During yet another historic campaign, the University of Redlands men's golf team was nothing short of remarkable, as highlighted by five first-place showings, new school records, multiple individual accolades, and the program's 25th Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) title. In addition, the Bulldogs finished fifth at the NCAA Division III Championships while making their 13th appearance since 2001.
Equipped with a national ranking of 10th, the Maroon and Gray jumped into action by taking on quality competition at the Sonoma State Invitational in mid-October. With his bronze-medal showing, junior John McCord (Oakland, CA) led the team to a fourth-place finish, thanks in part to the Bulldogs' 296 outing during the final round of the 36-hole tournament.
Three weeks later, the Bulldogs capped off a solid fall portion of the 2014-15 season by turning on the jets at the Cal State San Marcos Fall Classic. With seniors Bobby Holden (Simi Valley, CA) and Anthony Estes (San Pedro, CA) pacing the squad, Redlands finished atop the podium with a three-round total of 858. While holing 17 birdies at the event, Holden notched a 54-hole score of 206 to earn his first win of the year. After topping the field with 39 pars, Estes registered a score of 211 for the silver medal to complete an outstanding one-two performance for the Maroon and Gray.
After a brief hiatus from competition, Redlands returned to action at the UC Riverside Mission Cup on January 26. Holden and Estes both collected medalist honors, as they each notched an even 72 to aid in the team's second-place showing. In addition, junior Ryan Turner (Ventura, CA) placed in the top 10 by tallying a score of 77.
After their non-conference outing, the Bulldogs immediately hopped into conference competition, placing first with an overall score of 599 at the SCIAC Tournament No. 1. Holden remained the hottest golfer for the Maroon and Gray by taking third with a two-day score of 147 (74-73). Furthermore, McCord and freshman Jake Ryan (Portland, OR) finished side-by-side in the individual standings at fourth place with scores of 151. The strong display gave the Maroon and Gray an advantage of 22 strokes or more over rivals Cal Lutheran University, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, and the University of La Verne. This resulted in great, early-season momentum in determining the conference champion, which includes all SCIAC rounds in aggregate scoring.
Redlands completed its February schedule with a second-place effort of 869 at the CSUSB Coyote Classic. While taking on a talented field, Holden was the top NCAA Division III competitor with a fourth-place score of 212 (68-75-69). McCord fired off a school-record 64 to start the tournament and ended in 12th place with a final tally of 216 (64-77-75). Furthermore, Ryan made his way onto Redlands' top-15 performances in school history by shooting a 66 during the opening 18 holes.
The Bulldogs remained relentless in their subsequent tournaments by hauling in a pair of first-place, come-from-behind performances. The first came at the Las Vegas Desert Classic, during which they climbed from tied-for-fourth place to the top of the podium with a final team score of 590. After posting a 143 (76-67) among a field of numerous NCAA Division II opponents, Holden led the Bulldogs' charge with another medalist finish. McCord gained a solid performance by notching eight birdies en route to a ninth-place showing at 147 (72-75).
Next, Redlands, now ranked fourth in the country, continued to shine with a first-place total of 892 during the important West Cup that featured many of the best from the region. The Bulldogs successfully bested La Verne, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, and Cal Lutheran in a tight finish among the top four. In another exceptional effort, Holden tied for first place with a three-round total of 214 (67-77-70), while McCord placed third with a scores of 72, 74, and 71.
In early April, the Bulldogs earned the honor of being ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division III according to the Golfstat ranking. The Maroon and Gray channeled this accomplishment by resuming its SCIAC journey with another first-place showing during the SCIAC Tournament No. 2. While leading wire-to-wire during the two-day competition, the Bulldogs put together a total score of 573 as the only team to finish under par at the challenging Los Serranos Course in Chino Hills. With the win, the Maroon and Gray also extended its lead to 30 strokes or more in the aggregate scoring to determine the conference champion. Individually, the Bulldogs saw four golfers land in the top 10, highlighted by Holden's second-place score of 138 (68-70), which was just two strokes behind the medalist. McCord provided solid consistency by tying for fifth place with a score of 143 (70-73), while Estes closely followed in a tie for seventh at 145 (72-73). Turner rounded out the Bulldogs' top-10 finishers, as he swung his way to a final tally of 148 (73-75) for 10th place.
Two weeks later, Redlands took on the conference rivals once again by teeing off at Oak Valley Golf Course for the 2015 SCIAC Championships. As a team, the Bulldogs battled through a tough tournament to earn a score of 893 for third place at the three-day competition. Despite La Verne's impressive push throughout the event, Redlands remained ahead in the aggregate scoring to capture the program's 25th SCIAC Championship. This marked the first title under Head Coach Butch Edge in his six-year tenure at the helm.
During the regular-season finale, Holden pioneered the way for the Bulldogs once again, placing second among the talented field with a score of 213 (67-74-73). Overall, he holed 12 birdies, which was the most on the Redlands squad and second overall. Turner dug deep to overcome an untimely illness to place seventh with a score of 224 (74-75-75). McCord and Estes finished back-to-back in the standings at 17th and 18th, respectively.
By being crowned the SCIAC Champions, the Bulldogs earned an automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Division III Championships for the program's 13th national appearance since 2001.
After day one of the four-day tournament, Holden notched a four-under score of 68 to lead the Bulldogs to second place with a team tally of 285. Redlands elevated its position to the top of the leaderboard by shooting a 296 during the next round. Estes provided incredible consistency by firing off par-72 for the second day in a row and propelling the Bulldogs into first place. Through 36 holes, the Maroon and Gray led the field with 121 pars and a par-four average of 4.18.
Despite their early success, the Bulldogs dropped to fifth place after day three and ultimately stayed there for the remainder of the tournament. Estes finished as Redlands' top golfer by capping off his championship total of 290 with a day-four stroke count of 73. Estes proved to be extremely poised and consistent throughout the event, completing each round either even or one-over par. Overall, he registered 46 pars and 12 birdies for a solid performance. After notching a 72-hole score of 296, McCord and Holden each tied for 21st in the individual standings. Turner completed the NCAA Championships with a score of 307 to finish tied-for-54th, while Ryan posted a four-round tally of 323 to tie for 76th overall.
Following the year's many triumphs, the Bulldogs received various awards for their stellar contributions both on the links and in the classroom.
Holden capped off his illustrious career at Redlands as one of the Bulldogs' most decorated student-athletes of all time. He was awarded Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) All-America honors for the fourth time, with back-to-back First-Team nods. In addition, he collected his fourth-consecutive All-SCIAC First-Team accolade, to go along with his third GCAA Division III PING All-West Region award. Holden shined in the classroom as well, garnering CoSIDA Academic All-District and All-America laurels, SCIAC All-Academic honors, and NCAA Division III Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-American Scholar recognition. Finally, he was named a finalist for the NCAA Division III Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year and the prestigious Byron Nelson Award. Prior to commencement, the Bulldogs recognized Holden as one of two Frank Serrao Senior Male Scholar-Athletes of the Year at Redlands.
In addition, McCord became a two-time All-American with this year's Second-Team selection. He also joined Holden on the All-SCIAC First Team, GCAA Division III PING All-West Region Team, and received NCAA Division III Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-American Scholar recognition.
Estes gained GCAA Division III PING All-West Region accolades and became an All-American for the first time in his career with a spot on the Second Team. He landed on the All-SCIAC Second Team as well.
Finally, Redlands boasted four or more All-Conference selections for the second year in a row, as Turner and Ryan also gained All-SCIAC Second-Team honors to bring this season's total to five.
Furthermore, the Bulldogs' accolades extended to the coaching staff, with Edge being named the GCAA Golf Pride Grips® West Region Coach of the Year. Prior to this announcement, he became a finalist for the NCAA Division III Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award. In addition, his coaching colleagues honored him as the SCIAC Coach of the Year during the conference's centennial year of competition.
With the departure of a talented senior class, the Bulldog men's golf team has a sizeable void to fill with competitive ability and an intense desire for success. While relying on the experience and leadership of Edge, the returning competitors look forward to stepping up to the challenge of vying for conference and national achievement as they remain true to their high standard of excellence.