HILTON HEAD, S.C. - On a blustery day at Hilton Head Lakes Golf Club, Ronald Uszenski and Jacob Laughlin scrambled their way to a pair of 74s that led the Eagles as they opened the spring portion of the 2019-20 season. A team score of 304 has Bridgewater behind only Maryville in a field of ten teams.
Uszenski, Bridgewater's lone senior, was not pleased with his warm-up session and took a while to find his rhythm on the course, but he demonstrated his maturity by finding a way to keep the score just two strokes above par, a number that has him in a tie for fourth among 58 players. Uszenski only hit nine greens in regulation, but scrambled effectively, including a highlight-reel up-and-down from behind the green on the par-3 17th hole.
Laughlin had four birdies on the day, including one on the tough par-4 #15 when he played a wind-cheating 7-iron to three feet. He was even par with two holes to play but was not able to convert pars on #17 and #18 after missing the greens. In his first year at Bridgewater after transferring from Virginia Wesleyan, Laughlin has emerged as a scoring leader on the team.
Freshman Jackson Soska has also solidified his spot in the starting lineup after a solid fall season, and he came in with a 77 on Monday, good for a tie for 10th. Soska took at double-bogey on his 17th hole when a crosswind carried his drawing approach into a hazard.
Junior Jason Spaar opened the season with a score of 79, a score partially determined by three or four wayward shots; otherwise Spaar continued his typical solid ball-striking and thoughtful course management. On the par-5 7th hole, Spaar's second shot found a hazard in front of the green- he proceeded to roll up his pant legs and play a blast shot from the mud, hitting the ball fifteen feet from the hole then dropping the birdie putt.
Spaar is in a tie for 17th with teammate Jacob Sears. The freshman had birdies on #1, #8, and #11, but was not pleased with his putting and chipping as he finished the round seven strokes over par.
Junior Matthew Sengul, travelling for the first time as part of the starting lineup, played as an individual in the tournament hosted by Pfeiffer University. He posted 87 on a day that he felt hindered by his short-game.
The Eagles find themselves just three shots behind Maryville in a tournament where they claimed an "unofficial win" last year; in 2019, they beat all the D-III teams in the field and lost only to D-II Mars Hill. "The guys opened the fall season with their first official victory in seven years," said head coach John Rogers, "So it would be nice to start the spring season with another 'W'. We really just had about three holes that cost us quite a few strokes today, so I think we will be in a dogfight tomorrow and have a good chance to finish at the top of the leaderboard if we manage the course a little better."
Play resumes at Hilton Head Lakes at 9:30 on Tuesday morning.
