Ohio State sophomore Maxwell Moldovan practices his swing during a practice. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Dept. of Athletics
After a first-place finish at the Southern Invitational, head coach Jay Moseley and No. 33 Ohio State stared down their toughest competition yet at the Valspar Invitational, with seven top-25 teams in the field.
By the end of the outing, though, it seemed the Buckeyes were up to the challenge.
Ohio State finished sixth of 15 teams in the tournament at the Floridian National Golf Club in Palm City, Florida, Monday and Tuesday. The Buckeyes finished better than Clemson, North Carolina, Texas A&M and Texas Tech — all teams that were ranked higher than them entering the outing.
Ohio State led the field in par-5 scoring, shooting 27-under par on those holes. Moseley said his team struggled with par-5s in the fall, so he was glad to see improvement, especially against such competitive schools.
“We were really proud of that, this week, that we led the field in par-5 scoring,” Moseley said. “In a field that was stacked with a lot of top teams, it was a strong point for us.”
The Buckeyes finished the tournament 12-under 840 — just one stroke behind fifth-place Arizona State. Pepperdine won the tournament by a long shot, shooting 34-under 818 in the outing.
Ohio State started off strong with its best round being the first on Monday. The Buckeyes shot 9-under 276, finishing fourth coming into the next round later that day.
Ohio State did not have this same level of success in the second round, shooting 1-over 285 and dropping one spot, tied for fifth entering the final round.
In the first two rounds, three Buckeyes placed inside the top 25 individually, with both sophomore Maxwell Moldovan and senior JonErik Alford shooting 10 birdies through 36 holes.
The Buckeyes fell another spot in the final round Tuesday, despite an improved score of 5-under 279.
Alford, Moldovan and sophomore Adam Wallin held their spots inside the individual top 25, with Alford ending with his best individual score of the season at 2-under 211.
Alford, who shot six birdies in the final round, said he is glad to have performed so well, especially against competitive teams.
“I feel really good and gained some confidence knowing I can play in a big field and I can play well and help out our team,” Alford said.
Ohio State’s next outing is the Mason Rudolph Collegiate at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tennessee, Friday through Sunday.
Moseley said his team visited the Vanderbilt Legends Club during the fall to get a sense of the course. He said this visit, along with confidence from Monday’s and Tuesday’s performances, will help his team going into the next tournament.
“It’s honestly great to be building on some good momentum from this week and a good solid round,” Moseley said. “I think the guys will be fueled up and ready to go with some good energy on Friday.”
