A pair of seniors led the way for the Valparaiso University men's golf team this week at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational, hosted by Colorado at the par-72, 7787-yard Colorado National Golf Club. Several players finished up the tail end of Round 2 and then the full squad played the third and final round on Tuesday. Senior Sam Booth (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) had the team's top score in two of the three rounds, while classmate Anthony Delisanti (Sanborn, N.Y. / Niagara Wheatfield) finished with the team's best 54-hole tournament score.
 
How It Happened

• Booth led the team with an even-par 72 in Tuesday's final round. He finished second on the team at 216 (E) for the tournament, tying for 45^th in a 104-player field. He counteracted three bogeys with three birdies in Round 3.
• Thanks to a stellar Round-2 score of 67 on Monday, Delisanti led the team for the tournament at 214 (-2). He stroked a 73 (+1) in Tuesday's third and final round, completing the event at t-36.
• Freshman Rodrigo Garcia Teruel (Puebla, Mexico / Modern Academy) had the team's third-best Round-3 score at 74 (+2). Sophomore Elliot Lee (Tillamook, Ore. / Tillamook) was third on the team for the tournament at 222 (+6).
• Valpo finished 15^th of 19 at 875 (+11), carding a 295 (+7) in Tuesday's final round.
• Colorado State took the team title at 828 (-36), beating host Colorado by four strokes. There was a three-way tie for medalist honors that was narrowed to a two-way tie between Aidan Lee (St. Mary's) and Dylan Teeter (Texas El Paso) when Justin Biwer (Colorado) picked up and the others made par on the lone playoff hole.

Inside the Rounds

• Par-3 scoring was a strength for the Beacons, who averaged 3.22 (+13) in that area.
• Valpo produced 45 birdies, led by Delisanti with 12.
• Garcia Teruel had the team's lone eagle of the tournament, needing just two strokes on the par-4 17^th hole in Round 3.

Thoughts from Head Coach Dave Gring
"We had a tough day today closing out the final round of the tourney. We had played well in our final rounds for the first two tourneys, but we couldn't turn the corner today and get any momentum going. Our biggest struggle today was getting the ball close to the hole for birdies on our approach shots. We hit a decent number of greens in regulation and our chipping was solid around the greens, but we're still having a tough time scoring. We haven't been scoring on the Par 5s and making enough birdies on the short Par 4s."
 
"I was pleased with our Par-3 scoring. All four Par 3s are good holes on this course and the guys played them pretty well. Our Par-4 scoring was not good, and that's reflective of poor approach shots into those holes. The guys are making good decisions with their course management, so I don't see us losing shots in that area. We need to improve our shot execution and get more shots closer to the hole."
 
"We've improved our scoring in each of our first three tournaments thus far this fall, so I'm pleased to see that trending in the right direction. A couple weeks ago, Coach Ron gave each of our players some foundational swing analysis and TPI screenings that the guys can continue to work on this fall. We're already seeing some of the initial benefits, and we're poised for more quality practices and better scoring this fall."
 
Up Next
Valpo will face off with DePaul in the Demons vs. Beacons Challenge on Monday, Oct. 7 at The Dunes Club in New Buffalo, Mich.