Parkland Golf Finishes in Top-5 in Two National Polls
No. 4 in coach’s poll, No. 5 in Golfstat rankings
Parkland Golf was unable to complete the Spring portion of its 2019-20 season and was, therefore, unable to compete for its fourth consecutive national tournament appearance. That didn’t stop the National Coach’s Association of America and Golfstat from recognizing the quality of the program and the talent on this year’s team. In the final Bushnell Golfweek Coach’s poll, the Cobras were voted as the 4th best team in the nation, while on Golfstat, the program’s final ranking came in at No. 5.
Though the COVID-19 crisis eliminated the Spring season, Parkland had a very successful Fall campaign. The Cobras were 39-3, taking first-place in three of the five tournaments in which they participated. In addition to taking the Mid-West Athletic Conference title, Parkland won the IVCC Fall Invitational and the Wabash College Classic. As a team, the Cobras averaged 74.6 strokes in 50 total rounds, and their lowest finish was 3rd.
Three Cobras were ranked among the top-20 players in the nation, namely Mason Ghidina (14th), Scott O’Brien (16th), and Evan MacLean (18th). Ghidina, a sophomore, recorded a 72.8 stroke average over 9 rounds, winning the IVCC Fall Invitational and sharing medalist honors at the MWAC Championship. O’Brien, a freshman, recorded a 73.6 stroke average over 10 rounds, sharing MWAC medalist honors with Ghidina. MacLean, a sophomore, matched O’Brien’s 73.6 stroke average over 10 rounds, winning the Dick Park Invitational with a low round of 66.
Additional contributors to Parkland’s success were sophomore Jack Halstead, and a pair of freshmen, Kolten Bauer and Matthew Leist.
Bushnell Golfweek NJCAA Division II Poll
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South Mountain CC
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Kirkwood CC
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Mississippi Gulf Coast CC
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Parkland CC
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Mesa CC
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Meridian CC
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Tyler JC
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Walters State JC
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Paradise Valley CC
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Georgia Military College
Golfstat 2020 NJCAA Division II Top-10
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South Mountain CC
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Kirkwood CC
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Mesa CC
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Mississippi Gulf Coast CC
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Parkland CC
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Paradise Valley CC
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Meridian CC
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Tyler JC
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Georgia Military College
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Glendale CC