October 9, 2024 • by Dan Davies
Ryan Palmer Foundational Invite... Hurricane Invitational... Midwest Regional Preview... WWU Men's Invitational
Ranked 3 in the latest DII Coaches Poll, Oklahoma Christian won the Ryan Palmer Foundational Invite at Amarillo Country Club, finishing 26 under par, seven ahead of Colorado Mesa.
The Eagles entered the last round at 21 under par over, which gave them a 12-stroke lead over Colorado Mines (-9) and Mesa (-7).
Leandro Mihaich led the way for the OCU, ending the tournament on nine under par after closing with a 69. He was closely followed by teammate Exequiel Rodriguez (-8).
The individual medalist was Cole Beyer (above) of Colorada Mesa who fired five birdies in his last six holes to close with a 63 (-7), clinching a one-shot victory over Kongpop Kaikaew of St Mary’s Texas.
Team Leaderboard | Individual Leaderboard
After losing out to Colorado Christian (No.1 in the latest DII Coaches Poll) in the Championship Match at the 2024 DII finals, North Georgia has made a hot start to the new season.
First, the Nighthawks went away from the field to win the Bearcat Fall Invitational hosted by Lander, finishing the 54-hole event on 28 under par, seven better than West Florida.
CCU then came in second behind Lee at the 3rd Annual Mizuno Intercollegiate before getting back into winning habits at the Hurricane Invitational.
Ranked 2 in the latest Bushnell/Golfweek Division II Coaches Poll, North Georgia shot a 29-under-par team total at Doubleday CC in Albany, to win by nine shots from West Florida (again) and 14 from host Georgia Southwestern.
The Nighthawks made it a clean sweep as Jack Vajda won the individual event, posting a closing 68 (-4) that included a triple-bogey seven on the 18th. The graduate student won three times last last season and finished at No.10 in the DII rankings. On this occasion, he ended a shot clear of Per Ekelund of West Florida and North Georgia teammate Ethan Day.
Team Leaderboard | Individual Leaderboard
Ferris State University captured the Midwest Regional Preview St Joseph CC in Missouri, heading Missouri-St Louis by seven strokes and Missouri S&T by 12.
All three teams entered the 17-team competition in good form. The Bulldogs had recorded third and second place finishes, Missouri-St Louis had a 5th and a 3rd, and Missouri S&T was hot off a win and a second.
The top two finishers separated themselves in round two as the Billikens shot an 11-under 273 while Ferris State went eight under. They were the only two teams to get into the red for the round.
Isaac To of Missouri S&T (above) won his first individual college title, finishing on four under par, one ahead of Jeffery Johnston from Missouri Western. The sophomore went wire-to-wire after making seven birdies in his opening 65 (-6).
Team Leaderboard | Individual Leaderboard
The reigning NCAA DII champions and No.1 ranked team in the latest DII Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches Poll, Colorado Christian has started the season like it means business.
A 26-shot win at the WWU Men's Invitational hosted by Western Washington was a third straight dub for the Cougars after victories at The Writz at Mile High, where the winning margin was 57 shots, and over a stacked field at the 2025 National Preview at Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Mark Hull’s team took charge in round two (-16) and then eased away from the field during the final lap (-11) of the course at Bellingham Golf & Country Club. To underline its superiority, CCU shot the lowest team total in all three rounds.
Xavier Bighaus made it a Cougars clean sweep by taking individual medalist honors with a 54-hole total of 203 (13). The CCU senior recorded two wins and another top-3 last season. He had chalked up 7th and 15th place finishes before laying the foundations for victory with a second-round 65 that contained five birdies, an eagle and no bogeys.