A young golf team proves itself against seasoned players in the AIC The Harding Bison golf team began their season at the DeGray tournament in October. John Harris and Bruce Johnston led, each finishing with a score of 77. Harding carded 323 as a team, bringing them into the number two spot for the tournament, slightly behind Henderson State, who shot a 312. The Bisons' spirit was certainly not dampened by the shortened match due to rain at River Oaks later in October. Before weather ended the match, they totaled 155 through nine holes and earned their first win for the season. Bison sophomore Brad Williams, an AIC medalist, regained his stroke to post a 36. At the end of October, the Bisons finished third at the Crossroads ofAmerica Golf Classic in Miami , Okla. Johnston finished in second place with a 147 over 36 holes. As a team, the Bisons finished at 633 strokes, 11 strokes shy of Central Missouri State University's 622. Throughout the spring, Harding managed to stay on top of theAIC golf competitions until the middle four rounds , when Arkansas Tech pulled slightly ahead. The final team rankings were based on six rounds, averaging the points per round. ATU finished first with 46 and Harding trailed closely with 44. Coach Scott Ragsdale commented, "It was a two-team race all year. We played some very good golf, but Tech managed to be a little better. " The final two rounds for the AIC golf competition were played in April at the Ponce de Leon course in Hot Springs Village, where Tech led with 618 for 36 holes to Harding's 619 . "Ponce de Leon is definitely one of the tougher courses in the state," said sophomore Brad Wood. UA Monticello and Ouachita lagged behind by 50 strokes or more. The AllTournament andAll-AIC teams were also dominated by Tech and Harding. Williams, a sophomore said, "We had the most talent at the tournament, but we just didn 't seem to use it." Brad Williams was the tournament and AIC runner-up with 152 and 75.3 average. John Harris, Johnston and Wood were other Bison All-Tournament selections placing third, fifth and sixth, respectively. Johnston placed fourth in stroke average and Wood placed sixth; both made the All-AIC team, along with teammate Williams. Williams, Johnston and Wood made the Golf AIC All-Conference standings in 1995. The three were also included in the AIC Medalist standings for 1995. "I am pleased with our team and how they performed,"Ragsdale said. "They are still young, and I see Harding being even better next year. " The 11-member team for the 1994-95 season also included DavidAngel,AndrewBaker, James Clark, David DeWitt, John Harris, David Johnson, Matt Tiller and Chad Williams. Most of the team members were scheduled to return for the 1996 season. - Shellie Morris Golf. First row: John Harris, James Clark, Matt Tiller! Brad Williams, Brad Wood, Bruce Johnston. Second row: Coach Scott Ragsdale, Andrew Baker, DavidAngel, DavidJohnson, Chad Williams, David DeWitt, Coach Kevin Kelly. Photo byJeffMontgomery.
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