Kulwin Leads Men’s Golf to First Place Finish

The Loyola men’s golf team captured their first team tournament win since joining the Atlantic 10 conference as they dominated the Throw Down Up Top in Homer, NE Oct. 7-9.

Following a fifth-place finish at the Zach Johnson Invitational, the Ramblers headed westward for the invitational, finishing 16 strokes ahead of their competition.

The Ramblers got out to a fast start on the links as they finished the first of the three-day competition in second place with 291 strokes. They trailed Creighton University, who sat at 285 after the opening 18-holes, leaving them with some ground to make up the next day.

Loyola eventually found success on the second go-round — being the only university to finish under the 73-hole par as they matched their stroke count of 291 from the day prior.

The team posted a tournament best of 278, 13 strokes better than their previous two rounds, sealing the Ramblers’ best finish in a competition since winning the Missouri Valley Conference title in 2021.

Loyola’s success in the competition was due to strong performances from third-years Charlie Kulwin, Sebastian Kasun, Ryan Walsh, Dori Lee and redshirt third-year Zach Mulhearn.

Kulwin led the way score-wise for the maroon and gold finishing first overall after shooting six under par at 213 (73-72-68) and improving each round. His 68-shot third round matched his career-low score to cap off the best tournament of his collegiate career.

Kulwin’s teammates were right behind him as three of the four other Ramblers ended with top-ten finishes. Mulhearn led the pack and ended his rounds tied in fourth, only three strokes behind Kulwin at 216 (74-73-69), and only one shot behind second place.

Kasun was the next Rambler to place, ending up in seventh despite being only one stroke behind Mulhearn. Kasun’s 217 (76-72-69) across the three-day tournament earned him his best placement of the season and marked the fourth time he’s finished in the top-18 this season.

Rounding out a tightly packed top-10 group was Walsh, who shot a 218 (72-74-72). His final score put him level with three other competitors for 10th place. A total of 14 golfers —  including Walsh — finished within five strokes of the first-place Kulwin.

Rounding out the team scoring for Loyola was Lee, who placed 34th with 227 (72-75-80) strokes as a rough final round sank his placement. 

Loyola had one other golfer competing individually in second-year Jackson Overton, who finished 44th overall, shooting 230 (81-79-70) throughout the contest.

Loyola men’s golf head coach Erik Hoops spoke after the tournament on his decision to use a predominantly third-year group for the invitational.

“When I was trying to decide who to take this week, those upperclassmen just stuck out to me,” Hoops said. “It was time to have them play all together and show people what we can do. Getting that contribution from everyone is a huge testament to how hard those guys have pushed each other for moments like this.”

The Ramblers will look to continue their hot streak as they head into their final tournament of the fall season at the Dayton Flyer Invitational Oct. 21-22 in Dayton, OH.