ROGERS, Ark. – The 38th-ranked Harding men's golf team left no doubt on Tuesday, pulling away from a 17-team field to defend its title and win the Shadow Valley Invitational for the second consecutive year.
The victory marks the first tournament championship for first-year head coach Sam Tandy. After play was suspended due to darkness on Monday, the Bisons returned to Shadow Valley Country Club to finish the second round at 2-over 290 before firing a tournament-best, even-par 288 in the final round.
Harding finished the 54-hole event at 8-over 872, coasting to an 11-stroke victory over No. 5 Central Oklahoma. While the Bronchos led the field on par 3s and par 4s, the Bisons dominated the long holes, outplaying Central Oklahoma by 20 strokes on par 5s. Harding's aggressive play led to a tournament-high 51 birdies.
"Having three players finish in the top five is pretty rare," Coach Tandy said. "I loved our resilience. We pulled away and did not give it back."
Arzu Captures Second Win of the Season
Junior Jose Arzu continues his blistering run, earning individual medalist honors for the second time in his last three outings. Arzu, who also won the Tulsa Cup in October, carded back-to-back rounds of 2-under 70 on Tuesday to finish the tournament at 4-under 212.
Arzu's victory—the 27th individual title in program history—came by just one stroke over teammate Jose Manuel Peralta and Central Oklahoma's Nicholas Canales, the No. 26 player in Division II.
Bison Individual Leaderboard:
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Jose Arzu (Jr.): 1st (-4, 212)
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Jose Manuel Peralta (Sr.): T-2nd (-3, 213)
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Dennis Staykov (Jr.): T-4th (E, 216)
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Austin Bibb (So.): T-47th (+15, 231)
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Conner Geist (Jr.): T-81st (+26, 242)
Record-Breaking Performance
The win represents the 19th tournament victory in program history and the sixth in a field of 10 or more teams. It also marks the first time since the 2009–2010 seasons (Lyon College Scots Invitational) that the Bisons have successfully defended a tournament championship.
Up Next
The Bisons will look to carry this momentum into Edmond, Oklahoma, for the Oak Tree Invitational on March 16-17. The event will be hosted by Oklahoma Christian at the renowned Oak Tree Country Club.
