UNION GROVE, Al.--- The Asbury men's and women's golf teams traveled to Union Grove, Al., to compete in their first tournament of the spring season at the Cherokee Ridge Golf Club. Freshman João Costa took his first career tournament win, completing a three-hole playoff in first place to take the individuals trophy.
Hitting through mud and lingering conditions from the recent storms, all teams faced many obstacles from both the course and the competition.
The Asbury men's team placed second overall in the tournament, coming in behind the host of the tournament, Spalding University.
After a hard-fought playoff, João Costa was able to clench the lead and win the spot of the top men's individual with a combined 4 over in the two days.
"To win my first tournament [in the United States] it feels good", said Costa. "Last semester was not rough but it was not the best one, so it's good to start this semester this way."
To secure the first-place title, Costa faced off against Spalding's Nolan Keeler, playing hole number 18 three times. Each time, Costa was able to put himself on or just on the fringe of the green, consistently two-putting for par.
Keeler missed the green each time but during the first two playoffs was able to chip close and get up-and-downs for pars. On the last attempt, Keeler just missed his par putt, giving Costa the win after a hard-fought battle.
"It is really difficult not to be nervous, every shot feels like it's the last one and everything can go wrong and everything can go good at the same time", said Costa. I was playing good so I just had to believe in my technique, and I think everything worked out."
Costa was not the only Asbury men's golfer to perform well during the trip, AU sophomore Garrett Sturges placed third overall with a 7 over finish in the tournament. Sturges showed out with 2 over on Saturday and 5 over on Sunday after struggling with putting on the tricky greens at Cherokee Ridge.
"I'm super proud of both of our teams," Head Coach Scott Ferguson said. "Obviously, to come out with an individual winner with João is great, but also you have to look at Garrett being a third."
"Overall it was pretty shaky, especially on the greens, but thankfully I put two solid two rounds together," Sturges said.
Another Asbury Eagle made it into the top five, with senior Juan Valdiviseo in a three-way tie for fifth place in the men's tournament.
Junior Austin Dunlap, a new addition to the golf team, finished up the tournament with a combined 30 over in his first collegiate tournament. The AU men's soccer forward played golf in high school and recently joined the Asbury golf team for their spring season.
"We are also really excited to have Austin Dunlap with us. This spring as a newcomer he fits great into our culture and I'm really looking forward to what we have in the next few tournaments," Ferguson said.
The Asbury women competed as individuals with only three Eagles traveling. A back injury complicated, senior, Gracie Turner's chance to travel as she had to sit the tournament out.
In Alabama, the competing individuals didn't perform to their hopes. Junior, Maddie Heineman placed 8th overall with an 85 and an 89.
"Comng off a break after nationals last season I wasn't sure what to expect of my game this tournament. I began to play well the first day but things slowly went off the rails when I couldn't sink key putts," Heineman said. "I am proud of a lot of my ball striking and I am hopeful for the season to come."
Freshman Trinity Reis was a combined 46 over after the two days. She shot a 91 Saturday and a 99 on Sunday.
Still impacted by a previous shoulder injury from last semester, freshman Anna Hunsinger had a challening weekend. Hunsinger was only able to hit half swings with every shot, giving her a combined 92 over in the two-day span.
"I know we all struggled with the tournament, but I think the first spring tournament is always a challenge. We saw our strengths and weaknesses over the weekend and now we can focus on improving those aspects in practice," Heineman said.
After a weekend in Alabama the Asbury men's and women's golf teams return to Wilmore with a first place victory, third place finish, and two top ten performances. A solid start to their 2023 spring campaign.
* João Costa | Won the tournament in a three-hole playoff (First Career Collegiate Win)
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Garrett Sturges | Third place overall finish
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Maddie Heineman | Top 10 Finish
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Juan Valdivieso | Tied for top five finish
"To have a men's winner and Maddie in the Top 10 was excellent. And then also to have the practice time for Trinity and Anna and also Juan, it's great. It's a good showing. We've had very limited practice this spring and so we really wanted to come down and use this tournament as an opportunity to practice and get better."
Scott Ferguson | Men's and Women's Golf Head Coach
Asbury women's golf will next compete on the weekend of March 25th in the Alice Lloyd Spring Invitation in Richmond, Ky. The men's team will compete in the Spring Arbor hosted tournament in Nicholasville, Ky., on March 27 and 28.
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