The Goshen Men’s golf team competed in the two-day St. Francis Invitational this weekend against stiff competition. However, the biggest struggles of the weekend were of the unexpected variety: weather and injuries.
The Maple Leafs golfers went as a trio to Brookwood Country Club in Ft. Wayne, Ind. on Friday. However, Saturday the school was represented by a lone golfer.On Friday the golf team began play under miserable conditions for two of the golfers. On the third hole of the day, Brian Charles, a sophomore, began feeling pain in his back and feared the worst.
“I think I dislocated my sacroiliac joints in my back,” said Charles. “It really hurt to hit through the ball. I couldn’t hit it as hard.”
However, Charles decided to play through the pain and finished the remaining 15 holes of the day with an 87.
Meanwhile, Ben Pollitt, a junior, was dealing with some shoulder injuries. Greg Hire, coach, said Pollitt couldn’t even lift his arm.
“He still played and shot a solid 77,” said Coach Hire. “But neither Brian nor Ben played Saturday. They couldn’t play.”
Outside of the injuries, the team also had a tough course to play on. Wind and some rainy conditions challenged the golfers on long shots while a thick rough and tough pin positions hindered the team in the short game.
