CALERA, Ala. – The Spring Hill College (SHC) men's golf team opened the 2019-20 season with a 3^rd place finish out of the 9 teams that competed at the Full Moon Barbeque Invitational hosted by the University of Montevallo Falcons at Timberline Golf Club on Monday and Tuesday.
 
The Badgers shot twin scores of 290 over two rounds at the par 71 course for a final 580 (+12) combined score and finishing 12 strokes behind event champion University of West Georgia (UWG) (287, 281, 568, even).
 
Senior John Karcher of Detroit, Mich., finished the regulation rounds tied for the lead with a 4-under par 138 (72, 66) with UWG's Rece Moore (68, 70), but his par in the first sudden death playoff hole proved to be not enough as Moore drained an 18-foot putt for birdie and the title.
 
Freshman Brennan Dolnick of Webster Groves, Mo., made his collegiate debut by taking 146 strokes (71, 75, +4) to finish 13^th out of 45 participants while fellow freshman Yannik Wessel of Ehingen, Germany, looked good by closing the event in 14^th place in 147 strokes (74, 73, +5).
 
Freshman Rasmus Malmborg of Jonstorp, Sweden, and sophomore Pete Schilli of Birmingham rounded out the Badger effort with scores of 149 (73, 76, +7) and 155 (74, 81, +13) for 17^th and 31^st places, respectively.
 
The Badgers next tee off at the annual Flyer Intercollegiate hosted by Lewis University at Cog Hill Golf and Country Club in Lemont, Ill., on Monday-Tuesday, September 30-October 1.