NICHOLASVILLE, KY.—Central College jumped six spots to close in sixth place at the 54-hole Garn Championship men's golf tourney Tuesday.
           
After a discouraging opening round 326, the Dutch completed Monday's darkness-shortened second round at 313 Tuesday morning before posting 318 to finish at 957 despite difficult playing conditions. Campbellsville University (Ky.) shot 310-310-304—924 to take first in the 21-team tourney, five shots better than the University of the Cumberlands (Ky.). Central was among the lone Division III schools in the field. Hope College (Mich.) was 13th at 326-330-320—976.
           
Harold Dobernecker (senior, Nevada) took third in the individual standings at 74-75-80—229 on the par-72 Champions Trace Golf Course, which is also the site of the PGA Tour's Barbasol Championship.
           
"It was a good finish," coach Mel Blasi said. "Harold didn't have his best day score-wise, but it's hard to tell because we had brutal conditions. It was only 50 degrees and raining most of the time with wind gusts from 30 to 40 mph. So we were survivalists today and I thought we really played well."
           
John Oltman (senior, Pella) shot 81-79-81—241 and tied for 31st with Kayden Pendergrass (junior, Mount Vernon), who had 83-78-80—241. Jacob Moffett (senior, Mount Pleasant) shot 88-81-77—246 and tied Blake Wynn (sophomore, Milan, Ill., Sherrard HS), who was playing as an individual entrant and finished at 76-84-86—246. Cole McGriff (senior, Grinnell) shot 88-92-91—271.
           
Moffett's 77 Tuesday was among the 10 best rounds of the day.
           
"Anything at 80 or below was a good score today, that's how difficult the conditions were," Blasi said. "Jake had a double on the last hole but still had one of the best rounds of the day. John Oltman had a really good day, too. And Kaden Pendergrass had a good tournament."
           
Blasi was impressed with how his squad handled the conditions on an elite course.
           
"We had good attitudes on the course," he said. "They were grinders through the bad weather when it was easy to lose your focus and wonder why we were out there playing, which is what a lot of the other golfers were saying. But instead, we just kept playing one hole at a time and grinding it out. That was the difference."
           
The Dutch have had a steady diet of demanding courses and highly competitive tournament fields. Blasi thinks that preparation is helping his squad.
           
"I was happy with how they responded," he said. "I think some of that has to do with the kind of competition that we do play and the courses we've been playing. I think they've acclimated to the fact that you have to stay out of trouble and you've got to have a good short game. If you can do that, then you can score."
           
Central is off until the Illinois Wesleyan Invitational April 5-6 in Normal, Illinois. The Dutch were 14th in an oversized 37-team field last year in the tourney which is staged on two locations, the par-72 Ironwood Golf Course and the par-72 Weibring Golf Club.