Noah Wright and Grace finished third at the Bethel Invite. Photo courtesy the Grace College Sports Information Department

By Jeff Raymond
Grace College Sports Information

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. – The Grace men’s and women’s golf teams competed in the two-day Bethel Invite at Harbor Shores Golf Club.

Lady Lancers Take Third

A strong second day propelled the Grace women’s golf team to a third-place finish at the Bethel Invitational, played at the Harbor Shores Golf Club in Michigan. The Lancers posted the best round of any of the seven teams on Tuesday, moving them up the final standings.

“Today was a big step forward for us,” said Coach Denny Duncan of the team’s second round. “Harbor Shores is a monstrous golf course. There’s a reason it’s hosted four senior tour major championships. We had some struggles on Monday, but came back to play much better today.”

Four of the five Grace players shot significantly better during the tournament’s second day. Sloane Winders put together rounds of 84-80 to finish in fifth individually with a total of 164. Lucy Young had the biggest improvement on day two, shooting a 79 after recording an 87 on the first day. She ended in a tie for seventh at 166.

Rebecca Hawes ended with a 172, while Carolyn Pacocha finished at 174 and Grace May at 177.

Taylor University won the event with a team total of 651, followed by Bethel University at 660. Grace closed the gap on the second day to end up at 672. Both Taylor and Bethel are ranked in the top-20 of the NAIA polls.

“We are excited to play on our home course next week,” said Duncan. “If we can continue our trajectory of improvement, we can be right where we want to be for NCCAA nationals.”

The Lancers host the Battle at the Henge on October 11-12 at the local Stonehenge Golf Club. They then travel to Florida for the NCCAA National Championships on October 18-20.

Lancers Also Third

The Lancers improved by 10 strokes on day two of the Bethel Invitational and ended a strong third in the nine-team event. The tournament was played at the Harbor Shores Golf Club in Michigan.

Grace shot a respectable team score of 308 on the first day of competition, but came back to produce a 298 in the second round to move into the third-place position.

Noah Wright led the charge, shooting 71 on day two to finish in a tie for sixth with a 148 total. Blake Lawson shot rounds of 77-74 to end up in 13th at 151.

Tristen Dubbs posted a 153, while Payton Kelly finished at 157 and Chase Byron at 159.

Lawrence Tech (Mich.) took top honors in the tournament with a team score of 587. Spring Arbor (Mich.) was the runner-up with a 596, followed by Grace at 606. Finishing fourth was Taylor, a team that came in ranked No. 11 in the NAIA polls.

The Lancers will travel back to Michigan next week to play in a tournament hosted by Taylor University at the Egypt Valley Country Club in Ada.