a 140 for his best finish as a collegian. Hartley, who finished seventh at the Emory Spring Invitational just a week earlier, turned in matching rounds of 70 to finish four-under-par for the tournament.
The scoring for Wittenberg was tremendous up and down the roster. The other scores that counted toward the team total included junior Garrett Brickley (Pickerington, Ohio/North) and freshman Colin Laszlo (Waipahu, Hawaii/Punahou) with matching totals of 141 to finish in a tie for fourth place, junior Mark David Wright (Westerville, Ohio/Tree of Life) in 10th with a 146, and senior Sam Geise (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) in 11th with a 147.
A total of 11 Tigers were entered in the tournament, and all of them finished in the top 30 out of 65 players in the field. Sophomore Brennan Whitis (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) posted his best collegiate finish with a 141, good for a fourth-place tie, freshman Cooper Taylor (Superior, Col./Monarch) was next in eighth with a 144, junior Sam Stilwell (Sterling, Va./Dominion) placed ninth with a 145, sophomore Maxim Boone (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) and freshman Chris Eigner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) tied for 16th with matching scores of 149, and senior JP Holliday (Calgary, Alberta/Central Memorial) rounded things out in 30th with a 154.
The Rosencrans-Maurer Invitational is named for two of the finest men's golf coaches in Wittenberg history. Bob Rosencrans and Dave Maurer, also two of the finest football coaches ever to roam the sidelines at Wittenberg, both enjoyed extended runs of success leading the Tigers on the links from the early 1970s through the early 1990s.
The Tigers head into the 2016 NCAC Championship Series with plenty of momentum. Wittenberg will shoot for its seventh straight league title over four rounds and two weekends, starting at Hiram on April 23-24 and finishing at Wooster on April 30-May 1.
Written By: Ryan Maurer