Hutchinson wins back-to-back titles
The Hutchinson (KS) Blue Dragons claimed their second consecutive national titles, finishing 22 under par, 20 strokes better than the runner-up. Hutchinson brought a 15-stroke lead into the final day of the four-day championship.
Led by a trio of top-five finishers, Hutchinson shot 284 the first day before shooting a consistent a 282 for the final three rounds. The Blue Dragons gained a 19 stroke lead after round two, en route to claiming victory at the 2022 NJCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship held at the Odessa Country Club in Odessa, TX.
The top-three team finishers all shot below par. Entering the final round in fourth place, Odessa shot a tournament low, 281, as a team to finish second overall. For the second straight year, Midland took third place just one stroke behind the Wranglers.
This championship marks the second national title for Hutchinson in program history and just the third top-10 finish since 2008.
Team Standings
Hutchinson won the 2022 NJCAA DI Men's Golf Championship title, finishing 22 under par for the four day tournament.
Odessa earned a second place finish and was led by sophomore Sangha Park and freshman Laurenz Kubin who finished tied for twelfth overall.
Midland finished third overall by shooting 291-297-284-279 in four rounds. The Chaps were led by individual medalist, JT Pittman.
Individual Leaders
For the second straight year, the Division I Men's Golf Individual title was decided by a playoff. The duo of JT Pittman (Midland) and Dominic Clemons (Hutchinson) each tied for the individual title at 281. Pittman and Clemons battled for two playoff holes to determine an outright winner. Pittman beat Clemons on the second playoff hole to win medalist honors, improving from his third-place finish at last year's championship.
After leading the individual standings through the first three rounds, Hutchinson sophomore Ben Partridge finished in third with a total of 282 at six under par. His best round came in the opening round with a score of 68.
A four-way tie for fourth place at four under par between Frank Vucic (Indian Hills), John Houchin (Eastern Florida State), Blake Saffel (Huthinson), and Matthis Lefevre (New Mexico JC). Each golfer earned First Team All-America honors.
Superlatives
Best individual round: Entering the final round tied for fifth place, JT Pittman shot a 67 in the final round, claiming the individual title and tying the lowest score shot at the tournament this year.
Best team round: Odessa and Midland both recorded a 279 on the third and final round, respectively. The Wranglers followed up with a score of 281 in the second round, propelling them into second place overall.
Most eagles: Hutchinson sophomore Harry Crockett wrapped up the four-day championship with three eagles. On the individual level, Ben Partridge (Hutchinson), and Jay Sherol (Pima) each finished with two.
Most birdies: JT Pittman also helped contribute to Midland's third-place finish with 20 birdies of his own this week.
