Great Scott is gone, but Scots can be great again in MWC

Release Date: March 17, 2005

MONMOUTH, Ill. — Monmouth College’s last official men’s golf competition ended in storybook fashion, with a clutch putt falling on the final hole to lift the Fighting Scots to a one-stroke victory at the 2004 Midwest Conference Championships. The league title was Monmouth’s second in the past three years.

Although graduation has claimed Chad Scott, who sank the six-foot, title-winning putt and who has been called one of the top two golfers in the history of Monmouth’s program, four of the six golfers who were part of that championship team return.

The quartet includes All-MWC performer Matt Hawkins, who fired an 83-79–162 at the conference meet to finish in 10th place. Hawkins was active for 14 of the Scots’ 17 competitive rounds last spring, compiling a stroke average of 80.6.

“I think we’re going to be very deep,” said fifth-year Scots coach Dave Ragone. “This is the most talent we’ve had since I’ve been here. We have 6-8 guys who can shoot in the mid-70s.”

Also back are Jeff Malek (80.8 in 15 rounds), Lee Radford (80.3 in 12 rounds) and Jeff Denny (81.3 in 12 rounds). Denny’s second-day 77 at the MWC meet was a key part of the Scots’ ability to hold off defending champion Knox.

Although Malek had a team-best 76 on the final day of the team’s spring break trip to Biloxi, Miss., Radford is actually playing the best golf of the bunch right now, turning in the most consistent scores.

“His work ethic is second to none,” said Ragone of Radford. “He reminds me of Chad (Scott) in that respect and his discipline toward the game. He’s very even-keeled.”

The top four returners were separated by a single stroke last year, and Ragone wouldn’t mind seeing that same consistency this spring, although he would like each golfer to lower his average somewhere under 80.

“As a team, we should be shooting anywhere from 305 to 310,” said Ragone. “A score of 320 means we’re counting four 80s, and we need to be lower than that.”

A year ago, Ragone referred to his recruiting class as “The Magnificent Seven,” and that group, which includes Denny and Radford, returns four other players. One of them, Nick Harwick, fired a round of 73 a year ago. Ben Leuck, who is currently injured, had a low round of 75. The other two players back for their second season are Doug Middendorf and Billy Schilling.

“Denny, Schilling and Middendorf all need to play well for us to be as good as we can be this season,” said Ragone. “If they play well, we’ll be very, very good.”

Monmouth residents Josh Pinney and Justin Martin have since joined the program and actually give the sophomore class eight players on the 14-man squad.

“Justin had a 79 for us on the final day in Biloxi, and I think Josh will help us somewhere down the road,” said Ragone. “It’s good to have two local guys coming from this golfing-rich community.”

Rounding out the team are senior Luke Colletti, junior Mike Wilmoth and freshmen Erik Hoffer (Stagg) and Joel Johnson (Indian Creek). Wilmoth was the low man during the Scots’ eight rounds of golf at Gibson Woods last fall, averaging right around 72.

Monmouth tees off Friday at noon in its first official competition of the season, the Millikin Invitational, which is a two-day, 36-hole event at the Lake Shore Golf Course in Taylorville, Ill. Among their 10 dates leading up to the May 6-7 conference tournament are three events in Galesburg and one at Gibson Woods. The latter event, the Monmouth College Invitational, is scheduled for April 16.

“We’re playing one of the toughest schedules since I’ve been here,” said Ragone. “Some of the best Division III golf is in the Midwest, and we’ll see a lot of those teams at meets at Central, Loras and Illinois Wesleyan.”

As for the conference race, Ragone feels it will come down to another tight battle among Monmouth, Knox and Lawrence. Those teams were separated by a single stroke last year at the halfway point of the MWC Championships before the Scots came through to beat Knox by one and Lawrence by 10.

Golf Homepage