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Golf Cats Split Squad, Winning 2 Tournaments to Tie Program Record

By Joe Ginley '12 , 09/20/20, 12:30PM EDT

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With two wins Saturday, the Wildcats tied the program record of 11 tournament wins.

Saturday presented a perfect opportunity for the Wildcats.

With two varsity events, Head Coach PJ Myers '99 decided to utilize a split-squad format, dividing his Varsity Blue team in two to see if his men could capture both tournament wins in the last weekend of the regular season.

In impressive fashion, the Wildcats did just that, capturing both the St. Edward Invitational and Bishop Watterson Invitational crowns. In doing so, the Wildcats tied the program record for 11 tournament wins by the varsity team(s) in a season.

Saturday's feat is just another show of strength and depth of this Saint Ignatius Golf program that has developed into a powerhouse program in recent years. 

As the Football Cats did battle with the Eagles on Saturday, the Golf Cats headed to the Oberlin Country Club for St. Edward's annual invitational. The Wildcats ensured that rivalry week ended on a great note in this dominant performance.

As a team, the Golf Cats combined for a team score of 291. That mark bested the field by a massive margin of 17 strokes. 

Connor Malicki and Nick Piesen won the day for the Blue and Gold. The two sophomores fired off identical scores of 70 at Oberlin. The two tied for medalist honors with Ben Cors of Walsh Jesuit. Malicki took home the trophy for the top golfer of the day, thanks to a scorecard playoff on the back nine, a beautiful 34. Another feather in Malicki's cap, to be sure, and another indicator for Piesen that he's catching fire at the right time. 

The next three Wildcats typically compete on the Varsity Gold squad, but you wouldn't know it based on their scores. 

Andrew Martin roared for a score of 74 on Saturday. The senior has been a strong leader all season for the Wildcats, helping along the team's younger members. Martin has plenty of talent to go along with his excellent leadership capabilities.

Liam Doyle tabbed a pretty score of 77 on the afternoon, rolling a 37 on the back nine after a start of 40. Doyle completed the team score with a tally that would have placed him first on most other teams. He's another great golfer for the Wildcats. The always hard-working MJ Myers rounded out the squad with an 84 on the day. 

Walsh Jesuit (308) and Gilmour Academy (314) rounded out the top three, while host St. Edward came in eighth (333). 

As impressive as Malicki and Piesen's performances were, perhaps the highlight of the day came at Clover Valley.

Freshman Julian Dugan put on a marvelous show on Saturday, showcasing his promising skillset with an extraordinary 67, including a whopping eight birdies. It's all the more outstanding when you consider that Dugan won the honor by a colossal five strokes. Dugan has all kinds of potential to be a top-of-the-line golfer, and Saturday was an example of that. 

Sean Hoagland followed his teammate up with an rock-solid score of 73 for the Wildcats. The junior continues to round out into form as the postseason draws near.

Nick Longano enjoyed a nice day on the course, as well, tallying a 75 for the afternoon. The senior will be a player to watch the rest of the way.

Bradley Chill, Jr. rounded out the Wildcats' winning score of 295. Chill carded an 80 in Columbus on Saturday. John Thompson, a member of the Varsity Gold team for much of the season, tallied an 86 for the day.

As a squad, the Wildcats outpaced second-place Westerville Central by 15 strokes. St. Xavier took third with a 315. 

The Golf Cats return to action on Monday at the Nolan Belden Invitational at Brookside.