Ohio State sophomore Maxwell Moldovan practices his swing during a practice. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Dept. of Athletics
After coming three strokes shy of first place at the Colleton River Classic last week, Ohio State looked for its first No. 1 finish in three years at the Southern Invitational. By the end of the event, both the Buckeyes and sophomore Maxwell Moldovan had made history.
Ohio State finished first among 11 teams at the Southern Invitational at the Falls Club of the Palm Beaches in Palm Beach, Florida, Monday and Tuesday. Moldovan placed first individually for the second time this spring, shooting 15-under par — the best score from a Buckeye golfer in a 54-hole outing since 1980.
This is the first tournament victory for the Ohio State men’s golf team since winning the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate in 2019. Head coach Jay Moseley said although he expected his players to perform well, he was impressed by the team’s win.
“We did a lot of little things very, very well this week, which ended up in a good, solid performance for us,” Moseley said.
The Buckeyes finished with an 18-stroke lead, scoring 30-under 834 in the tournament. Both the team and Moldovan led the field in birdies, shooting 68 and 18, respectively.
Ohio State fell one stroke behind Florida Atlantic after the first round Monday, holding second place and scoring 6-under 282. Moldovan had his best round of the tournament, shooting seven birdies and just one bogey through 18 holes.
The Buckeyes then went out to a 9-stroke lead, following a second round in which they shot 11-under 277.
Entering the final round, Ohio State had four golfers in the top 10 individually after two rounds: Moldovan, sophomore Adam Wallin, junior Jackson Chandler and graduate Marco Steyn.
In the final round Tuesday, the Buckeyes extended their lead by nine strokes, shooting their best round of the tournament with a score of 13-under 275.
Moldovan shot 5-under 67 in the last round, finishing with a 6-stroke lead to secure his second first-place finish of the season. He said the key to his success was making sure he trusted his ball-striking skills.
“I struggle every once in a while with having confidence that I can hit certain shots,” Moldovan said. “I was able to believe in myself a lot this week and had some good shots because of it.”
Wallin finished the tournament third individually, while Chandler and Steyn tied for seventh after the final round.
Moseley said he is proud of how his team played in this tournament and looks forward to how this momentum will fuel them in future outings.
“If we keep our foundation solid like it is and continue to build on it, just sharpening our skills, we’ll be in good shape as we trend toward championship season,” Moseley said.
Ohio State’s next tournament is the Valspar Intercollegiate at the Floridian Golf Club in Palm City, Florida, March 28-29.
