Freshman MacKenzie Hurd wrapped up his season at the NCAA golf regional qualifier this past weekend. And while his scorecard may not show it, Hurd came away with a valuable experience on which to build in the next three years.
Hurd notched rounds of 82, 77 and 80 for a final tally of 239, placing him in 106th place, behind the individual winner, Christian Gaynor of Florida State, who shot a three round total of 212.
Going into the Yale tournament, Hurd was riding the high of being named All-Ivy and All-New England in his first year. Unfortunately, before the start of the first round, Hurd suffered from a recurring leg injury that slowed him.
"I woke up Thursday morning and my knee had become quite inflamed and I could barely walk on it," Hurd said. "I basically hobbled around for the first two days."
As Hurd had said before the tournament, this opportunity would be a chance to play against some of the top competition in the nation.While he did not manage to make the list of those going on to the national tournament at Ohio State University, Hurd was able to play with Stewart Cink of Georgia Tech who is the number one ranked player in the country.
"There was no way I would trade it in for anything, but I'm glad it's my freshman year and not my senior year," Hurd said. "That was the first tournament that I've really seen the national college competition that was out there, so as far as that goes, it was really wonderful."
The experience Hurd got this year will be a tool and a motivator as he looks forward to the start of the 1995-96 season.
