Blue Mountain Christian University’s men’s golf team finished fifth in a competitive field at The Invite at Innisbrook on Tuesday. The tournament featured 20 teams, including 11 ranked in the NAIA Top 25, and was held at the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Florida.
The Toppers posted rounds of 294, 294 and 296 on the par-71, 7,209-yard course, finishing the three-round event at 884. They finished ahead of six nationally ranked programs, including No. 3 Dalton State, No. 14 Science & Arts, No. 17 Grand View, No. 21 William Carey and No. 23 Southeastern.
Alex Nordstrom led BMCU individually, tying for 10th place at 217. He opened with a 69, the team’s lowest round, before adding rounds of 73 and 75. Agustin Frutos moved up the leaderboard, ending tied for 19th at 222 after rounds of 77, 74 and 71. Axel Houdaille finished tied for 22nd at 223, with rounds of 76, 73 and 74.
Cobey Riddle finished tied for 29th at 224, with scores of 73, 75 and 76. Ayers Mathis was 68th at 229, while Adrian Perez, competing as an individual, tied for 41st at 226 after rounds of 75, 73 and 78.
Head coach Kevin Barefield praised the team’s effort: “I thought our guys competed well against a very strong field this week. We were consistent throughout all three rounds, and there were a lot of positives to take away from this tournament. Alex had another good week for us, Carlos finished with a really strong round today, and as a team we showed that we can compete with some of the best programs in the country.”
The team championship was claimed by No. 1 Keiser with a score of 861. Reinhardt (869) and Coastal Georgia (878) finished second and third, respectively. Webber International, ranked fifth, finished fourth at 881, three strokes ahead of BMCU.
