Take a look at who qualified for the 2023 Evansville Men's City Golf Tournament

EVANSVILLE — Ben Hoagland carried some extra motivation over his final holes on Saturday at Fendrich.

Did he want to play well? Absolutely. With the scores he posted recently, it almost seemed guaranteed. Hoagland also knew he wouldn’t hear the end of it if someone two groups ahead of him came in with a lower score.

He had to beat his father in the Romain Cadillac City Tournament qualifier.

Hoagland had to work for it but came in with a 5-under 65, the low round from 140 people playing at Fendrich on Saturday. It was just better than the 2-under 68 posted from Lee Hoagland. Bragging rights secured.

“I would have been a little sour if I would’ve got beat,” said Ben. “We have a friendly rivalry. My mom probably wouldn’t say it’s friendly. We are both super competitive. I knew he played well on the first nine.”

This was the first year Lee Hoagland attempted to play in the City Tournament. He’s usually busy following his son. The trash talk immediately began when he signed up. It intensified the last two weeks and became the talk of the house.

Hoagland was up two shots on his son at the turn following three birdies on the back nine. His wife and daughter were giving him updates. It was all in good fun because not many sports allow this opportunity.

“The running joke at least the last two weeks was I would take him down today,” Lee Hoagland said. “It’s a blast. Now that he’s older it gives me time to practice. It’s fun to try. I struck the ball well and didn’t really make any huge mistakes.”

Ben Hoagland led the field thanks to four birdies plus an eagle at the par-5 seventh. The Memorial High School graduate posted a 5-under 30 on the front to secure his spot on the leaderboard.

He said he’s been playing “the best golf of my life” this summer with a win at the IGA Match Play Championship in June and a second-place finish at the Indiana Open two weeks ago. Hoagland, who will be a redshirt junior at Michigan this fall, played in eight tournaments last year with a career-low scoring average of 74.96.

“I’m starting to finally see the work I’ve been doing the last couple years really paying off at once,” he said. “I started hitting the ball better and making putts on the second nine. 65 is good. I definitely didn’t play as good as I have been.”

Most impressive round came from another Memorial grad

Justin Drake learned his lesson. Never finish last in fantasy football.

The Memorial graduate shot an even-par 70 at Fendrich. It was more than good enough to qualify for the main event in two weeks. How Drake got there was arguably more impressive than any other player.

In his first year playing fantasy football, he finished last in his league. The punishment? Drake had to play in the qualifier but was only allowed three clubs. At least the other members allowed him to choose which ones: Driver, pitching wedge and putter.

Drake still had five birdies. It was the second most from anyone at the course.

“You just had to get it in the right spots to still hit a pitching wedge,” Drake joked. “I shot 74 and 75 practicing. I knew I could get low but not even par.”

Drake, who operates a lawn care service, was a multiple state finals qualifier in high school and played collegiately. The experience didn’t make his round easier. He had to get creative on several holes which also led to a double bogey at the fourth. Drake missed the 200-yard, par three left of the green with his driver.

His caddy, Nick Scheller, finished second to last in the fantasy football league and was required to wear a Masters-style white uniform.

Who qualified from Fendrich?

There were 36 spots available from 140 players. Here is who advanced from Fendrich:

Ben Hoagland (65); Clint Keown, Lee Hoagland, Tom Doyle (68); Justin Drake, Nathaniel Caudle, Nolan Schapker (70); Brennan Phillips, Collin Brinker (71); Blake Golden, Drew Shockley, Nicholas Sallee, Gehrig Wynn, Eli Reeves (72); Nathan Dewan, Matthew Heldman, Masson Wassmer, Derek Gallo (73); Matthew Mills, Landen Shipley, Griffin Sohn, Reed Johnson, Ryan Bertram, Zeke Niehaus, Dustin Ross, Luke Richison, Landon Wagner (74); Sam Key, Adam Harpenau, Matt Key, Carson Cook, Tom Gayhart, Tyler Stauth, Mark Murray, Glen Fehr and Alex Oliver (75).

There was an 11-man playoff for nine spots. Stauth earned the final ticket on the third playoff hole.

How did Helfrich play three months after reopening?

What a difference a year made.

It was last July when Helfrich arguably reached its low point. The combination of a broken hydraulic pump, supply chain issues and a heat wave left most greens in bad shape. The scores in the City qualifier reflected it with an 83 earning a spot in the playoff.

After re-seeding every green over the winter, Helfrich reopened to normal play in April. All indicators point to a much stronger course three months later. The cut-line for the opening round of the tournament was five shots lower this year.

Kyle Asay (four birdies) and Kevin Higdon (two birdies) had the low rounds at Helfrich with even-par 71s. Hunter Riggs came in with a solid 72. The rising junior at Central High School eagled the 11th and birdied the 12th but also suffered a late bogey at 17 when his ball cracked.

"I played my game today," said Riggs. "That's all I could really ask for. It was overall a really good round. The greens are getting better and more flush. They trimmed up the greens for the City, but it's looking a lot nicer than it was previously.

Who qualified from Helfrich?

There were 16 spots available from 60 players. Here who is advanced from Helfrich:

Kyle Asay, Kevin Higdon (71); Hunter Riggs (72); Jason Boyle (73); James Doepker (74); Timothy Crowe, Brian Schmidt, Scott Schreiber (76); Jim Zeller, Adam Akin, Ethan Eck, Jacob Eble, Nick Henderson (77); Mason Royalty, Tony Hiatt, Andrew Schmidt (78).

Royalty advanced from a seven-man playoff with a birdie on the first hole. Andrew Schmidt (birdie) and Hiatt (par) earned the final two spots at the second.

Follow Courier & Press sports reporter Kyle Sokeland on Twitter @kylesokeland.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Ben Hoagland shoots low round in Evansville City Tournament qualifier