Ohio State sophomore Adam Wallin practices his swing during practice Aug. 30, 2021. Credit: Courtesy of the Department of Athletics
After sophomore golfer Maxwell Moldovan won first place at the Nexus Collegiate Classic mid-February, he looked for another strong finish in Ohio State’s second outing of the spring. However, by the end of the tournament, it would be fellow sophomore golfer Adam Wallin who took the spotlight.
Wallin earned his first-career No. 1 finish at the Colleton River Collegiate at the Colleton River Club in Bluffton, South Carolina, Monday and Tuesday. The Buckeyes placed fourth overall out of 15 teams in the tournament.
Wallin was in third after two rounds, but in the final round, he shot seven birdies and an eagle on his way to tying Kansas State sophomore Luke O’Neill for first place. To have two consecutive individual first-place finishes would be a rarity for most teams, however, head coach Jay Moseley said it was the expectation.
“Adam’s win this week was not a surprise at all,” Moseley said. “He’s a player that, from the time that I started recruiting him about three years ago, I really knew that he was capable of being an elite college player.”
Wallin shot the second-most birdies in the tournament with 17. Ohio State had 59 birdies overall, finishing 17-under par — three strokes behind third-place Kansas State.
The Buckeyes started off strong Monday, placing fifth with matching 2-under 286 scores in the first two rounds. Wallin finished 7-under par on the day, while graduate golfer Marco Steyn placed 15th individually behind a six-birdie second round.
Entering the final round, South Florida’s Albin Bergstrom led the field with a score of 10-under 134 — three strokes ahead of Wallin.
After hitting four birdies in the front nine Tuesday, Wallin said he was confident he would finish high. Then, after Bergstrom hit a triple bogey on the ninth hole, Wallin said the door was open for him to place first.
“Starting off the back nine, I made a bunch of birdies, just hitting it really close,” Wallin said. “So, I got the upper hand on [Bergstrom] there, so that was really nice.”
The Buckeyes moved up one spot in the final round, shooting 13-under 275 to secure their second top-5 finish of the spring season.
Ohio State’s next tournament is the Southern Invitational Monday and Tuesday at the Falls Club of the Palm Beaches in Palm Beach, Florida.
Moseley said he is glad his team is playing well to start the season and hopes it will propel them to similar success in future outings.
“You always want your team to be growing and learning and improving and trending in the right direction,” Moseley said. “It’s certainly always good to play really well in the early parts of the year.”
