PALM CITY, Fla. – Ohio State showed that it has what it takes to compete against the best teams in the country this weekend at the Valspar Collegiate. With six of the Top 10 teams in the field, the Buckeyes finished in third place 14-under par. That was just seven shots off the pace of No. 1-ranked Florida State.
“We competed hard and certainly gave it a good push today,” said head coach Jay Moseley. “While we know there is still work to be done and some things we can clean up, this is certainly an encouraging week. I told the team Saturday night that if we go out and play the way we’re capable of, then on Tuesday afternoon, you’ll know you can compete with these teams. I think we did that this week.”
Freshman Maxwell Moldovan continues to impress. He carded three rounds in the 60s (66-69-69) to finish runner-up at 9-under par. He made four birdies in a seven-hole stretch on the back nine and climbed to within just a shot of the lead. The Uniontown, Ohio native has started his collegiate career with three Top 10 finishes and all nine of his rounds have been at par or better.
Felix Kvarnstrom opened the tournament with a 66 and closed it with a 70 on Tuesday to finish in a tie for 11th at 3-under par. Adam Wallin was also under for the 54-hole event, carding rounds of 68-72-72 (-1) to finish in a tie for 16th.
Sophomore Jackson Chandler enjoyed his best round of the season on Tuesday as he made five birdies in a round of 2-under 69. That lifted him into a tie for 26th at 3-over. Elis Svard finish with a 77 on Tuesday after posted a 1-under 70 in the second round.
The Buckeyes have now finished under-par as a team in three consecutive events. That is the first time that has happened since the 2003-04 season. As a team this week, the Buckeyes made 63 birdies and three eagles.
Ohio State will look to make it four-straight when they play in the Boilermaker Invitational on April 10-11 in West Lafayette, Ind.
TEAM 273-285-280 (-14) 3rd
Moldovan 66-69-69 (-9) T2nd
Kvarnstrom 66-74-70 (-3) T11th
Wallin 68-72-72 (-1) T16th
Chandler 73-74-69 (+3) T26th
Svard 75-70-77 (+9) T43rd
#GoBuckeyes
