HUTCHINSON — It was a battle to the final holes Tuesday afternoon at Carey Park.
Unfortunately for the Barton Community College men’s golf team, it was a battle that put them in third place.
The Cougars missed first place at the Warrior Invitational by just five strokes and finished out of second by a mere two shots.
Bethany College won the event hosted by Sterling College with a 596, followed by Ottawa University with a 599. The Cougars shot a 601 — 13 strokes ahead of fourth place Kansas Wesleyan.
“We played really well,” Barton head coach Doug Kaiser said of the Cougars. “We had a team average of 75. Bethany is really good and I am very, very proud of how our guys played.”
The Cougars actually held the lead after one day, shooting a 301 on Monday.
That gave Barton a five-stroke lead over Ottawa and a nine-stroke lead over Bethany.
But Tuesday brought a new day for Ottawa and Bethany.
While the Cougars were shooting a better score on the second day with a 300, it wasn’t enough to keep up with the Swedes and Braves.
Bethany blistered the course on the second day with a 286 while Ottawa shot a 293 as both teams passed Barton.
The Bethany total was just 2-over-par for its four golfers as a pair of Swedes shot under par on Tuesday.
Jose Acevedo won the meet as the Bethany golfer shot a 71-70 for a 1-under par total of 141. That put him two strokes clear of the next golfer Nick Waite of Oklahoma Wesleyan, who shot a 143.
The Cougars were led by Landon Fox and Natchapol Srinoon with a 145. Fox, a sophomore from Winfield, led the tournament after the first day with a 1-under par 70 then came back with a 75 on Day 2.
Srinoon, a freshman from Thailand, had a mirror scorecard with a 75 on the opening day and a 70 on the final day.
Sophomore Koby Beougher of Stockton shot a 77-80 for a 157 total.
WaKeeney freshman Blake Huxman shot a 79-79 — 158 and Ellinwood freshman Jared Oelke struggled on Day 1 with an 85 but bested that by nine strokes on day two for a 76 and a total of 161 to round out the team scoring for the Cougars.
Valley Center freshman Jestin Jackson played as an individual in the meet, tying for 13th overall with a 75-74 — 149.
Barton had three more events left on its fall schedule beginning with a quick turnaround this weekend.
The Cougars will travel to Dodge City for a one day, 36-hole event at Mariah Hills Country Club Saturday at the Dodge City Invitational.
Barton will also be in Salina Tuesday for a 36-hole one day event hosted by Bethany.