Junior Austin Kendziorski led the newly Top 25-ranked Golden Eagles to a third place finish at the 15-team Marquette Intercollegiate at Erin Hills this week while en route to a co-medal individual finish.
Marquette finished 13 strokes over par, shooting a steady 290, 296, and 293 across the three-day event. The squad fell by two strokes to UCLA, who finished second. Texas A&M, the top-ranked team in the country won the tournament and finished an astounding 11 strokes ahead the nearest competitor.
For the Golden Eagles, it was Kendziorski’s day to shine. The junior finished three strokes under par, tying Florida State’s Harry Ellis for the tournament’s best performance.
Kendziorski headed into the final day of golf five strokes under par. With a birdie on the 54th hole, he sealed a share of the individual medal.
“There’s definitely those emotions, and you can’t hide or deny those feelings of nervousness,” Kendziorski said. “It’s just the understanding that if you’re getting nervous, then you’re probably doing something right (and) putting yourself in a good spot to compete.”
Kendziorski demonstrated how head coach Steve Bailey wants his team to play. With a newly minted spot as the No. 22 ranked team— the first ever appearance in the top 25 in program history— Bailey hopes his team can continue to see their hard work pay off and not allow the ranking to affect their play.
“Today was a true test of toughness,” Bailey said. “It’s a really, really tough course. Obviously we didn’t finish at the top of the leaderboard, but (Texas) A&M is a really good program and we really kept up with them for a couple days.”
It was the third event in a row the Golden Eagles landed a place among the final group on the last day of play, demonstrating their continued ability to compete for first place finishes.
“Our guys know that when we play our best we can play with anyone,” Bailey said. “We always say ‘we put our socks and shoes on just like everyone else.”
Marquette begins its fourth fall season tournament Oct. 8 at the Northwestern-hosted Windon Memorial Classic.
