The Kent State men’s golf team played through cold, rainy and windy weather conditions to finish strong at the Golden Flash Individual, which ended Monday. 

The weather caused problems throughout the day for the Flashes, as it delayed the start of the tournament and provided tough circumstances for the players to deal with. Coach Jon Mills said he was proud of his players for sticking through it. 

“It was a challenge staying warm and dealing with the wind, and sometimes with weather like that, it’s more mental than anything,” Mills said. “It’s a good experience to play through weather like that because we’re always going to play in conditions like that come springtime.” 

The Flashes hosted players from eight other schools to compete at the 36-hole event held in Hudson, Ohio. This tournament was different because it was an individual competition and not a team competition, so it gave golfers who do not usually participate in events an opportunity to compete for the Flashes.  

“They control their own destiny, if they can go into these events and play well,” Mills said. “They can open up more opportunities in the spring. There’s a lot to play for, and it’s a big confidence builder for an event like that.” 

Four members of the men’s team competed in the tournament, and out of 28 golfers, all of them finished in the top 14. 

“Some guys just need an opportunity, and they seem to embrace that and take advantage of it,” Mills said. 

Round 1 

Sophomore Connor Malicki led the way for the Flashes in the opening round. In his first appearance of the season, he shot one-under-par (71). 

Freshman Ramiro Acevedo followed up Malicki with an impressive round one outing of his own, as he fired off an even-par (72). 

Weather conditions gave freshman Darcy Hogg trouble in the first round, as he shot four-over-par (76). 

The conditions also got the best of sophomore Daniel Heister. He struggled throughout the opening round with a score of seven-over-par (79). 

Round 2 

Malicki’s impressive outing continued into the second round, where he shot one-over-par (73) to finish the tournament with a total score of even-par (144). He tied for second place on the individual leaderboard, and he was three strokes outside of first place. 

“Connor played well, which is really good to see,” Mills said. “He needed that, so hopefully he can take a little bit of that momentum into the next event.” 

Acevedo finished close behind Malicki in a fifth-place tie. The freshman shot one-over-par (73) for the round and one-over-par (145) as a whole. 

Hogg managed to get back on track following a poor round one showing with a second round score of one-under-par (71). He concluded his second collegiate tournament appearance with an overall score of three-over-par (147) en route to an 11th-place tie. 

Heister shot the lowest round of any Flashes golfer by shooting two-under-par (70) in round two. The sophomore finished with a score of five-over-par (149) and tied for 14th place. 

Although team scores weren’t kept for the event, the Flashes had more golfers in the top 14 than any other school besides Cincinnati. 

Looking ahead 

The Flashes will conclude the fall season at the Flyer Invitational in Dayton, Ohio. 

The tournament will run Monday-Tuesday. 

Mills said he’s never played or seen the course but is eager to finish strong for the fall season. 

“I’ve heard a lot about it, and we’ll practice this week in preparation for it and try to play some courses that are similar,” Mills said. “The big part is just working hard and not letting our guard down just because it’s the last event [of the fall season].” 

John Engoglia is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].