Bellarmine University’s DJ Vogt carded a final round 73 (+3) and finished tied for 17th with a 215 (+5) aggregate total at the NCAA Division II Men’s Golf National Championship contested at the par-70, 7,054-yard Watson Course of the Reunion Resort on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Vogt’s finish represents the second-highest finish by a Bellarmine golfer in the national finals, but he came up one shot shy of making the top 15, which would have meant automatic All-America status.
“Unfortunately, I was one shot short,” Vogt said, “but I’m looking forward to getting stronger and better for next year so I can return to nationals with my teammates.”
Vogt posted rounds of 73, 69 and 73, and with his second round 69 became the first player from Bellarmine to post a sub-70 round in the NCAA finals.
Playing conditions today were the toughest of the championship with high winds wreaking havoc on scores. In fact, today’s average score was 76.6, compared to 73.53 over the first two days.
Starting on the 18th hole in today’s shotgun start, Vogt quickly dropped a shot with a bogey but rebounded with nine straight pars on the front side. After making the turn, he posted bogeys on Nos. 10, 12 and 13 before coming back with consecutive birdies on 14 and 15. Vogt dropped another shot on 16 and closed with a par on No. 17. His back nine score card featured two pars, two birdies and five bogeys.
“I struck the ball extremely well,” Vogt said, “but the wind made scoring very difficult. On hole 10 (a par-4), I couldn’t even reach the green in two with a 3-wood from the fairway.”
Vogt added, “When you played into the wind, you had to add almost 40 yards, which made it really challenging to choose the right club. However, the hardest thing to do in the wind is putt.”
Only one player in the field managed to break par in the 54-hole stroke play portion of the championship as West Florida’s Chandler Blanchet won the individual championship after posting rounds of 70, 66 and 73 to finish at 209 (-1).
In the team competition, the top eight finishers in stroke play will advance to the medal-match play portion of the event. Barry University earned the top seed with an 850 (+10) total. The other seven advancing teams include: Florida Southern, West Florida, Lynn, Florida Tech, Newberry, Ferris State and Arkansas Tech.
Twenty teams and eight individuals (two from each regional) qualified for the national championship. Vogt, who earned his way into the championship field by finishing second at the Midwest/Central Regional, had the highest finish of the eight individual players in the field.
FINAL STROKE PLAY RESULTS
John Spugnardi
Sports Information Director
Bellarmine University