Golf relives a memorable record-breaking day
From start to finish, the Central Michigan golf team felt “in charge” of the Mid-American Conference Fall Preview at the Purgatory Golf Club.
It was a day the program will never forget.
The Chippewas shot a 291 in the second round on Oct. 14 that broke the program record by a long shot, with the previous top score being a 303 which CMU posted in the opening round on the same day. The previous top mark was a 304 set last year in the Spring Break Shootout.
“This wasn’t a fluke,” head coach Jim Earle said. “The team hasn’t had a whole lot of success in the past so for them to really start to see their potential as an excellent team is what was exciting.
“To break the record in the first round was great but to shatter it in round two was just, well indescribable.”
The tournament was a preview for the MAC Championship series later this year. Following the tournament, CMU is now tied for third with Akron. Over the 36 holes, CMU shot a 594 which bested the program record of 613 in last fall’s Ball State Classic.
The Chippewas leaned on senior Bria Colosky who shot two-over 74 in the first round and followed with a 2-under 70 performance in the second round. In total, she posted a 144 which is a CMU program record for a 36-hole round.
Individually, Colosky is at even par which is tied for third and is seven strokes behind the leader from Toledo’s Natcha Daengpiem.
“We had to set the pins and pick the tee boxes we wanted to hit from which made it feel like it was our course,” Colosky said. “We just better than we ever have (in the MAC Preview) and personally it felt good to show it as not just individuals but as a team.”
Overall, the Chippewas continued to stay towards the top as a team. Sophomore’s Jami Laude and Meghan Deardorff each posted a 150 total, followed by junior Danielle Sawyer who totaled a 151 and senior Holly Hines who rounded out the squad with a 154.
Hines, who shot an 80 the first day and bounced back with a 74 the second day, said she didn’t feel her score the first day replicated how she was hitting the ball.
“I told myself I can comeback and have a good round with everyone else playing well,” Hines said. “I was the last one in and told everyone I got a 74 and everyone started freaking out. We knew we were in the 200’s.”
Colosky said the overall day was emotional because it was scores she has never seen in a CMU uniform. Being able to be mentioned as one of CMU’s record holders was something she doesn’t take for granted.
“To be in this situation and do this for a new coach were all love with is a dynamic that is just awesome,” she said. “You could feel each and every one of us was proud of each other.”
It hands down stands as one of the best days ever in CMU golf history from a statistical standpoint.
Earle said after beating a lot of MAC teams this fall, it forces them to view the Chippewas as a contender for it all.
“(MAC) teams in the past have seen us as a fairly easy win,” Earle said. “We’ve put them on notice that we aren’t just going to roll over for you. We can only go up from here.”
