Kansas men’s golf wins second consecutive tournament

Behind a final-round 67 from sophomore Davis Cooper, which gave him the individual title at 10-under, the Kansas men’s golf team won its second consecutive tournament this week at the Windon Memorial at Lake Shore Country Club in Chicago.

The Jayhawks shot 12-under as a team in the final round to bring home the crown at -18 for the event. Two weeks ago, KU won co-champion honors at the Gopher Invitational, and this marks the first time since 2016 that the Jayhawks have won back-to-back events.

All five Jayhawks in the lineup on Tuesday came in under par, with Cooper shooting his second 67 (-4) of the week to earn his first collegiate title.

“I’m really proud of the guys and the fight we had today,” KU coach Jamie Bermel said Tuesday. “From top to bottom, we played with some toughness and grit today. Winning is hard, and to do it back-to-back weeks feels great. It’s great for the guys, great for KU golf and great for our alumni who follow this program very closely.”

The Jayhawks finished seven shots ahead of host Northwestern, which finished -11 and nine clear of Notre Dame, which took third at -9.

Cooper bogeyed his first hole of the day and then played bogey-free golf the rest of the way, finishing his final 17 holes at 5-under par. He was -7 on par-fives for the week, which tied for tops in the entire field. His two rounds of 67 marked his best scores as a Jayhawk.

“He didn’t play like this was his third college tournament,” Bermel said of Cooper. “He picked that golf course apart this week and got his first college win. He’s not very big, he doesn’t hit it real far, but he understands what he does well and continues to get better and better.”

Senior transfer Callum Bruce had his second consecutive top-10 finish, tying for seventh at 5-under for the tournament. He shot a final-round 68 after finishing tied for fourth at the Gopher Invitational. Bruce had a triple bogey on his card, but still shot three-under par thanks to six birdies.

Sophomore Luke Kluver also picked up another top-10 finish, tying for 10th at 3-under. Kluver has been inside the top 10 in all three events for the Jayhawks so far this year.

Senior Harry Hillier shot a final-round 67 to finish tied for 21st at 1-under and senior Ben Sigel tied for 55th after shooting a 1-under 70 in the final round.

The Jayhawks will return to the course for their fourth tournament of the fall in two weeks, when they travel to Houston for the three-day Big 12 Match Play Championships, which are slated to begin on Oct. 11.

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