TOWSON, Md. – Highlighted by a pair of hole-in-ones, personal bests and growth, the Towson University men's golf team had a solid fall campaign under first year head coach Mike Larkin.
 
Throughout the fall, the competitive Tigers blended a quiet confidence and an innocent, youthful exuberance that resulted in three top 10 tournament finishes. The Tigers were led by the triumvirate of sophomore Spencer Alexander, junior William Bachelor, and freshman Kobdech Rodrat. They all led Towson in a tournament at some point during the fall.
 
"Overall we showed a lot of potential as a young team and it's going to be fun chasing down the consistency we're looking for in the spring," Larkin said. "I just want to thank the guys for providing so many highlights – in a little over a month span they flew three shots directly into the cup, in competition. I've never heard of or seen anything like that, so thanks to them for giving me a first semester of my coaching career that there's no way I could ever forget."
 
Bachelor had a hole-in-one at the Hartford Hawk Invitational on the 158-yard, par-three seventh hole. A few weeks later at the Elon Phoenix Invitational, Alexander joined the exclusive club on the 181-yard, par-three 16th-hole. The feats were impressive considering before this season, the Tigers hadn't made a hole-in-one since Chris Scialo accomplished the feat in the first round of the 2010 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) championships at the Homestead.
 
"The fall season was great in that I really got a chance to understand the guys' strengths and weaknesses by watching them compete," Larkin said. "Gradually they bought into the ideas I presented about plotting their way around a golf course. They started to stick to the process more, without reacting to results. A lot of them saw improved results as they did those things so now it's a matter of doing it consistently, making those things habits."
 
Alexander's 72.2 scoring average was 14th among CAA golfers. He had four rounds under 70, including a season best 67 in the final round of the Phoenix Invitational. Alexander was one stroke from tying his career best, which was established at the CAA tournament last year. He finished tied for third overall at the Mountaineer Invitational after shooting three-under during the three-round tournament.
 
Rodrat led the Tigers in the first two tournaments at the Doc Gimmler Invitational and Hartford Hawk Invitational. He averaged 72.4 and enjoyed four under par rounds. He had a career best 67 in the final round of the Doc Gimmler Invitational and finished two-under par at the Hartford Hawk Invitational.
 
Averaging 72.8 for the fall, Bachelor enjoyed a career weekend at the Phoenix Invitational. The centerpiece of that performance was shooting a 69, which was his first career round under 70. He led Towson and was one-over par for the event. Bachelor shot a career best 67 in the first round of the ODU/OBX Invitational. He had four under par rounds for the Tigers.
 
Jackson Courtney ended the fall with a bang by carding a one-under career best 70 in the final round of the ODU/OBX Invitational. He also finished with 223 for the weekend, which is something to build on heading into the fall. Arthur Muller, Doug Grem and Nakarin Kornpatlerdsin made strong contributions during the fall.
 
"We had 3 freshmen in the lineup most of the season, so there are challenges that come along with that," Larkin said. "On the other side of it, they're getting tournament experience very quickly so that's going to be a huge advantage for them as we move forward. We got in the mix a little bit in a few tournaments.
 
"I think the guys realize, looking back on it, that we typically had three good scores each round, when we needed four to contend. And that all goes back to those good habits. As we get better at that we'll have four or five good scores on a consistent basis, and that's how you give yourself opportunities to win events."
 
The Tigers will release their spring schedule within the next few weeks.