Led by a career-best round from sophomore Mitchell Wittmann (Kaukauna, Wis./Kaukauna), the Valparaiso University men’s golf team finished out competition at the Ram Masters Invitational on Tuesday, hosted by Colorado State at Fort Collins C.C. in Fort Collins, Colo.

How It Happened

• Wittmann bettered his career-low round at Valpo by two strokes, shooting a one-under 69 on Tuesday. He finished the three-round event with a 54-hole score of 216, good for a tie for 21st position.
• Senior Peter Webb (Madison, Wis./James Madison Memorial) closed out the tournament with his second consecutive strong round, carding a 70 on Tuesday to finish in a tie for 46th at 221.
• Junior Zach Cutler (O’Fallon, Mo./Timberland) finished out the tournament at 224, while freshman Ross Lazar (Okemos, Mich./Okemos) closed with a three-round total of 230. Junior Michael Doherty (Lisle, Ill./Naperville North) rounded out the Crusader squad with a final score of 242.
• The Crusaders posted a team score of 296 on Tuesday and finished the tournament with a three-round total of 886, tied for 13th out of the 18-team field. Valpo was just seven strokes out of 11th position.

Inside the Round

• Wittmann finished the final round with a team-high four birdies, while recording just one bogey and one double-bogey. Webb tallied three birdies against three bogeys for his even-par round, while Lazar tallied Valpo’s lone eagle of the day.
• As a team, the Crusaders tallied 161 pars for the tournament, just one off the tournament high. Wittmann finished with 40 pars over the three rounds, tied for the individual tournament best.
• Webb closed out the tournament even-par on the par-3’s, one of just 10 competitors to shoot par or better on the course’s shortest holes.

Thoughts From Head Coach David Gring

“Our shot execution simply wasn’t there today and we missed a number of opportunities to capitalize during the round. The greens are challenging, and you have to hit to the correct part of the green and correct side of the hole or it’s going to be difficult.”

“Mitch hit 14 greens in regulation today and played very solid from tee to green. He really battled out there and gave us three steady rounds. The pin placements were really tough today, but he did well to keep the ball below the hole and gave himself a number of good looks for birdie.”

“Pete bounced back well from his opening round, shooting 2-under par for the last 36 holes. He stayed focused the last two rounds and played smart on the challenging golf course.”

“We’ve had four tournaments already this fall. We will look forward to a couple of weeks of good practice and playing some other courses prior to our tournament at Marquette.”

Next Up

The Crusaders take a week off from competition before returning to action on Monday, Oct. 2 at the Marquette Invitational.