by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Kansas City Kansas Community College got some improved performances in the Ottawa Invitational golf tournament Wednesday but still had to settle for a third place finish.
Blue Devil sophomore Zach Miller missed medalist honors by a single stroke, finishing in a tie for third behind co-medalists Michael Kinkelaar of Ottawa and Cooper Spears of Southwestern, who shot identical 77-74-151s.
Tied for first with a 2-over par 74 after 18 holes, Miller’s 78 Wednesday left him one shot back at 152 in the tourney played at Eagle Bend Golf Club in Lawrence.
Host Ottawa took team honors with a 36-hole total of 609, seven shots in front of runnerup Southwestern (616).
Tied with Rockhurst B at the halfway point, KCKCC took third at 626, five shots in front of Rockhurst. Rockhurst C took fifth at 650 followed by Kansas Wesleyan (652), Bethel (654) and Ottawa B (680).
Sophomore Evin Wheaton and freshman Cameron Riley tied for 10th at 156.
Wheaton knocked four shots off his first round with an 80-76-156; Riley lowered his second round by six strokes with the Blue Devils’ best round of the day, a 3-under 75 after an opening 81.
Sophomore Harry Welsh tied for 15th at 79-78-157.
Garrett Scott lowered his first round score by nine shots to finish in a tie for 29th (87-78-165); Garrett Clark finished 35th (84-86-170); and Aidan McClellan 38th (88-86-174).
The Blue Devils are now idle until next Tuesday and Wednesday when they compete in the Evangel Invitational at Rivercut in Springfield, Missouri.