Final-Round 71 Helps Brady Grafton Earn Trip to Nationals
Aaron Frey
Tuesday, October 9, 2018 2:43 PM
Athletics
LaSalle, IL
Carl Sandburg College sophomore men’s golfer Brady Grafton (Orion, Ill./Orion) shot a 1-under-par 71 in the final round of the Region IV tournament Saturday at Senica's Oak Ridge to earn a spot in this spring’s NJCAA Division II Championship as well as All-Region IV honors.
Grafton opened the tournament with an 81 on Thursday but rebounded with a second-round 74 before his closing 71. His 226 total over 54 holes was good for 10th overall.
Grafton, a member of Sandburg’s national tournament team last season, will play at nationals May 21-24 at Swan Lake Resort in Plymouth, Ind. The Chargers have now sent an individual or team to nationals for seven straight seasons and in 11 of the last 12 years.
Sandburg improved its team score for each round but finished sixth in the nine-team event. The top two teams as well as the top six individuals from teams outside of the top two earned spots in the national tournament.
The Chargers shot 329 on Thursday, added a 313 in the second round and shot a season-low 305 in the final round for a 54-hole score of 947. Black Hawk shot under 300 in each round to finish at 869 and win by 30 shots over Lake County. Sandburg finished eight shots behind fifth-place Highland.
Bryce Grafton (Orion, Ill./Orion) shot 78 in the first round and added 77s in both the second and third rounds for a 232 total. Brayden Reece (Monmouth, Ill./Monmouth-Roseville) finished at 235 (80-78-77), Grant Campbell (Earlville, Ill./Earlville) at 255 (91-84-80) and Matt Graves (Oneida, Ill./ROWVA) at 274 (90-94-90).
Region IV Division II Men’s Golf Tournament
At Senica’s Oak Ridge
Team Standings (Top two advance to NJCAA Division II Championship)
- Black Hawk 869
- Lake County 899
- Waubonsee 916
- Sauk Valley 936
- Highland 939
- Sandburg 947
- Oakton 957
- Moraine Valley 968
- Illinois Valley 973
All-Region IV Team
(Top six individuals from teams outside the top two advance to NJCAA Division II Championship)
T2. Eric Spurgetis (Black Hawk) 219
T2. Trevor Britton (Lake County) 219
4. Karl Torola (Lake County) 220
T5. Jackson Clark (Waubonsee) 221*
T5. Jeffrey Perez (Black Hawk) 221
T5. Cole Ruckman (Sauk Valley) 221*
8. Aaron Willie (Black Hawk) 222
9. Max Rohlinger (Bryant & Stratton) 225*
10. Brady Grafton (Sandburg) 226*
11. Nzelu Maltha (Oakton) 227*
T12. Jake Hed (Waubonsee) 228*
T12. Colton Guy (Oakton) 228
T14. Jack Haberkorn (Oakton) 229
T14. Konnor Kininmonth (Lake County) 229
FULL RESULTS: Region IV Division II men’s golf tournament
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