BLUE DRAGONS WIN FIRST NATIONAL GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
LUBBOCK, Texas – Slow starts over the first seven holes at The Rawls Course have been nothing new for the Hutchinson Community College men's golf team at the 2021 NJCAA Division I National Championships.
Thursday's slow start lasted a little longer than head coach Chris Young and the Blue Dragons wanted and Hutchinson's double-figure lead over Odessa College shrunk fast.
Like the first three days, though, the Blue Dragon closed the deal … and on Thursday were crowned NJCAA National Division I Men's Golf Champions.
The 2020-21 Blue Dragons claimed the program's first-ever national championship. Hutchinson's previous best finish at the national golf tournament was a tie for sixth place in 2008. This is the Blue Dragon Athletic Department's seventh overall national team title. The men's golf team joins men's basketball (1988, 1994 and 2017), women's cross country (2001) and men's track and field (1954 and 1959) as Hutchinson team national champions.
FINAL 2021 NJCAA MEN'S GOLF TOURNAMENT TEAM RESULTS
FINAL 2021 NJCAA MEN'S GOLF TOURNAMENT INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Hutchinson posted a Blue Dragon national-tournament scoring record for 72 holes at 1,134 (16 under par). That bested the old mark of 1,146 set in 2006. The Blue Dragons twice tied the program's national tournament single-round scoring record with rounds of 280 on Monday and Tuesday. Hutchinson shot 288 on Wednesday.
Hutchinson entered the final round with a 12-shot lead over Odessa College. The Blue Dragons maintained that margin through six holes, but Odessa caught fire and the Dragons were struggling. Odessa was 7-under as a team from holes 7 through 12 and cut the Blue Dragon lead to three strokes through 12 holes. The Wranglers were at 9-under par as a team at that point.
"Golf is a funny game," said Young, who took over the Blue Dragon program before the 1999-2000 season. "You have to be hot and you have to be hot at the right time. You can't take anything for granted. You have to take it one shot at a time and that's what these guys did."
The Blue Dragons were able to recover and finish strong with freshmen Ben Partridge and Harry Crockett leading the way.
Partridge had three-straight birdies on Nos. 14, 15 and 16 to finish the final five holes in 3-under par. Partridge averted near disaster on the 18th hole when his approach shot flew off the back of the green and settled onto the cart path. He wound up with par on that hole Partridge finished with a 1-under-par 71 to lead the Blue Dragons in Thursday's final round.
Crockett had a huge par-saving up-and-down on No. 16 after he his second shot into a greenside bunker. That could have been at least a two-stroke turnaround if Crockett had not gotten up and down, plus the face that Odessa's player had a birdie on No. 16. Crocket the finished the championship in grand style with a birdie on the 72nd hole. Crockett shot a 1-over 73 on Thursday.
Partridge and Crockett wound up tied after 72 holes for the individual national championship and both earned First-Team NJCAA All-America honors. Partridge birdied the fourth playoff hole to defeat Crocket and become Hutch's first-ever individual national champion.
Partridge and Crockett are Hutchinson's first-ever first-team NJCAA All-Americans.
For the first time in program national tournament history, Hutchinson had three All-Americans in the same national tournament. Freshman Cameron Rios-Ceballos finished 13th overall at 3-over 291 to earn Honorable Mention All-America honors. Rios-Ceballos was key for the Blue Dragons in the championship run. He posted his second even-par 72 of the tournament on Thursday.
The Blue Dragons wound up defeating Odessa by nine strokes. The Dragons played the final five holes in 3-under par with five birdies. Odessa played those same holes in 3-over par with five bogeys and a double bogey.
"We knew we had a good team," Young said. "We just couldn't rush the process. We went through some adversity, but we didn't take it for granted. Now we are going to enjoy this."
The Dragons shot an even-par 288 on Thursday. Odessa shot a 3-under 285.
Midland College finished third at 1,155. Garden City was the second Jayhawk Conference team to finish in the Top 5 with a fourth-place showing at 1,173. The Broncbusters tied Western Texas for fourth place.
Sophomore Charlie Crockett, finished tied for 20th at 5-under 293. He posted an even-par 72 in the final round. Trey McCrae tied for 43rd at 302. He shot a 79 on Thursday.
With the national championship, the Blue Dragons close the 2020-21 season by winning six-consecutive tournaments and with a record seven tournament titles overall.