NORMAL, IL, September 16, 2020 – The Heartland Hawks golf team kept busy this week as they took on both the Judson University Fall Invitational on September 14^th and the 22^nd Annual Duane Chaney Invitational on September 15th.
 
Judson University Fall Invitational (9/14):
 
The Heartland Hawks tied for third place on Monday out of 14 schools. As a team, the Hawks finished + 22 for the day. The individual results for the match are as follows:
 
T9 – Mason White 75 (+4)
T15 – Jacob Sutton 76 (+5)
T20 – Evan Semonis +6
T25 – Trevor Laub +7
T31 – Logan Winn +9
 
In his first match as a Heartland Hawk, Mason White led for the Hawks shooting 4 over and tying for 9^th place out of 70 golfers. White says, "For my first college golf tournament I felt like I played pretty well. I chipped in on my first hole for a birdie today, and so that's something I will always remember."
 
Another Hawk that had a strong performance in his first ever collegiate match was Jacob Sutton. He says, "I had multiple mishaps on the greens, but I kept grinding and maintained composure through the round which led to a 76 – T15 in my first college golf tournament."
 
Head Coach, Josh Edison, was proud of his team despite the struggle of playing on a difficult course. He says, "I'm extremely proud of the guys in their first stroke play event of the season. We struggled on the greens playing a tricky Randall Oaks golf course and so we will have to clean that up. Overall, it's a great start to our season and with continued improvement on the greens, these guys will definitely show their potential."
 
22^nd Annual Duane Chaney (9/15):
 
Just a day later, the Hawks improve their third place finish to an outright second place title at the Black Hawk Invite. The Hawks came in second place out of 14 schools and had three individuals finish in the top 10 out of a field of 82 golfers. As a team the Hawks finished the day +20. The individual results for this match are as follows:
 
T8 – Trevor Laub +4
T8 – Mason White +4
T8 – Logan Winn +4
T23 – Evan Semonis +8
T48 – Jacob Sutton +13
 
Tying for eight place individually, Trevor Laub and Mason White had some insights on how they did, and what they thought they could've done better. Laub says, "Off the tee I was good, but into greens I wasn't. My short game and putting saved me inside 10 feet. While White says, "My round today had some ups and downs but overall it felt good. I drained a 30 ft. putt for birdie on 11 and made a lot of good par saves.  Today I finally felt confident over my putter. Hope this leads to more putts being made in the future."
 
Another Hawk top performer for the day, Logan Winn, states, "I left a lot of strokes out there, but I feel like my game is getting to the point it needs to be. I played more smart off the tee compared to what I have been recently which definitely helps at Deere Run."
 
Head Coach, Josh Edison, was once again impressed with his team. He says, "Another solid tournament for the Hawks in their second tournament of the season. So proud of the boys and the hard work they have put in this early in the season to set us up for a great Fall and a bright future for Heartland golf."
 
The Heartland Hawks golf team will be back in action on September 21^st in La Salle, IL for the IVCC Fall Invitational.