By: Chris Behler

Xavier’s golf teams are off to great starts this fall.

The men’s team will be coming home after its final outing at the Badger Invitational in Madison, Wis.

The men began the invitational tied for third place with a team score of 287 but dropped to eighth after scoring 303 in round two.

Despite this setback, senior Yuki Kato carded a 1-over-73 and is currently tied for fourth place on the individual leaderboard.

Additionally, junior Korey Ward and sophomore Matt Gerard are tied for 25th place, scoring a 74 and 79, respectively.

The men played their final 18 holes on Oct. 1 at the University Ridge Golf Course and recorded a score of 309 to finish in ninth place with a total score of 899.

The women’s golf team, on the other hand, is preparing for the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Xavier Invitational from Oct. 5-7 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Coming off some hot performances, the women are looking to continue a spectacular season.

After finishing third out of 11 at the Indiana Fall Kickoff, they secured a second place finish at the Yale Women’s Intercollegiate in New Haven, Conn.

The women finished with a team score of 304. Senior Ariel McNair and sophomore Shane Crutchfield led the way in the final round, carding a 72 and 74 respectively.

They both tied for fourth place with scores of 219.

Junior Abigail Smith finished 16th overall with a score of 226, tying an all-time program record for lowest round with a 2-under -69 for round two.

Right behind Smith was senior Christine Cash, who finished with a total score of 231 and tied for 24th place.

The women’s team will be back in action on Oct. 5, trying to keep its streak of top-3 finishes alive.