VERNON HILLS, Ill. – There's no split season quite like the split season in collegiate golf. For example, the Yellowjacket men's golf team won the 2022 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) championship Saturday, Oct. 8. Some quick math tells us that was 188 days, or just shy of 27 weeks ago that the Yellowjackets earned a trip to the 2023 NCAA Championships.
 
That's a long time between competitive matches, especially when schools outside the snow belt have been hitting the course that entire time.
 
Friday, the Yellowjackets finally made their return to the land of greens and fairways, competing at the Forester Spring Invitational, hosted by Lake Forest College. The event served as the team's first tune-up as it begins the training sprint to get geared up for the national tournament.
 
The Yellowjackets knocked some rust off, finishing in 15th place at the White Deer Run Golf Club in Vernon Hills, Ill. The 'Jackets combined for a team score of 339, putting them eight points up on 16th-place Lakeland and eight points back of 14th-place Rock Valley.
 
Aurora University out of Aurora, Ill. won the event, coming in with a team score of 291, three strokes clear of second-place Lake Forest.
 
The Yellowjackets had good grouping Friday, with their top four golfers finishing within two strokes of one another.
 
Leading the way was Ian Bundy (Austin, Minn./Austin) and Nate Burke (Duluth, Minn./Denfeld). The sophomores each carded a 12-over score of 84. Bundy and Burke finished tied for 66th place. Right behind them was T.J. Sitek (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior), who carded a 13-over 85, and Conner Willard (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing), who shot a 14-over 86.
 
Rounding out the top five for the Yellowjackets was Taylor Burger (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior), who completed the 18 holes with a score of 91.
 
Yellowjacket sophomore Brayden Tyman (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet Senior) also competed Friday, finishing his round with a score of 95.
 
The event medalist was William Davis of Elmhurst, who carded a two-under par 70, winning the event by one stroke.
 
The Yellowjackets are back on the course Saturday, when they will compete in the WLC Spring Invitational, hosted by Wisconsin Lutheran College. Teams will tee off at 1:15 p.m. at Morningstar Golf Club in Waukesha, Wis.