After placing 11th in the District Championships in Brasleton, Ga. on April 23-24, Colbe Cagle earned a bid to compete in the Division II National Championships, located in Plymouth, Ind., on Tuesday through Friday. 131 golfers from across the country competed in the event.
Tuesday's first round was marked by low amounts of sun and high scores due to the amount of rainfall flooding into the area.
Play was suspended after a multiple-hour rain delay in which some players were unable to finish their round without playing in the dark. Cagle, who teed off at just after 7:00 AM ET, was able to get his round in and shot an 83. After this round, he was tied for 84th place overall.
The sun came out for Wednesday's second round and things boded much better for the golfers. After the remaining golfers to finish Round 1 completed those holes, the second round began. Cagle faired much better in this second round with the better conditions, shooting a 75 to propel him to a tie for 48th overall with a total two-round score of 158.
The third round on Thursday again brought bad weather to the area in the hours just before the shotgun start and also windy conditions. Cagle shot an 87 in the round, bringing his score to 244 overall, which placed him in a tie for 79th.
The fourth round on Friday went extremely well for Cagle, as he shot a best-score of the tournament of 73 to finish 62nd overall.
"The whole tournament was awesome and certainly a new adventure for me," Cagle said when speaking on his National Championship experience. "I had never played four straight rounds in a tournament before. Although the weather was challenging, the tournament went well. I had a difficult time the first and third days, but, with encouragement from my coaches, came back strong on the second and fourth days. Swan Lake Golf Course was a great host and I am looking forward to returning to Nationals next year. It was a great way to end the season, and I was proud to represent Cleveland State."
Head Coach Miles Moseley was also pleased with Cagle's effort. "Coach Evans and I couldn't be more proud of Colbe," he said. "It was the biggest tournament he has ever played in and he finished in the top half of the field and had his two best scores of the year. This will really give him some valuable experience heading into next season."
Individual Scores: