Good golf wasn’t good enough for USC at this week’s Trinity Forest Invitational.
Last Tuesday, the Trojans finished second place, playing what head coach Mark Hankins called “good golf.” USC had the tools to win at the three-round tournament, but they came up three strokes short of the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers — a team they were five strokes ahead of to start the last round
The Trojans were armed with graduate Deitrek Gill, who started his first tournament for the team this season by firing a bogey-free, eight-under-par 64, punctuated with an impressive eagle on hole 18. He shot a four-under 68 the next day to tie teammate junior Jaden Dumdumaya for USC’s lowest 36-hole score of the season.
The course conditions played in USC’s favor. Trinity Forest Golf Club had several days of rain leading up to the tournament, resulting in conditions markedly similar to the Trojans’ home Rolling Hills Country Club, according to Hankins. This aided two scorching rounds that gave USC the solo lead after 36 holes for the first time this season.
Despite a strong outing, the Trojans were no match for ETSU’s final-round performance. Their 13-under finish tied for the second-best team score of the day. All five Buccaneers shot even or better in the final round, and combined for only three rounds over par across 54 holes.
“We wanted to come away with a win, but I think everybody is just happy enough with how we played,” Gill said. “We all have a lot of trust and faith in each other to get the job done and we can keep improving as the season goes on. We’re still expecting to have a fantastic season.”
USC’s last-round shortcoming came four weeks after they finished fifth at the Bombs Darts Birds Collegiate despite entering the final round two strokes behind the leader. Hankins said there was no correlation between the two finishes. He explained that USC did poorly in the final round at Bombs Darts Birds. Whereas at Trinity Forest they carded competitive scores, ETSU simply outperformed them.
Still, an ETSU comeback looked improbable given USC’s aggressive start.
Gill set the tone early, and Dumdumaya joined him as the only other Trojan to break par in round one after going four under. The Trojans had their sights set on overtaking the University of Nevada - Las Vegas entering the second round as they trailed by four strokes — 14 under to 10 under.
UNLV’s senior Zach Little and sophomore Aaron Van Hauwe started especially hot, carding a six-under 66 and five-under 67 respectively.
USC blew past them by 12 strokes in round two, aided by UNLV’s lethargic two-under combined score. Five Trojans were under par after 36 holes including Gill, who led both the 90-player field and the team’s charge to the top of the leaderboard.
Everyone except Dumdumaya broke par in round two, combining for 14-under and tying the second-best single-round team score of the tournament.
The Trojans hit the ground running in the final round. The team added five birdies to their five-stroke lead in the first two holes, which ETSU didn’t chip away at until after the turn.
By hole 13, the Buccaneers hit a stride USC couldn’t match. ETSU outpaced USC by three strokes through 16, and three Trojan bogeys on hole 18 sealed the finish.
Hankins said his players don’t think about scores while they play, even as ETSU chipped at their lead. They instead focus on their own game and only consider the numbers when they’re tallied at the end.
Despite the loss, USC’s second-place finish also came with sizzling individual performances. Gill came in second to tie his career-best finish, and senior Nicolas Dominguez wasn’t far behind tied-eighth. Sophomore Joshua Hong and junior Jack Buchanan sat three strokes back, tied for 21st, marking the second straight tournament that four Trojans placed in the Top 25.
According to Hankins, USC will face stiffer competition this week at the Golf Club of Georgia Intercollegiate, the team’s final tournament of the year.
Edited by Sydnie McClain and Sammie Vassallo