Worley, Jennings lead Bulldogs in MVC Championships

MEN

Wind gusts reaching 25-30 mph troubled the Drake men’s golf team at Tuesday’s State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship in Hutchinson, Kan., dropping the Bulldogs into seventh place.

Freshman Dane Worley and freshman Blake Huser led Drake on Monday, the first day of the tournament, shooting a 72 and a 75, respectively, in the second round. The pair pushed Drake into third place after the initial 18 holes en route to the team’s 292 score after day one action, which consisted of two rounds.

Worley and Huser finished the day tied for 11th place individually.

Junior Ben Lyons finished day one in 14th place, registering rounds of 76 and 73.

After finishing Monday tied for third place, Drake entered day two with confidence. Day two consisted of one final round of golf.

“We were all just feeding off each other,” Worley said. “We knew the course. It’s a tough course. We were all on the same page. To have a legitimate chance to win today was a good feeling for us all.”

Blustery conditions hindered Drake’s hopes for day two, though.

Huser led the Bulldogs with a final-round score of 76 en route to Drake’s 910 total. Huser tied for 12th in the individual rankings.

Alongside Huser, Worley and Lyons earned tournament flags reserved for the MVC’s top-18 individual finishers.

Worley and Lyons recorded identical 18th-place finishes, carding scores of 81 and 80, respectively, during Tuesday’s final round.

Drake’s day-two frustration was two-fold for Worley.

“The wind definitely affected us all,” he said. “We also had a poor stretch where we didn’t make many birdies. It was tough.”

WOMEN

Thanks to three golfers shooting scores in the 70s, the Drake women’s golf team finished eighth of 10 teams at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship on April 24 in Terre Haute, Ind.

After a rocky start, the Bulldogs completed day three carding 317 in the final round.

Sophomore Hadley Jennings guided Drake’s opening round, shooting 77.

Junior Chelsey Falk and freshman Danielle Brooks completed the Bulldogs’ top three, both shooting 81.

Shaky shooting plagued Drake on day two as the Bulldogs registered a 341 score, good for ninth place.

Despite day two’s shaky performance, the Bulldogs entered day three with determination.

Drake head coach Leanne Smith lauded her team’s final round push.

“Hadley (Jennings), Danielle (Brooks) and Chelsey (Falk) all played really well today and this was a positive way to end our campaign,” she said in a Drake athletics press release.

Jennings tied her season-low score with a team-best 75.

Falk led Drake shooting a final-round 78, good for 33rd place individually.

Brooks finished one place behind Falk shooting 77.

Seniors Paige Menze and Christy Wittmer completed their Drake careers carding 87 and 91, to finish in 44th and 47th place.

Missouri State took the title shooting 910 overall while the Bulldogs finished eighth shooting 981.