The Kent State men’s golf team is off this weekend after two strong showings in the opening tournaments of the spring season earned them a No. 25 ranking nationally. 

The Flashes earned that national ranking with two strong finishes in both the Davidson College Invitational and General Hackler Championship.

The Davidson College Invitational featured extreme weather elements of wind, rain and even sleet on the par-72 course. 

Corey Conners led the Flashes with a combined score of 145 over the two-round tournament, good for a one-over-par finish. Conners ended up in third-place among individual golfers in the Invitational. 

Taylor Pendrith finished right behind Conners with a two-over-par finish and 146 combined score over both days. A one-under-par round on the tournament’s final day catapulted Pendrith into fourth position.

The Flashes took second place as a team, finishing 11 strokes behind Tennessee. Kent’s 304 stroke combined outing on the invitational’s first day was the difference as both teams shot a score of 294 for their second rounds. 

A week later, the Flashes earned another second-place finish in the General Hackler Championship. The three-round tournament took place at TPC of Myrtle Beach, fairing much nicer weather than what the team fought through just a week before. 

With a single stroke lead headed into the final round of the championships, Kent faced a constant battle with Middle Tennessee for the lead throughout the day. 

Conners and Pendrith shot well for the team again in the outing, held March 10 and 11. Conners shared a trophy with Andrew Dorn of host team Coastal Carolina for first place on the individual leaderboard. Conners finished even-par at TPC after balancing his three-over-par the first round with a three-under-par score in the second and an even-par the third round. 

Conners was named MAC Men’s Golfer of the Week for his efforts at the General Hackler.

Pendrith was third on the individual leaderboard with an overall one-over-par finish for the event. Pendrith’s first round left him four strokes over-par before finishing three-under over the next two rounds.

Kent State’s next golf outing will take the team to Palm City, Fla. for the Floridian Collegiate on March 26 and 27.

Contact Michael Mann at [email protected].