Mulhearn Marches Men’s Golf to Sixth Place at Wright State Invitational

Loyola men’s golf headed east to Springboro, Ohio for their final tournament of the spring season at the Wright State Invitational April 13-14. They looked to follow up on a third-place podium finish from the Don Benbow Butler Invitational March 31 through April 1.

Loyola sent third-years Ryan Walsh, Sebastian Kasun, Dori Lee and last week’s Atlantic 10 Golfer of the Week Charlie Kulwin. Redshirt third-year Zach Mulhearn and first-year Connor Woodin rounded out the six-man crew, where only the top four scores were counted.

The contest began bright and early, with Loyola kicking off a 7:30 a.m. shotgun start for round one on the par-71 course. 

Kulwin and Mulhearn both got off to hot starts in the opening round as they put up scores of -3 and -2 — Kulwin piled up six birdies to Mulheanr’s four. Behind them, Woodin and Kasun tied, both finishing one over par at 72 strokes. Coming in fifth for Loyola was Walsh with a score of +2 with Lee one shot behind him at +3, posting the Ramblers’ only eagle on hole nine.

Loyola’s combined score of -3 put them in fifth place after the first 18 holes before Mulhearn kicked off the second round shooting the best for the Ramblers, as he finished one under par with three birdies and two bogeys. Walsh and Kasun followed at even par, both posting eagles on hole nine along with Lee, who shot his second eagle on the ninth hole with the next lowest score of +2.

Kulwin posted his worst score of the invitational with a +4 after four bogeys and a double-bogey sunk his round. Woodin struggled as well, with a +5 after four bogeys and two double-bogeys. Despite a worse round with Loyola posting a +1, they managed to hang in fifth place heading into the second day and final round.

Walsh continued to improve upon his previous rounds, as he ended the weekend with his best round at -2 with six birdies. Kulwin regained his form and finished under par for the second time on the weekend, lining up four birdies of his own to clinch one under par. 

Mulhearn ended his tournament with his worst round of one over as he sank Loyola’s fifth eagle of the week on hole nine. A back-to-back double and triple bogey from Kasun and two double-bogeys from Lee negated promising play from the pair as they both finished four over. Woodin wrapped up the invitational with a six-over finish after recording a triple-bogey on hole 10. 

Loyola’s final round proved to be their worst of the invite, as they finished two over par and even with par overall to seal sixth place. 

Individually, Mulhearn led the way for the Ramblers, finishing 14th overall at -2 after his final round dropped him 11 spots. Kulwin and Walsh tied for 21st as they both ended even with par. Kasun rounded out the Ramblers’ scoring with a 44th finish at five over par.

Lee and Woodin brought up the rear for Loyola with scores of +9 and +12 to finish 62nd and 71st.

Heading into the Atlantic 10 Championships, head coach Erik Hoops spoke to Loyola Athletics about his confidence in the team’s odds.

“We know when we play our best golf and have all five guys clicking, we can beat anyone we tee it up against.” Hoops said. “We’ll have a great couple of days in Florida getting prepped for A10s on Bermuda grass. I feel great about where we are tee to green right now.”

Men’s golf will tee off once more this season in Orlando for the championships April 22-24. They’ll be on the lookout for their first conference championships since they won the Missouri Valley Conference in 2021.