Fort Lewis College Athletics

Ronald Kildall III at the RJGA Palm Valley Classic - Apr 3-4, 2023

Brenna Anderson/FLC Athletics

Ronald Kildall III, on the back of back-to-back career lows in rounds one and two, earned a career-best second place finish.

Kildall III captures second, Skyhawks men eighth at Palm Valley

4/9/2024 4:11:00 PM

By: Molly Schwartz, Athletic Communications Intern

GOODYEAR, Ariz. – The Fort Lewis College men's golf team, headlined by Ronald Kildall III's career-best second-place finish as an individual, earned an eighth-place finish in the 19-team field at the Ruidoso Junior Golf Association's Palm Valley Classic at the Palm Valley Golf Club.

Killdall III, a junior from Everett, Wash., captained his squad to its second-straight top-10 finish as he claimed sole possession of second place with a 12-under-par tournament score of 204 after carding rounds of 66 (-6), 67 (-5), and closed out the event with a one-under 71.

The second-place finish is a career-best for Kildall, who tallied an impressive 29 pars, 17 birdies, and one eagle over the three rounds. In addition, Kildall's first two scores mark the two lowest rounds of his collegiate career to pair with his first under-par finish at Fort Lewis.

Western New Mexico's Adam Niles edged out Kildall III by a single stroke through the final round of the tournament to secure the individual title with a 13-under-par (203) finish.

No. 9-ranked Colorado Christian captured the first-place team title, surpassing Western New Mexico by six strokes to end up 37 strokes below par (827). FLC grabbed a hold of eighth place, outpacing the University of Texas at Tyler by one stroke for an 856 overall and capping the tournament eight strokes under par.

Henry Poston fastened a top-20 finish of his own, shooting a 211 to finish five strokes under par and set a new tournament-low for his career. Poston totaled 34 pars and 13 birdies over the 54 holes to tie for 17^th place. Jackson Rottschafer contributed the next-best score for the Skyhawks scoring three-over-par (219) and tying for 52nd. Jake Chesler was the fourth and final team member to add to the team score, ending 11-over-par at 227.

Final Non-Conference Tournament
The men will look to build off the momentum from its two-tournament weekend as they head back to the Rockies for the Southern Colorado Master next Monday and Tuesday, Apr. 15-16, at the Pueblo Country Club hosted by CSU Pueblo.

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