The Benedictine Mesa men's golf team concluded the OUAZ Fall Invitational with a 7th-place finish out of 10 teams, highlighted by strong individual performances and steady improvement across all three rounds.
Round 1:
The Redhawks opened the tournament with balanced play. Eric Klutke led the team with a 73 (+1), shooting 37 (+1) on the front nine and an even-par 36 on the back. Charlie Gingras posted an even-par 72 after a strong three-under back nine. Joaquin Salgado finished with a 75 (+3), while Ethan Burbidge and Joe Kelly contributed rounds of 76 (+4) and 77 (+5), respectively.
Round 2:
Benedictine Mesa gained momentum in the second round. Klutke fired a 69 (-3), going under par on both sides of the course. Gingras remained steady with a 71 (-1), and Kelly shot a 74 (+2). Salgado and Burbidge each finished with 78 (+6), keeping the Redhawks competitive heading into the final round.
Round 3:
The team closed strong, highlighted by Klutke's dominant 65 (-7) — the lowest round of the tournament — showcasing exceptional composure and precision. Gingras shot 79 (+7), Salgado 78 (+6), Kelly 82 (+10), and Burbidge 88 (+16).
Klutke's outstanding 54-hole total tied him for first individually, and the Redhawks' resilience and strong individual performances contributed to a solid 7th-place finish in a competitive field.
Coach Konya reflected on the tournament:
"I wish we could have put a couple of other solid performances together in the final to go with Eric's 65. I feel we could have moved into third place, but unfortunately, we weren't able to take advantage of it this time. Eric had a very memorable round and really stepped up with some clutch shots to get into the playoff. We'll work on some things… there's talent on this team, and we'll learn from this and be better going forward. I'm really happy for Eric—his dad came in from Chicago to watch him and walked all three rounds. Eric certainly made it worth the effort; they'll have some great memories!"
Looking Ahead:
The Redhawks return to the course on October 12th for the Embry-Riddle Invite.
