Sports

Cavaliers gain ground

• After a dismal start to the opening round of the NJCAA nationals on Tuesday, the three-time champion Darton College golf team fared much better during Round 2, moving from fifth to third-place overall.

Greg Demmitt
Special to The Herald

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — It’s said that it’s “an ill wind that blows no good.”

The high winds with gusts up to 35 miles per hour haven’t done anyone any good at the 2008 NJCAA Division II golf championship, but Darton College might be suffering less damage than others.

On Wednesday the Cavaliers posted a team total 297, three shots worse than the first day but the best of the day any team and 10 strokes better than leader Tyler (Texas) Junior College that had jumped out to a 19-stroke lead over Darton on Tuesday.

The Cavs gained one stroke on second-place Mesa Community College and passed Southeast (Neb.) Community College for third place and a chance to go head-on against the leaders today and tomorrow.

That sits well with Chesley Gunn, who finished with his second 74.

“What we really need is to get in the last group,” the Valdosta State-bound sophomore said. “We’ll have a chance. If we’re with them, they’ll know we’re there — you know what I mean?”

Gunn struggled through the final four holes after dropping to three-under with his second eagle of the tournament on the same hole, the par-5 14th.

“I choked,” he said. “I just blew up. I made bad swings when I needed to make good ones. Three under and I went bogey, double, double.

“You get a good round going and you get scared — the end is tough but it isn’t that tough.” Jin Chung, who led the Cavs with a one-under 71, gave the final four holes the best shot when he took a birdie on the par-3 16 that played 185 yards into a stiff wind.

“I hit a punch four-iron,” he said. “I hit it solid.”

“I hit the ball better than yesterday. My putter worked pretty good for five feet but I wasn’t hitting those 10-foot putts for birdies.”

Chung and Matt Smith both made the turn at one-under but Smith, who shot a 71 on Monday, went four-over on the back nine to finish with a 75.

Coach Dale Dover said that he had his hopes up with Gunn at three-under and Chung and Smith following at one-under.

“I thought we could have finished at 290,” he said. “We didn’t milk it— I can tell you that.”

The temperature had only reached 90 when Darton finished at 11 a.m., but was pushing 100 by mid-afternoon. The temps are expected to fall today and tomorrow but the winds will continue, along with a chance of rain.

That had Dover challenging Evan Hanna, who posted a 77, to keep the ball lower.

“I have the low shot in the bag,” the freshman said. “I have the shots — I was just trying to do stupid stuff.

“With this wind it’s a much different course. You have to start the ball toward places you don’t want to go. You have to trust it and when you’re not hitting well, it’s hard to trust it.”

Dover wanted Hanna to start hitting lower but thought he should wait until after the match to talk to him about it.

“I don’t want to put doubt in my player’s mind,” he said. “I’m not hitting it, he is. But he probably had the best two tee shots we had today (on 17 and 18) and needed to keep the ball down.”

Captain Coleman Calhoun continued to struggle, posting a 79 after taking a two-shot penalty for an improper drop.

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