(RMC release)
A pair of freshmen led the Rocky Mountain College golf teams on the final day of two separate tournaments across the state Tuesday.
Nolan Burzminski finished tied for 15th among 56 golfers to lead the No. 9 ranked Battlin' Bear men competing at the Northwest Iowa National Invitational in LeMars, Iowa. Burzminski shot a three-round total of +2, 218. The freshman had rounds of 71 and 78 on the first day before finishing with a round of 69, the lowest for the Battlin' Bears, on Tuesday. Rocky Mountain College ended the two-day competition in 10th out of 11 teams with a score of 905.
Mitchell Thiessen shot 10-over-par 226 to finish tied for 32nd. The junior had scores of 76 for his first two rounds before shooting a third round of 74. Teammate Haydn Driver finished tied for 35th at 11-over-par 227.
Hailey Derrickson meanwhile shot 11-over-par 227 to tie for 13th among 62 golfers in the Battle at Old Works. Derrickson's first round score of 73 was the lowest of the event for Rocky. The freshman once again led the Battlin' Bears after earning individual medalist honors last week at the 2019 Argo's Invitational for which she was named the Frontier Conference Women's Golfer of the Week.
Facing opponents such as University of Montana and Montana State, No. 18 ranked Rocky Mountain College tied for eighth place with Idaho State University on a total score of 955.
Freshman Claire Wright tied for 20th after going 13-over-par 229. Both Wright and Derrickson were competing in only their second collegiate competition.
Both Rocky teams will next compete at the Carroll College Invite on Sept. 23-24 in Helena.
