Galena, Ill. -- The Wheaton men's golf team used a second-day surge to capture first place at the Clarke University Fall Classic this weekend in western Illinois. Sitting in second place nine shots off the lead after Friday's action, the Thunder knew they would need a strong showing this afternoon to take over top spot, and they supplied it, with four of the five competing team members shooting under 80 on Saturday to vault Wheaton into pole position. Wheaton was led by junior
Sam Obitts who carded a two-day total of 149, including a team-best 73 today, to earn a second-place overall finish. This weekend's triumph marks the first team event win for the Thunder men's golf program since September of 2021.
Wheaton finished the two days of play with an overall combined score of 626, flipping the nine-stroke deficit after Friday on its head to win by a nine-stroke margin of their own. The squad's tally of 307 on Saturday was the best round of the weekend by any team. The hosting Clarke Pride's A group finished second in the six-team field with a 635 combined score.
Obitts' joint-best round score of 73 on Saturday helped him maintain his second-place standing on the individual leaderboard having positioned himself in that spot after Friday's action with a 76 total. Fellow junior
Jonah Swartz claimed fourth place in the 32-player field with a two-day total of 155. (
Obitts and Swartz trophy recognitions pictured at right)
Tannen Reed and
Baylor Brogan earned sixth- and seventh-placed finishes, respectively, with both underclassmen shooting a 78 today. Reed finished the weekend one shot ahead of the rookie Brogan at 161-162.
Wyatt Brown came in 13th place with a consistent 83 round score on both days of the competition.
Lance Otremba and
Aidan Quinlivan competed on an individual basis this weekend, so their totals were not reflected in Wheaton's overall score. Otremba registered a two-day tally of 165 to tie for 11th in the solo standings, while Quinlivan tied for 14th on the leaderboard two strokes behind Otremba's combined score.
The Thunder men's team will look to carry the positive momentum from this weekend's win into next weekend's Midwest Classic hosted by Benedictine in Wisconsin.
