Louisville Men's Golf Team (Louisville Athletics Photo)
The Louisville Men’s Golf team rose to the occasion at the Bearcat Invitational, seizing victory at Coldstream Country Club in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Cardinals set the tone early, posting a tournament-low 5-under 279 in the opening round, followed by steady rounds of 1-under 283 and even par 284. Louisville was the only team to shoot par or better in all three rounds, finishing at six-under for the 54-hole event.
Chasing the Cardinals but falling six strokes short were the hometown Cincinnati Bearcats. After rounds of 283 and 286 on Monday, the Bearcats rallied with another 283 on Tuesday, securing an even-par finish and jumping past third-place Kansas. The Jayhawks, who had opened with two rounds of 283 on Monday, stumbled in the final round with a five-over 289, dropping them to three-over for the tournament, three shots behind runner-up Cincinnati.
BYU finished in solo fourth place at 6-over, with rounds of 283, 294, and 281. A promising opening round had them in contention, but their second-round 294 proved too costly to overcome despite a strong closing 281.
Meanwhile, Iowa State and Furman battled to a tie for fifth at eight-over-par. Iowa State posted rounds of 284, 289, and 287, showing flashes of solid play but unable to break through in the final stretch. Furman, on the other hand, followed up a tough opening round of 290 with improved scores of 288 and a final-round 282, pushing them into a share of fifth place.
Louisville's win was their first of the 2024-2025 season, bouncing back from a disappointing 11th-place finish at the Inverness Intercollegiate just a week earlier.
On the individual side, Louisville’s Sebastian Moss and Cincinnati’s Ryan Ford shared medalist honors at six-under-par. Both players came out of the gate with blistering 65s in the opening round.
Moss, a senior from Pearland, Texas, and the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 39 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings followed his 65 with a two-under 69 in the afternoon to take the lead into Tuesday. Ford, a junior from Westfield, Indiana, carded an even-par 71 to stay within striking distance, just two shots back heading into the final round.
As the final round unfolded, Ford, trailing by two shots, mounted his charge. His round of 71 was a mix of steady play and just a couple holes of high drama, featuring 12 pars, 4 birdies, and two double bogeys on both back nine par-3s.
Moss, on the other hand, struggled to find the magic he had in the first 36 holes. A birdie-less round of 73 saw him slip from his commanding position, though he held on for a share of the title. Ford’s late surge, playing his final three holes in two-under, proved just enough to catch Moss, who finished those same holes in 1-over.
For Moss, it was his third collegiate victory, while Ford celebrated his first. "It felt good to finally get it done," Ford told David Cohen of Cincinnati athletics after his round. "I’ve had a lot of close calls and some tough finishes, so this one means a lot."
Just behind the co-champions, Kansas Jayhawks Will King and Gunnar Broin delivered strong performances, finishing 3rd and 4th at five-under and four-under, respectively. Augusta’s Stefan Jacobs rounded out the top five at three-under, turning in three rounds of par or better.
ABOUT THE
Bearcat Invitational
54-hole men's college tournament hosted by the
University of Cincinnati. Team (best four scores out of
five players each day) and individual competitions.
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