Little Rock secured a commanding victory in stroke play at the Ohio Valley Conference Championship, as announced on April 28. The Trojans finished at 28-under par at Purdue’s Ackerman Hills course, outpacing the nearest competitor by 45 shots and placing four golfers among the top four individually.
The team’s performance was highlighted by several individual accolades. Ed Featherstone was named Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, Viggo Talasmaki received Freshman of the Year honors, and head coach Austin Eoff was recognized as Coach of the Year. “Very, very good performance today by the guys,” Austin Eoff said. “Toughest conditions on the week so far and we played our best golf with the low round of the day by 22 shots.”
Mark Stockdale led Little Rock with a medalist finish at 13-under par after shooting a final-round 64 that included a seven-under front nine. “Mark played fantastic all week long with some exceptional ball striking,” Eoff said. “I’m very happy to see him get the win and his first win as a Trojan! Winning is hard to do in golf and he has earned it this week!” Stockdale said, “I just tried to stay patient and trust what I’ve been working on. To get my first win as a Trojan means a lot, especially with how well the team played this week.”
Featherstone and Elliott Simonsen tied for second place at eight-under par each, giving Little Rock three players in the top three positions. Rhett South finished fourth at one-over par while Talasmaki rounded out scoring for Little Rock in thirteenth place overall.
Eoff commented on his players’ season-long development: “Viggo and Ed also earned season-long awards today that speak to the work and performances they have put in this season… His short game and putting have exponentially improved this season along with his mindset.” Featherstone said about his award: “It means a lot to earn Player of the Year… especially doing it as part of a team performance like this.” On Talasmaki’s honor, Eoff added: “He has all the tools and is learning how to use them… Very happy to see him get freshman of the year.”
With stroke play concluded, Little Rock will face Bryant in Wednesday’s semifinal match play round while UT Martin takes on Tennessee Tech in another semifinal pairing. Eoff concluded: “Time to reset tonight and take confidence from stroke play but we are back to zero tomorrow for match play.” The championship match is scheduled for approximately 1 p.m., where Little Rock aims to cap off its dominant showing.
