Horsangchai leads Barton Men's Golf to third place finish at Central Kansas Classic

Two themes regarding the Barton Community College men's golf team have emerged in the fall portion of the schedule.  First, the Cougars don't start well but finish strong, and two, sophomore Jakkapat Horsangchai is proving he is a solid collegiate golfer.

Finishing up play in the two-day Central Kansas Classic held at Turkey Creek Golf Course, both themes proved true as the Cougars improved each round to grab third place while Horsangchai led from start to finish surviving as the lone golfer under par with a winning 4-under score.

Barton opened play with a 310 sitting in the fourth spot behind Jayhawk member Coffeyville Community College and NAIA schools Bethany College and Sterling College.   Matching the Ravens with a 300 in the second round spread over two days due to Monday's weather delay, the Cougars shaved off seven more strokes in the final eighteen to leap frog Coffeyville's 914  for the third placing with a combined team 903.

Bethany outshined Sterling for a twenty-seven stroke victory in part to outscoring the Warriors 280 to 299 in the second round to capture the championship with an 856.

Monday's rain delay of the start of the Classic in addition to stiff southern winds did little to phase Horsangchai.  Carding a birdie on the first hole, Horsangchai would bogey the next and the fifth hole but a birdie on the fourteenth would keep the Thailand native at even-par with a two-stroke edge after the first eighteen.   

Horsangchai would get revenge on the fifth hole with a birdie in the second round leading to a 2-under front nine moving to 4-under after birdies on twelve and fourteen.  Cruising into the sixteenth, Horsangchai would bogey the hole falling two more strokes with a double-bogey on seventeenth before sticking a red number back on the scorecard with a birdie on the eighteenth finishing the round at 2-under.

Draining another birdie on the opening hole beginning the final round, again the fifth hole brought Horsangchai back to par.  Horsangchai finished the final round with birdies on the ninth and seventeenth for a 2-under leaving the tournament victorious with the 4-under 206.

Seokhun Kang gave the Cougars two in the top ten with a tenth place 223 score.  Firing a pair of 2-over par rounds, Kang's round two scorecard wasn't as fortunate as six bogies and a glaring triple bogey led to a 79.  

Two Cougars battled within the next ten spots in the standings with Thitipong Homruen edging out teammate Calin Meyer for the 18th spot.   Homruen led Meyer by one with an opening 79 but Meyer tied things up with a second round 74.   As both birdied the fourteenth and bogeyed the seventeenth, Meyer's bogey on the sixteenth provided just enough margin as Homruen's 74 tied for 18th at 228 while Meyer slipped back to 20th spot with a 299.

Joining Meyer as the Barton individual entries, Dakota Soukup was also in the top twenty after two rounds of play following an opening 80 with a 74.  Getting off to a great start to the third round with a birdie on the first, Soukup struggled on the final eleven holes overshadowing a birdie on the seventeenth to finish with a 79 slipping to 22nd with a 234.

Coming in 35th, Christian Van Nover made a charge up the board in the second round firing a 78 to erase memories of an opening 89.  Van Nover carded a final round 81 to accumulate a two day total of 248.

Riley Kane opened with a 90 but like the team did, improved each subsequent rounds carding an 86 and 79 finishing the tournament in 39th with a 255.

Barton will wrap up the fall portion of the schedule Monday, October 24, as the Cougars play host to the one-day thirty-six hole Barton Invitationalon held at StoneRidge Golf Course.  

Complete Central Kansas Classic results