Ranger dominates NJCAA National Preview
This past weekend, the Ranger College men's golf team showed everyone exactly why they are ranked as the top small college golf program in the country. Ranger, backed a 1-2 finish by Brandon Shong and Jacob Skov Olesen, cruised to the 2019 Platinum Pipe NJCAA National Preview team title at the Odessa Country Club.
Ranger didn't just win the 36-hole tournament. They dominated it. RC fired a two-round score of 564 and edged out Midland College and Odessa College by 16 strokes. Midland and Odessa tied for second at 580.
"We played well in difficult scoring conditions. It was a cold day but the guys played through it" said RC head golf coach Jared Harriman. "We hit our spots and left ourselves in the right places on the long course."
Shong and Olesen gave Ranger its second 1-2 finish of the season with spectacular efforts on the 7,478-yard course. Shong, who had entered the second round three strokes behind Eastern Arizona's Leon Acikalin for the overall lead, carded a six-under par mark over the final 18 holes to finish first in the final individual standings.
Olesen posted back-to-back rounds of 69 and 68, respectively, and finished one stroke behind Shong in the standings. Acikalin placed third at 138.
Kittiphong Phaituachreunsuk also played well for RC. He finished seventh overall with a final mark of 143. Phaituachreunsuk's second-round score of 71 helped his climb five spots in the standings on the final day of play and moved him into a tie with Odessa's Frederik Topgaard at 143.
Brenden Powers gave RC its fourth top 30 finisher. He tied for 26th overall with a score of 148.
Corbin Franco rounded out the Rangers' efforts. He finished 67th at 166.