ELKHORN, Neb. – The Concordia University Men’s Golf team took a bit of a step back on the second day of the fall GPAC Championships, but it remains in the hunt for a finish near the top of the conference standings. The Bulldogs will enter the spring with a sixth-place positioning within the GPAC after carding a two-round score of 298-308–606 at Indian Creek Golf Course in Elkhorn, Neb., over the past two days (Sept. 27-28). Ivan Yabut paced Concordia this week while hanging with the top golfers in the GPAC.
Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad is primed to improve upon last season’s ninth-place conference finish. With two GPAC rounds left to be contested, the Bulldogs currently sit behind Morningside (571), Briar Cliff (588), Midland (588), Northwestern (600) and Doane (602).
“Yesterday as a whole, I thought we played pretty well,” Muller said. “Today the course played a little bit tougher. Any time you have to count two scores in the 80s it will hurt your team score. It was the first time this fall season we’ve had to do that. I’m proud of where we’re at relative to last year. We showed growth from our two rounds at Indian Creek last year. We’re in the middle of the conference with a chance to make a move in the spring.”
The game of the Burke High School product Yabut has taken off this fall. The Omaha native resides in sixth place in the GPAC (four strokes out of first) with a total of 71-74–145. That figure represents a big leap forward from last season when Yabut placed 31st in the conference (87-86-80-75–328). Yabut’s season scoring average stands at an impressive 72.5 (bolstered by a school record seven-under-par 65 earlier this season).
“He’s just playing with a lot of confidence right now,” Muller said of Yabut. “He’s putting himself in good position off the tee and giving himself a chance to make a lot of birdies. He’s capitalizing on it and that’s been the difference for him in lowering his scoring average.”
Freshman Justin Webert turned in Concordia’s top score of even-par 72 on Tuesday. That performance pushed Webert into a tie for 29th (81-72–153) out of 54 conference golfers. The final three in the Bulldog lineup over the first two GPAC rounds were Jack Williams (74-80–154; T-31st), Drew D’Ercole (77-82–159; T-41st) and Jake Hagerbaumer (76-84–160; T-43rd). D’Ercole closed the 2020-21 season as Concordia’s top GPAC finisher at 21st (80-82-70-85–317). Hagerbaumer and Webert made their debuts in conference tournament action while Williams entered the week having played in six GPAC rounds in his career.
Select members of the team will be in action this Saturday in a JV dual versus Doane at York Country Club. The final official meet of the fall will be the Nebraska Intercollegiate (Oct. 8-9) at Norfolk Country Club in Norfolk, Neb. The final two rounds of the GPAC Championships will be held in the spring of 2022 at The Bluffs Golf Course in Vermillion, S.D.