LUBBOCK, Texas – Sophomore Ben Cotton shot three consistent rounds on a course he hopes to conquer in May and led the Hutchinson Community College men’s golf team to a sixth-place finish at the NJCAA Division I National Fall Preview at the Rawls Course in Lubbock, Texas on Monday and Tuesday.
Cotton shot an even-par 72 in the opening round on Monday and backed that with rounds of 74 and 74 to finish the 54-hole event at 4-over 220, which tied for 12th overall. Cotton was 10 strokes off the pace of Odessa’s Micah Rodgers, who broke 70 twice during the tournament.
The NJCAA 14th-ranked Blue Dragons shot rounds of 302 and 304 on Monday and closed out the tournament with a 299 on Tuesday to finish with a team score of 905. Odessa College won the tournament by one stroke over McLennan College with a team score of 870. Dodge City was third at 887. Garden City, the only other Jayhawk Conference team, finished eighth overall at 916.
Both freshman Jordan Hecker and sophomore Michael O’Connor tied for 33rd.
Hecker had rounds of 76 and 75 on Monday and closed with a 78 on Tuesday. O’Connor, the current individual leader in the Jayhawk Conference standings, shot 78 and 76 on Monday and finished with a 75 on Tuesday.
Sophomore Mason Varner tied for 39th at 231 after rounds of 78, 79 and a season-best 74 on Tuesday.
Sophomore Trey Hayden tied for 43rd at 232 after rounds of 76, 80 and 76.
Also competing was freshman Trevor Pauls. He finished 68th at 253 (82-86-85).
The Blue Dragons have one more fall tournament. That will be a return to Texas and the Coca-Cola Classic in Waco, Texas.
(HCC Sports Information)
