The University of Redlands men's golf team continued its mantra of success during the 2015-16 campaign with a mix of veterans and newcomers that held the high standards for excellence. After a solid showing throughout the entire season, the Bulldogs earned a second-place showing in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championships, piggybacking off of a gold-medal performance by senior standout John McCord (Oakland, CA).
Prior to the solid finish of the season, the Bulldogs took on formidable foes in a pair of competitive matches during the fall semester. After placing 11th at the Sonoma State Invitational, the Maroon and Gray regained its familiar place among the top 10 with a sixth-place finish at the Cal State San Marcos Classic. McCord used a score of 216 (73-68-75) to earn him tied for 13th place among the talented field. Sophomore George Galanis (Glencoe, IL) finished in the top 25 with a tied-for-22nd effort with a three-round total of 219 (77-74-68).
Redlands hit the ground running in the spring by kicking off the conference season in fine fashion. The Bulldogs owned the top spot after day one at the SCIAC Tournament No. 1, but settled for the silver medal after 36 holes with an overall score of 635. McCord led the Maroon and Gray with a two-day tally of 158 (78-80) to take fifth place in the individual standings. Overall, he ranked third among the field in par-five scoring by notching a tally of 4.88 for minus one. He also registered five birdies over the two days. Freshmen Alex Stroes (San Marcos, CA) and Cade Lawson (Lake Oswego, OR) closely followed at 159, with each recording an opening round of 77.
The Bulldogs continued February play with a top-10 finish at the CSUSB Coyote Classic that included a field of nearly all Division II teams, with a handful of them being ranked in the top 50. With McCord leading the charge, Redlands placed eighth overall with a three-round total score of 900.
While taking on a NCAA Division I field at the 20th Annual Del Walker Intercollegiate, the Bulldogs put together their best three-round score of the season with an 875 to finish 11th. McCord fired off back-to-back rounds of 69 to secure a top-15 finish.
During the month of March, Redlands' busy slate of competition was highlighted by a bronze-medal finish at the West Cup. After sitting in fifth place following the first day of action, the Bulldogs climbed up the leaderboard to tie for third place with an overall score of 905. Foxley led the way for the Bulldogs by placing sixth overall with a lowly three-round score of 221 (73-73-75) as a result of his impressive consistency. Over the course of 54 holes, he notched 36 pars, which was second-best amongst the field. In addition, he was two-under on par-five holes. While showing improvement each round, Galanis finished in the top 25 after carding a 54-hole total of 230 (78-77-75) to earn him tied-for-17th . Lawson finished just outside of the top 25 by tying for 26th place after earning a final tally of 232 (77-79-76). Sophomore Joseph Kuehn (Eugene, OR) rounded out the Bulldog competitors by carding a three-round total of 242 (76-81-85).
After a solid showing at the West Cup, the Bulldogs geared up for the SCIAC Tournament No. 2 and the SCIAC Championships, marking the final tournaments of the season.
However, the Bulldogs struggled in the early April outing at Anaheim Hills Golf Course and placed fourth overall. McCord led the team by tying for second with an 36-hole score of 142. The lefty swinger carded a lowly opening round of 67, which was tied for the best through the first day, before completing the competition with a 75. Freshman Travis Winn (Salinas, CA) entered the club house just shy of the top five by earning a season-best, two-round score of 145 (72-73) for sixth place overall. Galanis tied for 31st with an overall mark of 154 (80-74), while Foxley finished right behind him with a total swing count of 155 (76-79) to place 33rd overall.
Despite the challenges of the previous tournament, the Bulldogs regrouped to haul in the silver medal at the SCIAC Championships on the back of a solid showing from McCord.
McCord led the tournament wire-to-wire and reigned supreme on the individual leaderboard by earning medalist honors with a six-under score of 210 (65-73-72) through 54 holes. His day-one round of 65 set the pace, as it was the second-best score of the tournament throughout the three days. During the season finale, McCord fired off 13 birdies and 31 pars while taking down three of the top-ranked golfers in the nation with his gold-medal finish.
Stroes finished in sixth place after starting the tournament tied for ninth. He completed his tournament with a lowly 69 to land him two-over at the event with a total score of 218 (74-75-69). Additionally, Stroes holed 10 birdies – two of which came in back-to-back fashion during the final two holes on the last day.
Galanis finished in the top 20 by signing his scorecard with a 225 (76-75-74) for a tied-for-12th-place showing. He climbed three sports during the three-day championships by shaving off a stroke each day en route to finishing with 33 pars and seven birdies.
Foxley finished with a tied-for-21st–place effort by carding a three-round total of 228 (71-82-75), while Lawson rounded out the Bulldog golfers with a 34th-place finish with a total score of 236 (78-84-74).
Upon conclusion of the season, McCord was tagged with numerous honors, including the SCIAC Lee Fulmer Men's Golfer of the Year following his first-place finish. In addition, he earned his third-career Golf Coaches Association of American (GCAA) All-America nod, fourth-consecutive Division III PING All-West Region recognition, and was named a semifinalist for the NCAA Division III Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year award.
Stroes earned an All-SCIAC First-Team nod after putting together a six-round average of 75.16. He fired off a season-best round of 69 during the last 18 holes of the SCIAC Championships, which proved to be instrumental in the Bulldogs' second-place finish.
Under the direction of first-year Head Coach Fred Hanover, the Bulldogs gained solid success throughout the 2015-16 season, but look forward to the next chapter of Redlands Men's Golf. Although graduating McCord results in a significant void, the Maroon and Gray holds high hopes for continued excellence with new talent stepping up at every opportunity. With the right combination of dedication and skill, the Bulldogs strive to regain the SCIAC title and return to the NCAA Championships in the coming seasons.