Buffs Men's Golf Finishes Strong to Take Fourth, de Bethencourt Takes Runner-Up Honors at Trailblazer Spring Invitational

TIGERVILLE, S.C. - The Milligan University men's golf squad competed as part of the Trailblazer Spring Invitational, hosted by NCAA Division II North Greenville University at Cherokee Valley Country Club on Monday and Tuesday. After a choppy first round, the Buffaloes surged through the second round to earn a fourth-place finish out of 11 attending programs.

Francisco de Bethencourt had a stellar round two, shooting a one-under-par 71, following his four-over-par 76 in the first round of action that put him within striking distance of the top contenders. He finished as the tournament's individual runner-up, and ended up three strokes clear of the third-place finishers.

Esteban Hicks was the next finisher for the Buffaloes, checking in tied for 19th place. He shot a first-round tally of 81 before improving that by three strokes in his second round. Not far behind him was Hjalmar Liljenberg, who posted a 30th-place result with a 18-over-par mark. Hugo Lundberg came out with a 33rd-place finish at +19 for the tournament.

Each of the Milligan golfers' second rounds were improvements upon their first-round showings, which led them to posting the second-lowest score out of the 11 teams in round two at 308 strokes.

The team now looks ahead to their home event of the spring, when they host the Northeast Tennessee Spring Shootout on Apr. 1 at Johnson City Country Club.