Smith and Becker top the leaderboard for Pride at Clarke Spring Invite
After opening the 2026 spring season in some weather conditions, the Clarke University men's golf team was able to produce the top two individual scores at the Clarke Spring Invite at the North Course of Eagle Ridge Resort and Spa on Monday and Tuesday to third and fourth place team finishes.
GALENA, Ill. - After opening the 2026 spring season in some weather conditions, the Clarke University men's golf team was able to produce the top two individual scores at the Clarke Spring Invite at the North Course of Eagle Ridge Resort and Spa on Monday and Tuesday to third and fourth place team finishes.
Those two individual represented each of the five-man lineups that the Pride put into the field as junior Matthew Smith earned the individual victory with a final two-round score of 156 (+12) after a first round tournament-low score of 77 (+5) to follow up that performance on Monday with a 79 (+7) on Tuesday to earn the win by two strokes over freshman Brayden Becker who improved on his first round 81 (+9) with a 77 (+5) of his own in round two to earn the runner-up position after a scorecard playoff broke the tie for second place.
Smith's score led the top five lineup for CU that had one more top-10 finish from freshman Peyton Roth who finished in ninth place with a 36-hole total of 163 (+19) after a 79 (+7) on Monday and an 84 (+12) while Luke Schockemoehl matched Roth's first round score with a 79 (+7) and finished with a two-round total at 169 (+25) to place 19th, Brendan Pillion (89-86=175) finished in 21st, and Travis McSparran (96-85=181) rounded out the Clarke A lineup with a 25th place finish.
Behind Becker's runner-up, the Pride next five lineup included their own second member in the top 10 as senior Cody Leon produced a pair of rounds at 81 (+9) to finish with a total 162 (+18) with that score matched exactly by junior Caeson Clarke, who competed individually for CU to also have a pair of rounds at 81 (+9) for a tied for seventh score at 162 (+18).
The rest of the men's golfers for the Pride included Hayden Hoekstra finishing in 16th at 166 (+22), Matias Brianso posting a 175 (+31), Tommy Eikosidekas scoring a 177 (+33), and the final score coming from Clarke's other individual competitor in Tyler Kell's 207.
Clarke men's golf will be competing in the Dubuque area for their next event when they playing at the Loras Spring Invitational on Sunday and Monday Apr. 12-13 at The Meadows Golf Club in Asbury, Iowa in their final competition of the spring prior to the Heart Championship.