Story by Jason Strickland, Sports Editor

With Lindenwood entering the MIAA this season, the No. 10 Mules golf team faces an unfamiliar golf course Monday and Tuesday at the Lindenwood Invitational.

Central has not competed at the Whitmoor Country Club in St. Charles, Mo., so there are even question marks for Tim Poe, who is in his 22nd year as the Mules head coach.

“I don’t know a whole lot about that golf course, so I just feel like putting and chipping and short game is such a crucial part of the game anyway, no matter where you play, I think that’s where we will focus this week,” Poe said.

This will be Central’s second MIAA tournament of the season. The Mules finished in third place behind Washburn and Central Oklahoma at the Pittsburg State Invitational on Sept. 10-11.

The Mules beat nine of the 10 other MIAA teams at the Northeastern State Golf Classic Monday and Tuesday as they finished in fourth place overall. Washburn was the leading MIAA team with a runner-up finish to Southwest Oklahoma State.

The Mules were in fifth place after the first round on Monday, but they tied Southwest Oklahoma State for the lowest score on Tuesday to get up to fourth.

“We had pretty brutal conditions both days,” Poe said. “We had really high winds…I was really proud of how the guys hung in there and played hard…It was just a real solid performance for us.”

Redshirt freshman Andrew Marks and junior Austin Jarchow got their first tournament experience on the season as they tied for 44th and 50th, respectively.

Poe said they had a qualifying session before going to Northeastern State, so Marks and Jarchow were able to earn their spots in the team’s top five.

Sophomore Cy Moritz led the team with a tie for 11th place. Freshmen Travis Mays and Robby Hughey tied for 13th.

More players may get some experience at Lindenwood. Poe said he might take two teams since he won’t be able to take more than five players to the final tournament of the fall at Missouri Western on Oct. 15-16.