Leading Texas State for the third consecutive tournament, junior Sakke Siltala tied for second at the Kapolei Invitational in Manoa, Hawaii on Tuesday, Oct. 29-31 at the Kapolei Golf Course.
Siltala shot 6-under 66 in the first round of the tournament, a season-low for the junior. Siltala carded nine birdies during the tournament, leading to his 3-under 213 (66-74-73) finish.
“Sakke had a fantastic week and capped off a great semester of golf,” Head Coach Shane Howell said. “Our fall semester is over, and now we look forward to the offseason to get better for the spring championship segment.”
Placing second among the Bobcats, senior Jack Burke finished the tournament tied for 21. Burke fired 4-over 220 (71-75-74).
Junior Ben Loveard shot his lowest round of the tournament in the opening round, firing 1-under 71. Loveard completed the tournament tied for 35, shooting 6-over 222 (71-75-76).
After carding his first eagle as a Bobcat and moving up 17 spots on the leaderboard in the final round, freshman Jaxon Donaldson finished the tournament tied for 48. Donaldson fired 9-over 225 (75-78-72).
In the opening round, freshman Joel Talusen shot his lowest score of the tournament, carding 2-over 72. Talusen rounded off the tournament tied for 52, shooting 10-over 226 (74-76-76).
The Bobcats collected the most pars across the event, carding 173 pars, six more than Arkansas State.
The Bobcats started placing first after the first round of play as a team. After round three, the team rounded off the tournament, tied for 4 with Utah Valley University shooting 13-over 877 (282-300-295).
“It was a good week for us in Hawaii,” Howell said. “We got to the lead early in the tournament but didn’t quite handle the nerves that came with it. It will help us later in the year when we get back in the lead next time.
Miami University took first place after carding 7-under 857, a 13-stroke lead over the University of San Diego.
The Bobcats will travel to Mobile, Alabama, to compete in the Hal Williams Collegiate from Feb. 10 to 11 at the Magnolia Grove Golf Club.
